NASCAR announced this offseason that it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.
Official team rosters for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been released. Click the print icon above, or the link below.
ROSTERS: Coca-Cola 600
RELATED: Overview of 2018 rules updates
The men and women to be honored during the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola Memorial Day weekend tribute at Charlotte Motor Speedway demonstrate integrity, pride and bravery. Their stories cannot help but inspire both those inside the race car for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and those watching the great race in person.
Each race team is commemorating a fallen soldier, a person who gave the ultimate sacrifice – his or her life – for our country and for our freedom.
RELATED: Full schedule for Charlotte | NASCAR Salutes returns
The stories of these brave and honorable people are as diverse as they are inspiring. And each soldier, airman, Marine and sailor is absolutely just that – inspiring.
Brad Keselowski will carry the name of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Chris Eckard on his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Eckard, who was born in the heart of NASCAR country, Hickory, North Carolina, served in both the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps. He deployed to Iraq, then re-enlisted, ultimately losing his life in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province on Feb. 20, 2010. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
RELATED: Keselowski meets family of fallen Marine
The driver of the No. 13 Chevrolet for Germain Racing, Ty Dillon, will carry the name of Army Private Charlie Anthony, who was killed in May of 1969 while serving in the Vietnam War. Anthony was a star on his Naples, Florida, high school basketball and track teams before being drafted into service a year after graduation. Just before deploying, he married his high school sweetheart Laura and they had one daughter, Cassandra. Anthony was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, posthumously.
Erik Jones, 21, will carry the name of fellow Michigan native, U.S. Army Corporal Nicholas Roush, on his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Roush was killed at the age of 22 while serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Herat Province of Afghanistan. It was his very first deployment. He is survived by his mother, Donna, father Robert and brother Bobby and Kyle, all of Middleville, Michigan.
Indiana native Ryan Newman will carry the name of U.S. Navy Corpsman Ryan Lohrey on his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Lohrey is from Anderson, Indiana – a short drive from the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lohrey, 31, served as both a Navy and U.S. Marine Corps parachutist and died July 10, 2017. He received a Purple Heart in addition to earning the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon with gold star in place of a second award. He was married to Cassie and they have three children.
NASCAR’s own Liberty University student, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, will honor a fellow Liberty community member. U.S. Army Major Michael Donahue, 41, was an alumnus and assistant professor of military science at Liberty who taught in the school’s Army ROTC program. Donahue served three combat tours of duty (in South Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan) and was killed Sept. 16, 2014, by a Taliban suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan. Among the many honors he received for his service were a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal. He is survived by his wife Sherry and three children.
Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Chevrolet will carry the name of Captain Kimberly Hampton, of Easley, South Carolina. Hampton was an honors graduate and accomplished tennis player at Presbyterian College who served as battalion commander of the U.S. Army ROTC unit there. She would command the Delta Troop in the 1st Squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment. The helicopter she was piloting was shot down Jan. 2, 2004, and she was the first female pilot killed in Iraq. Hampton, 27, was stationed with the highly-regarded 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq and had previously served in both South Korea and Afghanistan.
These are a few of the moving stories about servicemen and service women that Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will honor in Sunday night’s race. Each driver will have a different serviceperson on their car, representing generations of military service.
A pre-race “Salute to the Troops” will feature demonstrations from all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and the salute will include F-15 fighter jets, a Blackhawk helicopter, Humvees, Howitzers, a HIMARS rocket system, a Marine MTVR vehicle and two Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts.
RELATED: See how Charlotte has honored the military through the years
The Fort Bragg Firing Party will take part in a 21-Gun Salute and the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force will have interactive, fan-friendly displays in the speedway’s Fan Zone.
Senior leaders representing all five branches of the military will address the crowd.
Adult tickets to the Coca-Cola 600 start at just $49 while kids 13 and under get in for $10; Tickets, camping and upgrades are available online or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267).
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — NAPA will be the primary sponsor on Chase Elliott’s star-spangled No. 9 Chevrolet for this Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he’s getting a weekend’s worth of support from another backer, which is expanding its reach beyond product placement on his cars.
Hooters has brought its annual Hooters International Pageant to zMAX Dragway this Saturday, featuring a concert by country music artist Jake Owen. The event moves from its traditional Las Vegas home to NASCAR’s backyard, opening its gates to the public for the first time, and the restaurant chain has also added its sponsorship to Elliott’s return to the Xfinity Series, where he’s set to run just his second race of the season.
The extra sponsorship push has made an already big weekend even grander for the 22-year-old driver, who will make his 90th career start in the Monster Energy Series in Sunday’s 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tuesday afternoon offered a preview, as he joined some of the pageant contestants at a photo shoot on a palatial Lake Norman estate.
