Putting together second HOF class just as difficult

Pearson, Yarborough should lead the votes in 2011

By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
October 15, 2009
03:23 PM EDT

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So now that we know the names of the charter class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame -- the First Five, as you will -- attention turns to the Class of 2011, the Following Five. And the decision-making process won't be that much easier the second time around.

The first class

Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Bill France Sr. will be enshrined in May 2010.

If David Pearson wasn't worthy of being enshrined in the inaugural class, he had to have been the odd man out. The Silver Fox is second all-time to Richard Petty with 105 victories, winning 10 or more races in a season five times, and collecting three NASCAR championships. In races where Pearson and Petty finished 1-2, the Spartanburg, S.C., native won 33 of those to the King's 30. In an era when purse money paid the bills, Pearson ran only selected races but still was good enough to finish third in the 1974 points, despite making only 19 starts.

So who joins Pearson in 2011? If results of the balloting are correct, there may be quite a bit of additional support for Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison. Yarborough may be best remembered for his three consecutive championships beginning in 1976, but the native of Timmonsville, S.C., won 83 times in a 31-year career, including four Daytona 500s.

In Allison's case, the original member of the Alabama Gang was as good near the end of his career as he was at the beginning. A multiple-time modified division champion before he raced full-time at NASCAR's highest level, Allison won 84 Cup races, including three Daytona 500s and the 1983 Cup title.

There are at least six drivers from NASCAR's first decade that deserve serious consideration next year, beginning with Lee Petty. Already 35 by the time he competed in the first Strictly Stock race at Charlotte in 1949, Petty won 54 races and three NASCAR championships, and captured the inaugural Daytona 500 in a photo finish with Johnny Beauchamp.

Buck Baker was every bit of Petty's equal during that same time frame. The first driver to win back-to-back titles, Baker also finished as runner-up to Petty in 1955 and 1958. During an eight-year span, Baker never finished worse than fifth in points and scored 41 of his 46 career victories.

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Certainly Herb Thomas should be mentioned in the same breath with Petty and Baker. From 1950 to 1956, Thomas won 48 races, two championships and was runner-up on three other occasions -- all before he turned 34. The only other drivers with comparable careers are Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon. A serious accident suffered near the end of the 1956 season effectively shortened Thomas' career.

Class of 2010

Relive the moment as Brian France reveals the five who received the inaugural vote.

Ned Jarrett may be better known now as a broadcaster, but the two-time champion won as many races as Junior Johnson, including 28 in a two-year stretch beginning in 1964. The Newton, N.C., native was almost unbeatable on dirt, but his 1965 Southern 500 victory -- by an amazing 14-lap margin of victory -- attests to his talents on any circuit. He retired a few weeks after turning 34, while still in the prime of his driving career.

Tim Flock might have been the youngest of the famous Flock brothers, but he certainly wasn't last very often. In just 187 starts, Flock won 39 times, including 18 in 1955, and captured a pair of NASCAR championships. Serious injuries also curtailed his career, as he climbed out of the cockpit for the final time at age 37 in 1961.

It's hard to know what Fireball Roberts would have accomplished had he not died as a result of a fiery crash at Charlotte in 1964. The Daytona Beach native was only 35 at the time of his death, but had amassed 33 wins in a 15-year career. The one thing missing from his resume is a championship, but he preferred to run only the biggest races, and competed in more than half the races in a single season only twice.

Certainly Darrell Waltrip's name should be included in those with a legitimate chance at making the Hall on the second ballot. His 84 wins leave him tied with Allison for third on the all-time list, and he continues to serve as an ambassador for the sport in a broadcasting capacity.

Glen Wood's accomplishments as a driver, mechanic and founder of the famous Wood Brothers operation certainly deserves special merit. The originator of the modern pit stop, Wood's innovations are still being practiced today.

And there were several omissions from the first round of nominations that will hopefully gain consideration for 2011. Cotton Owens, one of the pioneers of the sport, was a major force in the sport as a driver, a mechanic and an owner. Dale Inman, Richard Petty's cousin, was his crew chief for all seven of the King's championships and 198 of his 200 victories.

Perhaps the most egregious was leaving Bruton Smith's name off the original list of nominees. Whether that was accidental or intentional, it's impossible to fathom how someone as influential as Smith wasn't deserving of mention. A former track promoter who was involved in the construction of Charlotte Motor Speedway, which over time morphed into Speedway Motorsports, Inc., a worthy rival of the France's International Speedway Corp., Smith's bold initiatives -- luxury skyboxes and amenities, state-of-the-art track lighting and expansions to markets outside of NASCAR's traditional fan base -- are unequalled. Love him or hate him, Smith has had a direct and profound influence on the sport.

So who has the inside track in 2011? If voting patterns remain the same next fall, Pearson, Yarborough and Allison definitely should be in the second class. Who will join them? I'd like to think Glen Wood and Bruton Smith are worthy of being included on that list.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.