CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural induction ceremony is history, instantly becoming a memorable piece of the sport's rich tapestry in the very edifice that was built to explain and honor and hold more than six decades of it.

"[Sunday] was a humbling experience," former championship driver Darrell Waltrip said. "We have everything in one roof. We have the sum of all these parts put together."

“

[Sunday] was a humbling experience. We have everything in one roof. We have the sum of all these parts put together.

”

-- DARRELL WALTRIP

But until Sunday, the Hall -- which officially opened May 11 -- held an empty Hall of Honor. In an elaborate production telecast live on SPEED, the inductions of Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Dale Earnhardt were packed with great stories, raw emotion and a series of poignant personal and video tributes to the five deserving inductees.

"[Sunday] was a great, great day in NASCAR history," team owner Richard Childress said afterward. "The five inaugural inductees that they picked, they could not have picked a better five to represent our sport."

"I think we've all had roller-coaster rides of emotion from the highs of winning races and championships to some of the losses we've endured. ... I think that was reflected in the ceremony. It was just amazing to listen to some of the stories."

There were enough to them that a quick review of what transpired in the Crown Ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center is in order.

• NASCAR enshrines first class

Big Bill

The first to be inducted, and rightly so, was Bill France Sr. The founder of NASCAR was presented by family friend and long-time legal counsel John Cassidy, who recounted how he first met Big Bill in the corridors of power in Washington D.C.

Cassidy was working as special assistant to Bobby Kennedy, the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy who was Attorney General of the United States at the time.

"I was sitting in my office when Bobby Kennedy called one day and gave me what you might call a warning," Cassidy said. "He said a man named Bill France was coming down to my office."

Then Bobby Kennedy added: "This fellow has something to do with automobile racing. Jimmy Hoffa [of Teamsters fame] is giving him and NASCAR a hard time. We need to help them." (Continued)