RELATED: Full Charlotte schedule | WATCH: Elliott checks in on Blaney
“It was really cool to kind of bring them back last year and to get back involved in a bigger way, which I feel like is a great fit for them and it’s a good fit for me, too,” said Elliott, in his second season of the sponsorship deal. He’ll join fellow driver Ryan Blaney as a celebrity guest judge Saturday evening. “It’s been a great partnership. Them being on the car the past couple of years I feel like has been great. It’s been a very positive partner, definitely from my end and I hope the same for them.
“Looking forward to having the pageant in town during a race weekend, which I feel like will be different from what their pageants typically are, so I hope it’s a success and has all the ingredients to be.”
Elliott’s ingredients over his career at Charlotte have been a mishmash recipe thus far. Last year’s 600 brought an early exit, running over debris that hampered his car and caused a calamitous crash with Brad Keselowski, ending his day after just 19 of the 400 laps. In last October’s return to the 1.5-mile track, Elliott spent 12 laps in the lead before finishing second — his best result in five Charlotte starts.
So which Charlotte finish from last year — if any — provides an omen? Elliott, who has since joined his fellow Chevrolet drivers in making the switch from the SS to the Camaro ZL1, says neither one.
“I think everything’s too different,” Elliott said. “Parts and pieces change too fast, and people come up with parts and things. You might have a trick one month and then it be gone the next, and so on and so forth, and the same for other people on other teams. To me, I think it’s too hard to say, ‘Ah, we ran good there last fall. We’re going to go back and run good again here in the spring.’ It’s just too different. … It was nice to have a good run there, for sure. We wrecked out early in the 600 last year, so hopefully we can make it 600 miles this time instead of watching the end on the couch.”
RELATED: Elliott finds perspective in NASCAR Salutes mission
So far, most of the Monster Energy Series field has been watching Kevin Harvick dominate with five wins in 12 points-paying events, plus a victory in last weekend’s All-Star Race exhibition as a tack-on bonus. Three of Harvick’s points wins have come on 1.5-mile tracks, a point of emphasis considering their prominence on the schedule.
Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports bunch are searching to make gains on the intermediate-sized facilities, with this weekend’s showcase event as a starting point. That quest for speed, Elliott says, is a never-ending one.
“Until you’re winning every week like some guys are, you’re always trying to build,” Elliott said. “And even when you are winning like that, you still need to be building or you’re going to get behind at some point. We’re definitely not where we need to be. Running around 10th isn’t what I want. It’s not what my team wants, so we’re working hard at it, but look, that’s life. You’ve got to go through ups and downs, you’ve got to ride the roller-coaster as best you can.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is when things are on the up and up, making the most of it and I think that’s one thing I haven’t done a real good job of in the past, so experience hopefully helps and if things come back around for us, I’m going to make sure I do my part and make the most of the good times.”
Elliott is scheduled for a double-duty weekend for the first time since the Daytona season opener, participating in the Xfinity Series’ Alsco 300 (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for GMS Racing. The organization announced Monday that Elliott would drive the team’s No. 23 Chevy for at least five races, filling in as driver Spencer Gallagher serves an indefinite suspension for violation of NASCAR’s substance abuse policy.
RELATED: GMS Racing announces fill-in duty for Elliott
Elliott, an Xfinity Series champion in 2014, teamed up with GMS last season for a win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway. Reconnecting with the team, and bolstering its program with additional sponsorship promoting Saturday night’s Hooters pageant, came as a natural pairing.
“Obviously, I wish it was under better circumstances, but they kind of kept me in mind,” Elliott said. “I had a little bit of a relationship with GMS from last year running some truck races with them and we had some mild success there from time to time, so it was just a good fit. They’ve been real easy to work with. I feel like we’ve gotten along, which has been the biggest thing, with Mr. Gallagher and Mike (Ford, Xfinity competition director) and all the folks there, so it’s just been easy to work with and I think that was the biggest thing.
“They had mentioned to me before if I had any interest in running some races whenever this all came about. I said I did and I think it would be helpful for me to go do, so I’m looking forward to doing it and helping any way I can. Obviously, I want to go do good, too, so I can help some way, somehow and go get those guys some good finishes and hopefully a win.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A quarter century ago, tragedy struck the NASCAR world twice in a span of a few months.
Things came full circle Wednesday, as Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki joined Jeff Gordon, Jack Roush and Roger Penske as inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on one of NASCAR’s happiest days.
The two drivers both lost their lives in separate 1993 aviation accidents, Kulwicki in April and Allison in July. The former was the defending Cup Series champion at the time; the latter perhaps on his way to his first title, fifth in points at the time of his passing.
RELATED: NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019 selected
Both were fan favorites, and their losses and the impressions on the sport they left behind have been felt for quite some time.
“I felt like Davey eventually would be in there because he was good; his life was short, but he really did good,” NASCAR Hall of Famer and Davey’s father Bobby Allison said Wednesday at the Hall. “He did good with a race car, but he also gathered the people, too. Fans loved him. I had a taste of that — when he died, the mailman delivered 1,300,000 pieces of mail to my house in five weeks.”
