NASCAR ranks filled with future Hall of Famers (cont'd)

The other active-driver lock to get into the Hall someday, if you had to pick only one, would have to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. Yeah, yeah, we know. Many believe he's overrated, pointing out he's only won one Cup race since joining powerful Hendrick Motorsports at the beginning of last season, and so on and so forth.

All great points, to be sure, but this isn't a sympathy pick just to curry favor in the e-mail inbox. Earnhardt has won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award a gazillion times in a row -- and don't forget he also won back-to-back Nationwide championships in 1998 and 1999, respectively, before moving on to the Cup Series full time.

This is a Hall of Fame, after all, and who is more famous amongst the active drivers than Earnhardt? Win or lose, he has done as much or more than any of the other active drivers to help promote and popularize the sport with the masses. His 22 career Nationwide wins rank him tied for eighth on that all-time list, and it's likely he will at least add to his Cup career total of 18 victories before he's done racing.

All of which adds up to the fact that he's a future Hall of Famer.

Future fame?

There are plenty of other future Hall candidates among the list of current active drivers. We didn't even include Bill Elliott because he wasn't in Sunday's race and runs only a part-time schedule these days, but he'll obviously get in with his 44 Cup victories and one championship.

Matt Kenseth isn't done racing yet and will have at least one Cup championship to go along with his total of 25 Nationwide wins, which ranks fifth on that career list. With 18 lifetime Cup wins, his career stacks up closely with those of fellow active drivers Jeff Burton (21 Cup wins, tied for fourth all time with Kyle Busch and 27 Nationwide wins, but no championships); and Bobby Labonte (who also has 21 Cup wins and only 10 Nationwide victories, but one championship in each of the two series).

Former Cup champion Kurt Busch may one day get in, although it could be argued that he needs to build on his current resume first. The same can be said for Harvick, but don't forget he has the aforementioned solid creds on the Nationwide side and also as an owner/driver in the Truck Series, bolstering his Fame potential.

And who knows what guys like Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and others have yet to accomplish on the track? Or even relative upstarts such as Juan Montoya or Joey Logano, who appear to be merely scratching the surfaces of their vast potential?

Finally, don't forget Ron Hornaday. He is to the Truck Series what Jimmie Johnson is to the Cup Series, as he appears to be cruising toward his fourth championship. Hornaday's 45 career wins are 17 more than anyone else who has raced in that series. The Hall is supposed to honor all things NASCAR, and Hornaday, when he's done dominating the Truck Series, will be deserving of a place there.

But with only five candidates per year getting in, Hornaday, Gordon, Johnson and everyone else currently driving will have to remain patient. It's going to be a long wait for all of them.

The opinions expressed are those solely of the writer.