Bobby Allison, part of the second Hall of Fame class in 2011, was clearly moved while speaking about his son, pausing at times to gather his thoughts. It was a fitting and joyous ending to a story that could have — should have — had plenty more chapters.
“Yes,” Allison said when asked if this was his proudest moment as a father. “I didn’t even really think of it in terms of that, but yes. And he was the ultimate son. He’d say, ‘Hey dad, how can I get better?’ I thought about that along the way. I’ve known a lot of youngsters along the years and seen a lot of talent, but I never heard anyone say that. He always was my buddy. Worked there in the shop for me, all hours of the night. Going through tough times and trying to figure it out to get something going better, he’d be there with me.”
I am still shaking….I am so very grateful to all those who voted for Davey. Thank you to all of you who have kept his memory alive. Davey loved you and I love you too.
— Liz Allison (@Lizallison28) May 23, 2018
Thirty-two-years old at the time of his passing, the eldest of Bobby Allison’s four children was well on his way to putting up a career that could have rivaled that of his father. Driving for Yates Racing and Class of 2018 member Robert Yates, Davey had come off two straight five-win seasons and was among the favorites for title consideration in 1993. All told, he won 19 races in just 191 starts for an impressive winning clip of 10 percent.
VIDEOS: Kulwicki’s legacy lives | Davey Allison joins father in Hall
It’s hard to extrapolate what his final numbers could have looked like had he been able to finish out his career, but it’s not out of the question that Davey could have put a significant dent in his father’s whopping 84 career wins. Regardless, his resume — which included a win in the 1992 Daytona 500 and a runner-up finish to his dad in the 1988 running of the Great American Race — was enough to secure his place in NASCAR history.
For Kulwicki, the collective sigh of relief Wednesday was tangible, as NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France announced Kulwicki as the fifth, and final, member of the Class of 2019.
An inspiration for every small budget, everybody-in-the-shop-knows-everybody-in-the-shop kind of team, Kulwicki and his AK Racing squad laid the groundwork for how to succeed at NASCAR’s highest level — and actually take home a title.
“I’m so happy,” Tony Gibson, car chief for Kulwicki’s 1992 championship run, told NASCAR.com via phone on Wednesday. “It’s been going on for so many years trying to get into that thing and in my opinion, he should’ve been in a long time ago. He was the little engine that could.
“We had a really, really small group of people and a really small budget, competing against guys that had $4 million and $5 million dollars for a year, which at that time was a lot of money. We were sitting there at $1.4 million a year. To be able to do it with the small group that we had … when we went to the race track, we were all there; there was nobody left (at the shop) to continue working. We would all go to the race track and come home and work. It was a seven-day-a-week, year-round kind of job as a small group.
“Alan was one of those guys that he had a dream and he had a plan and you either wanted to be a part of it or you didn’t want to be a part of it; you had to believe in it. Some of his stuff was pretty crazy and off the wall and you’re like ‘Man, does he really think we can compete with these guys?’ But he was like, ‘If you guys believe in me and believe that we can be successful, we can do it. I just need you to stick with me.’ He was a very smart person and spent a lot of time thinking and planning things out … we learned how to do a lot with less.”
PHOTOS: Top career moments for Class of 2019 selectees
Famous for his “Polish Victory Lap” at what is now ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Kulwicki made his impact known and worked his way up perhaps quicker than many thought he could, given the team’s circumstances.
He would receive offers to race for higher budget teams with more resources, but it wasn’t the Kulwicki way. He stuck by his team. He stuck by his people.
“What else can you say? My goodness, this is great … ” said Kulwicki’s longtime public relations guru Tom Roberts. “I’m so happy and so thrilled. I wish that Thelma (Kulwicki, Alan’s stepmother) was here. I know that she’s up there and she’s got a big smile on her face. This one, I feel like, is a win for the little guy. I’m just so blessed that I get to carry his name on … this is just like the icing on the cake. I’m happy, but I’m happy for so many people.
“Tony Gibson texted me about an hour beforehand and said ‘I got 600 cars to get ready. I can’t come, but my heart will be there.’ All the Kulwicki team, all the Kulwicki-ites through all the years, this is one for so many people. So appreciative.”
While it would have been incredible to see these two stalwarts of NASCAR folklore accept their nominations in person, they each had members of their community there to receive the honor on their behalf. It’s clear how revered they were not just by the fans, but by those closest to them.
“I don’t know (how we’ll reflect on this in the coming years),” Allison said. “I feel so good about it right now. I’m just really, really pleased. I’ll be smiling for a long time.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With a rousing 96 percent vote for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Jeff Gordon was a stone-cold lock for election from the moment his name first appeared on the ballot. But Gordon, still the picture of grace and decorum, demurred at the notion that Wednesday’s honor was a shoo-in.
“I mean, you never know until they announce it,” Gordon said after headlining the Class of 2019 with a record percentage of the vote. “I was trying not to get my hopes up or get too caught up into all of it. But yet today having my family, so many people reach out to me once the announcement came, that was fantastic.”
RELATED: Jeff Gordon heads powerhouse Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Voting Day for Gordon meant a celebration with his wife, Ingrid, and their children, Ella and Leo. But it also meant confirmation of his place in stock-car lore, a place among the immortal inductees, whose ranks swelled to an even 50 with Wednesday’s vote.
Very few drivers have reached the status of household names, figures that transcend motorsport. Petty and Earnhardt are the only other names that spring quickly to mind. Stats and on-track accomplishments alone were enough to merit Gordon’s inclusion, but the 46-year-old driver was the rare star who nimbly shifted from race track to the entertainment realm.
Wednesday, Gordon was in firmly on the racing side, celebrating the recognition and enjoying the achievement.
“I’m so honored,” Gordon said. “I mean, I’ve been coming here to the Hall the last several years, being a part of other inductees. Every time I’ve had a chance to come here, especially when it’s people that you worked with, like Ray Evernham, Rick Hendrick, people that you know, that you competed against like Mark Martin, those are when you start to realize how special this is. NASCAR has made it so special.
“I’ve always said that timing has been on my side in my career. The timing couldn’t be better than right now to be going into the Hall of Fame. This is very special.”
For Gordon, timing was part of a recurring theme that helped shape his illustrious career. The timing of meeting the right people steered him from a path toward Indianapolis-style cars to the Buck Baker Driving School and headlong into the stock-car world.
“To me, I was a kid from California that was racing sprint cars and midgets in Indiana, came down to North Carolina hoping and dreaming of something,” Gordon said. “But I didn’t know much about NASCAR racing.”
MORE: Hall of Fame Class of 2019 through the years | Career highlights
That background, Gordon said, made Wednesday’s honor all the more surreal. His path in NASCAR eventually led to crew chief Ray Evernham and car owner Rick Hendrick, who preceded Gordon into the Hall of Fame. Their combination yielded multiple championships, victories by the dozens and a foundation that launched Gordon into the elite.
“Those two are like family to me,” Gordon said. “To be able to follow them is very, very, very special to me. They’re obviously extremely deserving. I wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for those two. Besides my parents, I owe those two everything, how they contributed to my life in more than just racing, but especially racing, when you look at the success we had on track.”
It was Evernham who suggested another fortunate aspect of Gordon’s timing, the opportunity to share the celebration surrounded by his family during a special broadcast at FOX Sports’ studios.
“I am super, super happy for him to be recognized,” Evernham said. “It was kind of a no-brainer, but when you look at everything he’s done and how much of an ambassador he’s been for the sport on top of everything else, he’s a pretty phenomenal guy.
“And I’m happy that this is something he can share with his children. I know that’s important to him because they didn’t get to see all of the wins and all of the championships. They got to see some and do some things, and this I’m sure will be the highest honor of his career and he gets to share that with his family, so really happy for him.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2018) – NASCAR announced today the inductees who will comprise the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The five-person group – the 10th since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 – consists of Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Roger Penske and Jack Roush. In addition, NASCAR announced that Jim Hunter earned the 2019 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. The distinguished group will be honored during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Feb. 1, 2019.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in a closed session at the Charlotte Convention Center to debate and vote upon the 20 nominees for the induction class of 2019 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award.
The Class of 2019 was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, including representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and, for the fifth year, the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion (Martin Truex Jr.). In all, 57 votes were cast, with two additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Ricky Rudd and Waddell Wilson). The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.
MORE: Gordon highlights class | Photos of all nominees | Career highlights
Voting was as follows: Jeff Gordon (96%), Jack Roush (70%), Roger Penske (68%), Davey Allison (63%) and Alan Kulwicki (46%).
The next top vote-getters were Buddy Baker, Hershel McGriff and Waddell Wilson.
Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, were Davey Allison, Buddy Baker, Harry Gant, Jeff Gordon and Alan Kulwicki.
The five inductees came from a group of 20 nominees that included, in addition to the five inductees chosen: Buddy Baker, Red Farmer, Ray Fox, Harry Gant, Joe Gibbs, John Holman, Harry Hyde, Bobby Labonte, Hershel McGriff, Ralph Moody, Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd, Kirk Shelmerdine, Mike Stefanik and Waddell Wilson.
Nominees for the Landmark Award included Janet Guthrie, Barney Hall, Alvin Hawkins, Hunter and Ralph Seagraves.
The Class of 2019 Induction Weekend is set for Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, through Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The official Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. The Class of 2019 marks the 10th class and a total of 50 legends inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. To celebrate the momentous occasion, new events and special programs have been added throughout the extended weekend.
Tickets to Induction Ceremony events begin at $75 per person (plus tax and applicable service fees). Tickets go on sale on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at 10 a.m. ET. A special pre-sale will be available to NASCAR Hall of Fame members Wednesday, May 30, 2018, through Friday, June 8, 2018. To learn about becoming a NASCAR Hall of Fame member, visit nascarhall.com/membership. For additional details about the Class of 2019 Induction Weekend schedule and ticket packages, visit nascarhall.com/inductees/induction-ceremony.
Class of 2019 Inductees:
Davey Allison
Davey Allison was born with speed. The son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison grew up more interested in football, but could not escape the racing bug, following his father into the family profession. The younger Allison honed his skills at local Alabama tracks, getting his big break in 1987, taking over for legendary driver Cale Yarborough in Ranier-Lundy’s Ford Thunderbird. Allison spent no time continuing the family’s legacy, compiling two wins, five poles and nine top fives in his full-season debut to capture 1987 premier series rookie of the year. Allison won 19 races and 14 poles, including the 1992 Daytona 500, before his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1993.
Jeff Gordon
Blessed with once-in-a-generation talent and charisma, Jeff Gordon helped take NASCAR from a regional sport to the mainstream. Gordon took NASCAR by storm in the 1990s, becoming the youngest driver in the modern era to win a premier series title as a 24-year-old in 1995. He went on to win three more championships (1997, ’98, 2001). In 1998, Gordon led the Rainbow Warriors – named for his colorful No. 24 Chevrolet – to a modern era-record 13 wins. Overall, he won 93 races, which ranks third on the all-time wins list. Gordon is a three-time Daytona 500 champion and won the Brickyard 400 a record five times.
Alan Kulwicki
Noted Wisconsin short-track racer Alan Kulwicki moved to Charlotte in 1984 with nothing but a pickup truck, a self-built race car and the hopes of competing in NASCAR’s highest series. He had no sponsor and a limited budget. Kulwicki burst onto the scene as the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year with his self-owned AK Racing team. Throughout his career, Kulwicki received lucrative offers from powerhouse race teams, but insisted on racing for himself. That determination eventually led to his first of five career victories at Phoenix in 1988. His signature season was his championship-winning 1992 campaign, where Kulwicki overcame a 278-point deficit with six races remaining to capture the NASCAR premier series title. Kulwicki never got the chance to defend his title, dying in a plane crash in 1993.
Roger Penske
A true captain of industry, Roger Penske has steered one of the most successful motorsports ships in the sport’s history. Penske, who celebrated his 50th anniversary in racing in 2016, reached a major milestone and collected a prestigious award during the golden anniversary season. That year, he reached 100 wins in NASCAR’s premier series and capped off the season by receiving the Bill France Award of Excellence. Penske won the premier series championship in 2012 with driver Brad Keselowski, and owns two Daytona 500 wins with Ryan Newman in 2008 and Joey Logano in 2015. And from 2013-15, Penske tied a record with three consecutive owner championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Off the track, Penske likewise makes an indelible mark. He built the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in 1996, and previously owned Michigan International Speedway.
Jack Roush
Once a Michigan-based drag racing owner and enthusiast, Jack Roush made his best motorsports decision when he turned south in 1988 to start a NASCAR team. Since beginning Roush Racing (now known as Roush Fenway Racing), the graduate-level mathematician turned engineering entrepreneur has won a record 325 races across NASCAR’s three national series. Overall, Roush boasts five NASCAR national series owner championships, while his drivers have won an additional three driver championships. Roush has displayed a prowess for discovering and developing talent. He helped Matt Kenseth (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) grow into premier series champions and also jumpstarted the careers of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR:
Jim Hunter
Throughout his career, Jim Hunter left an indelible mark on NASCAR and those associated with the sport. His wit and wisdom helped guide NASCAR’s growth during portions of six decades as a company executive, track president, public relations professional and journalist. Hunter broke into the motorsports business as a member of the media in the 1950s. He worked as the sports editor of the Columbia Record, was an award-winning reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and columnist for Stock Car Racing magazine. He moved to the public relations side of the business with Dodge in the 1960s before serving as public relations director at Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. In 1993, he became president of Darlington Raceway and corporate vice president of the International Speedway Corporation. He remained at Darlington until 2001 when he accepted an offer from Bill France Jr. to return to NASCAR to lead an expanded public relations effort aimed at responding to the needs of burgeoning media coverage.
Editor’s note: NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert is among the 60 voting members — including the fan vote — casting ballots to elect the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019. This year marks his first time participating in Voting Day. Here, he reveals the reasoning behind the five choices on his ballot, a handful of honorable mentions and his pick for the Landmark Award.
Class of 2019 Selections:
Jeff Gordon — The four-time champion could waltz into enshrinement based on the stellar statistics alone. But beyond the 93 wins, records and accomplishments, Gordon had a reach that extended beyond the sport’s bubble, a charisma that made him a star on many stages. Absolute slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Davey Allison — It’s hard to measure Allison’s impact solely on statistics, but in his brief time driving at the premier-series level, he rose into a beloved fan favorite and one of the sport’s most talented. Joining his longtime team owner, 2018 inductee Robert Yates, seems overdue, even in just his second year on the ballot.
RELATED: Jeff Gordon leads powerhouse 2019 class | Hall of Fame Class of 2019 through the years
Alan Kulwicki — The story of Kulwicki’s stunning Cinderella journey to the 1992 championship as a driver-owner remains a dramatic piece of NASCAR lore. That legacy should be more than enough to offset and overcome the statistical gap (five career wins) that’s kept him from an earlier induction.
Roger Penske — The selections get harder with a thicket of deserving team owners among the 20 nominees. But give a salute here to The Captain, who has made an enormous footprint in all of motorsport, as a winning team owner, businessman and speedway mogul.
Buddy Baker — The last pick was the toughest, with strong consideration given to Jack Roush and Waddell Wilson among the decorated field of nominees. The nod, however, goes to Baker and his flat-out career that included 19 wins, twice as many pole positions, a Daytona 500 crown, and a claim to fame of being the first to cross the 200-mph threshold on a closed course.
Landmark Award
Jim Hunter — Another exceedingly difficult choice from a worthy field of five, but the vote goes to Hunter, whose wide-ranging career spanned the roles of journalist, marketing expert, track president and NASCAR executive, touching many lives throughout the sport.
You see the number ’24’ and instantly think of this no-brainer, first-ballot Hall of Famer.
After all, he owned the 1990s, helping to usher his sport into the mainstream, newfound digital age while carrying a certain degree of coolness everywhere he went.
Not to mention he could hit a baseball into the upper deck at any stadium he walked into with a swing so pretty you’d buy a ticket just to get a peek at batting practice.
No, not Jeff Gordon — but Ken Griffey Jr.
Following the four-time champion Gordon’s near-unanimous election to NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday evening, the two long-time pals are both now the highest vote-getters of any inductee in their respective sport’s history.
RELATED: Gordon headlines 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame class
Griffey had been seen as one of the most likely players to receive 100 percent of the vote when called upon for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2016 inductee fell just short, receiving 437 of 440 votes — 99.32 percent. Gordon, of course, also fell just short, receiving 96 percent of the vote.
And the similarities between them don’t stop there.
The rainbow paint scheme and fire suit. The backward hat. From a strictly visual standpoint, each of these two athletes had their iconic “look” that was unprecedented at the time, and has been unmatched since.
For even the most fringe of sports fans, if you didn’t pay attention to a lick of stock car racing or baseball — you knew damn well who Jeff Gordon and Ken Griffey Jr. were.
And it’s because — despite the prime of their careers coming in an age of physical newspapers, magazines and dial-up internet — they managed to break through the ceiling of stardom within their sport to where they became a fixture of American pop culture.
A quick glance at their IMDB pages reveals a whopping 156 credits combined, and on some of the most-watched programming of the era. Gordon hosted Saturday Night Live, appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, showed up on Arli$$ and Spin City — the list goes on. Griffey’s resume includes a lineup of Arli$$ as well, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Little Big League, Summer Catch (hey, remember Freddie Prinze Jr.?) and even The Simpsons.
MORE: Jeff Gordon — the driver who brought NASCAR mainstream
Along with the TV and film credits — if you’d taken a casual perusal around the aisles of your local Blockbuster back in the day (hey, remember Blockbuster?), there’s a great chance you would’ve spotted their mugs. Gordon and Griffey both graced the covers of multiple video game franchises, from NASCAR 98 and Jeff Gordon XS Racing to Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball and Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest.
They even shared a soft-drink sponsor, and you may recall being greeted by life-sized, cardboard cutouts of them as you entered your local supermarket, as I do.
They even shared a foursome with Tiger Woods back in 1997, participating in the golf legend’s Tiger & Friends match at Isleworth Country Club (along with Chris O’Donnell, remember him?)
You get the gist by now.
Their careers have followed eerily-similar trajectories all the way down to Wednesday, when their Hall of Fame voting percentages were nearly identical — but equally incredible.
RELATED: All of Gordon’s 93 wins in the Monster Energy Series
The eeriness continued even after both had retired. Having just been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame weeks earlier, Griffey Jr. was named the honorary starter for the 2016 Daytona 500. The first car to pass under the flag stand as the home run legend waved the green flag for the Great American Race?
The No. 24 Chevrolet.
“I got a chance to play golf (in 1997) with a certain race car number, driver No. 24,” Griffey said at the time, according to FOX Sports. “I’m really superstitious about certain things. He’s no longer racing, but I hear he’s in the building so I’m going to definitely go visit him, but waving the green flag, 24 will be the first car coming by, which is pretty cool, too.”
With Gordon’s induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame set to take place next January ahead of the 2019 season, perhaps we’ll see Griffey Jr. there to see his friend honored on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
After all, Gordon made sure to give the longtime Seattle Mariners center fielder props following his induction, appearing on the jumbotron at Safeco Field with fellow No. 24 and likely future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.
“Hey Ken, Jeff Gordon here. Been a long time, man. We’ve been friends for quite awhile and I’ve gotta say — it’s a big debate of who represented that 24 the best. Was it Kobe? Was it me? Was it you? That’s a debate that I think will go on forever and all I can say is I’m really proud to be your friend and I’m really proud of what you’ve done on the field and off the field.”
While neither was able to come up with the golden goose of a unanimous, 100 percent of a Hall of Fame election there’s only one number that matters to two of the all-time greats and it’s the one that will bind them together forever — 24.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the least surprising racing story of 2018, four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday in his first year of eligibility.
But Gordon certainly wasn’t the only worthy choice for the Class of 2019. Team owner Jack Roush, a brilliant innovator who has racked up victories and championships across a broad spectrum of motorsports, will join Gordon when the stellar class is officially ushered into the Hall on February 1, 2019.
RELATED: Photos of the inductees | Career highlights
Team owner Roger Penske, who fostered the Hall of Fame career of driver Rusty Wallace and won his first championship in NASCAR’s top division in 2012 with driver Brad Keselowski, will accompany his fellow Ford team owner into the Hall.
Davey Allison, winner of 19 Cup races and one of the brightest stars in the sport before he succumbed to injuries suffered in a helicopter crash at Talladega in 1993, joined his father, Bobby Allison, as a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Alan Kulwicki, whose life was cut short by a plane crash in 1993 less than five months after he became the last driver to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship as a “privateer,” was the fifth member of the Class of 2019 introduced by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.
If ever there was a “lock” for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Gordon fills that role. Winner of 93 Cup points races—third all-time behind Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105) and ahead of Darrell Waltrip (84), Bobby Allison (84), Cale Yarborough (83) and Jimmie Johnson (83)—Gordon drove the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for 797 consecutive races from his debut in 1992 until he bowed out of the ride at the end of the 2015 season.
Now an analyst for FOX Sports, Gordon won four Cup championships, behind only Petty, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr., who share the series record with seven each. Gordon won three Daytona 500s, four straight Southern 500s and a record five Brickyard 400s in his remarkable career.
“Man, I’m on cloud nine,” Gordon said during a televised interview after the announcement.
RELATED: Official press release | Gordon’s reaction to Hall’s call
He follows his long-time crew chief Ray Evernham and team owner Rick Hendrick into the Hall.
“The significance of being there when Rick was inducted and being a part of it earlier this year with Ray, that’s when it really started to sink in with me about how special it would be,” said Gordon, who was named on a record 96 percent of ballots. “They dedicated their whole lives (to racing), and that’s the thing I see as a common thread of anybody that goes into the Hall of Fame.
“They sacrificed everything for racing and for NASCAR, and it became their life. To be honored by going into the Hall of Fame makes it all worthwhile and makes it very, very special.”
Roush, who was named on 70 percent of ballots, started his career in drag racing and sports cars but gravitated to NASCAR racing in 1988. An owner with a keen eye for talent, Roush supported the careers of such luminaries as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.
“When we got started, I was just hoping I could stay in the sport for a while,” said Roush, who won Cup championships in 2003 with Kenseth and 2004 with Busch. “I can’t imagine that my name is up there with the 45 people that have already been inducted, with the things that they’ve accomplished.
“It’s rarefied air, and I’ve got to take a while to think about what it all means to me.”
In addition to the 2012 Cup championship, Team Penske has won the 2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series title and four of the last five Xfinity Series owners championships. In addition to his NASCAR accomplishments, Penske has won the Indianapolis 500 16 times as an owner.
“There were many great candidates,” Penske said in a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview after the announcement. “This is my day, and I’ll never forget it.”
MORE: Gordon and Griffey Jr. stand out as Hall of Fame royalty
Wallace was delighted for his former boss.
“I don’t know of anyone that has accomplished as much across all levels of motorsports as Roger Penske,” Wallace said. “I don’t know of anyone in motorsports that is as respected among all levels of racing and business as Roger.
“He’s my personal mentor and my personal hero. He has helped me immeasurably, both in racing and in business. I can’t say enough about Roger — he’s just an all-around fantastic person.”
Penske was named on 68 percent of the ballots submitted by Voting Panel members.
Davey and Bobby Allison, the only father/son combination to finish 1-2 in the Daytona 500, are the second father/son duo to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, joining Ned and Dale Jarrett.
“It’s was a great feeling of happiness, of weakness and everything,” Bobby Allison said of the moment when France announced his son’s name. “I just had to bend over and get a hold of myself. It was really good news.”
PHOTOS: Top career moments for Class of 2019 selectees
Davey Allison received 63 percent of the vote from panel members.
Kulwicki, who was named on 46 percent of ballots, rallied from a 278-point deficit to win the 1992 series title, edging Bill Elliott by 10 points — then the closest margin in Cup history — after a thrilling season finale at Atlanta in which Davey Allison also had a shot at the championship.
Former NASCAR executive and newsman Jim Hunter received the 2019 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Known for his rapier wit and wise counsel, Hunter was instrumental in guiding the careers of an abundance of current and former NASCAR stars.
After his days as sports editor of the Columbia (S.C.) Record, Hunter served as public relations director for both Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. He was later named president at Darlington and corporate vice president of International Speedway Corporation, before returning to NASCAR to lead the sport’s PR initiatives.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Eunice Eckard wears a delicate chain around her neck that holds a small, round emblem with a gold star on it. She wears it every day — except when she “had an X-Ray one time” — and even keeps it on to sleep.
It’s important to keep it close, because the gold star represents her son, United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Chris Eckard, who was killed on Feb. 20, 2010 while conducting EOD operations in Afghanistan.
“When Chris went into the military, his first deployment was a … blue star,” Eckard said, also wearing a picture of her son on her shirt. “And we hung the blue star flag in my living room window. This started back probably the first war – if a family member shipped out, they put up a blue star. And after how many (deployments they were) gone, that’s how many stars you hung up.
“Well, I had one. If they don’t come home (from deployment), you take the blue down, put up a gold. And that’s what this is. I’m a gold star mom.”
GySgt Eckard’s name will adorn the windshield of Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 (Sunday, May 27, 6 p.m., FOX). As part of the NASCAR Salutes program, every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver will have the name of a fallen serviceman on their car windshields. The connection with the No. 2 team and the Eckard family is one that is personal, however; the team’s chassis fabricator Casey Mahoney grew up with GySgt Eckard in nearby Hickory, North Carolina and came to Keselowski with the idea to honor his childhood best friend in a special way.
The No. 2 driver, who has long served as a strong military supporter, immediately was on board.
“This program has existed here for a number of years in NASCAR for the Coke 600 where we get to honor the fallen soldiers,” Keselowski told NASCAR.com. “But it means more to us and it just hits a little bit harder when there’s a personal connection and the personal connection inside Team Penske with family and friends runs deep for that family …
“I’ve always loved the military, I like the discipline, just the ethics. I like, obviously, the freedoms that they enable and I always thought if I didn’t make it in racing, it was something I wanted to do. I’m thankful I made it in racing because I’m not sure I’d be very good at it. I (want) to show my respects to those who have gone out there and choose to serve and even furthermore, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving.”
Keselowski met Eunice Eckard and her other son Chad Eckard at the Mooresville, North Carolina-based Team Penske shop on Wednesday morning. He visited with the duo before giving them a full shop tour, showing them the chassis and machine shops and telling them about the different race cars on the shop floor.
He also presented them with a No. 2 team shirt, which the Eckards said will be the first NASCAR item in a room in Eunice Eckard’s house that honors her son. A carport-turned-sunroom is now “Chris’ room.” It’s where his family keeps his framed dress blues, flags, a Carolina Panthers helmet honoring him and it’s where GySgt Eckard’s young children can look at photos of their father.
“I think he’d be proud of things that we’ve been able to do to keep his name alive,” Chad Eckard said. “Not only just for Chris or mom and I, but I hope that by keeping his name alive, when his children get old enough, they’ll be able to see how great their father was.”
The chance to honor a member of the armed forces and his family is special for Keselowski. He hosts military families at the track, works with the armed forces through his military-focused Checkered Flag Foundation and even holds an American flag while doing his winning burnouts.
Honoring the GySgt Eckard is a small gesture to give back to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, he said.
“When you hear the stories and you talk to the family, all you can think about is you wish you could fix it, you wish you could change the way things went, but you can’t,” Keselowski said. “So all you can really do is honor and remember and we get that privilege and honor to do that this weekend with Coke 600 with this (NASCAR) Salutes program.”
For Mahoney, his own team honoring his best friend in a public fashion is special. Mahoney and GySgt Eckard were staples at each others’ houses often growing up and each served as the best man in each other’s wedding. Eunice Eckard called him her “adopted son” and Mahoney referred to her as his “second mom.”
Marriage and children made their visits less frequent, but no less meaningful, he said.
“The minute we get back together, it’s like you never miss a day,” he said. “That’s just the kind of friends we were. Chris was just the kind of guy, he did everything 100 percent.”
He still remembers the day he got the call that his best friend had been killed overseas: “I could feel the color just drain out of me. I was just kind of numb …” he said.
“I feel really blessed to be able to be a small part to be honor Chris in this way. To just be able to honor him in a small way but at the same time get him a lot of exposure to who he was and the kind of person he was is a really big deal to me.”
The idea of the No. 2 Ford going to Victory Lane Sunday with GySgt Eckard’s name on it would trigger emotions that Chad Eckard “can’t even begin to describe.
“Having Chris’ name in the Winner’s Circle in such an honorable fashion in front of national audience, it just doesn’t get any bigger,” he said. “I don’t know if I’d be crying tears of happy or tears of, I don’t know.”
