Keselowski's Darlington paint scheme revealed

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Staff Report

Team Penske driver and 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski unveiled his Darlington Raceway throwback paint scheme Wednesday evening on FS1’s “Race Hub.”

The No. 2 Ford will sport a 1972 design by Miller Lite with a lighter shade of blue and a line of gold between the primary colors of blue and white.

“We’re showing the old-school Miller Lite colors for this race,” Keselowski said after pulling the cover off the car. ” … It’s very old school, and it’s going to be another fun weekend.”

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Staff Report

Kenny Humpe (The TEAM) once again showed everyone why he is the defending NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series champion, leading 168 of 200 laps en route to a dominant victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Humpe started on pole and was only challenged by Ray Alfalla (Slip Angle Motorsports) before a late caution created a five-lap dash to the finish.

Humpe and Alfalla, along with nine others, chose to stay on the track for the shootout and hoped their track position would overcome worn tires. Corey Vincent (Overclock Motorsports) had been fast throughout the race and was the first car on four tires, restarting 12th. When the green flew, Humpe shot out to the lead as Vincent began to quickly pass cars using the top groove in Turns 1 and 2. However, Vincent’s run was cut short when Nicholas Johnston (HPM) and Dylan Jones (Nexxus) sparked a massive crash exiting Turn 2, causing the race to end under yellow.

Humpe took the win over teammate Justin Bolton, who came on strong in the second half of the race, with Alfalla coming home third ahead of PJ Stergios (ineX Racing). Dylan Duval’s fifth place result made it three cars from The TEAM in the top five. Vincent could only manage eighth on the abbreviated last run, but almost surely would have won if the race stayed green to Lap 200.

The race started with an 82-lap green flag run, complete with two rounds of green flag pit stops. Humpe and Alfalla were in another zip code early on with Alfalla the only sim racer within seven seconds of the lead by Lap 60.

After a yellow on Lap 83 for Adam Gilliland’s (Aftermath Motorsports) spin, Alfalla found new life in his car and challenged Humpe for the lead as the race approached the halfway point. Humpe was too strong though and held Alfalla at bay using the momentum from the outside lane.

The middle segment of the race had its share of carnage as cautions broke-up the runs and led to some differing strategies when everyone pitted on Lap 120. On this round of stops Trey Eidson opted for just right side tires and inherited the lead while Humpe had a bad pit stop and found himself fourth on the restart behind Bolton and Alfalla.

Humpe grabbed third from Alfalla on the restart before a huge crash in the back of the field brought the pace car out yet again. On the following restart Humpe was on the move again, this time picking off Bolton after just one lap and setting his sights on Eidson for the lead.

Eidson and his old tires did not stand a chance as Humpe reeled him in after only four laps, but the pass for the lead nearly ended in disaster for both drivers when they went for the same piece of track off Turn 2 and made contact. The impact sent Eidson into the wall, damaging his car, while Humpe continued unscathed and leading once again.

The last 65 laps were paced comfortably by Humpe, save for Alfalla having one more go for the lead with 11 laps remaining. As was the case earlier in the race, Humpe held-off the two time champion on the top as passing on the bottom proved difficult on old tires.

Despite missing-out on the victory Alfalla built on his championship lead and now sits 14 points ahead of PJ Stergios as the 2016 season reaches the halfway point. Humpe continues his rise up the standings and is now 58 points back in third. After a 14th place finish last night, Jake Stergios is fourth while Vincent rounds out the top five.

With the first half of the season in the books the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series has a five-week break before starting the second half of the season at Chicagoland Speedway on June 28. The break, along with a new iRacing build due for release before the race, could shake-up who has speed when cars return to the track. Can Alfalla continue on his way to a third championship? Or, can Humpe continue his hot streak and complete an unprecedented comeback to win his second title in as many years? Be sure to catch the sim racing action when the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series reopens for business the evening of June 28 in iRacingLive!

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Staff Report

RELATED: Meet all the nominees

It’s voting day.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will be selected, and announced, today. There are 20 nominees up for five spots, and five nominees for the Landmark Award, which goes to one person.

NASCAR’s official Twitter account, @NASCAR, will provide behind-the-scenes updates throughout the voting period. Check the timeline below for updates throughout the afternoon.

The Class of 2017 will be announced at 5 p.m. ET. NASCAR.com is live streaming the event (click here to bookmark), and NBCSN is televising.

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Staff Report

If you haven’t noticed, emojis are just about everywhere you look, and options are as clever as they are varied. Name an emotion — there is likely an emoji for it. Name a food — definitely an emoji for it. Animal … emoji. You get the picture.

Have you ever wondered what a Dale Earnhardt Jr. emoji would look like? How about Danica Patrick? Wouldn’t a Kyle Busch emoji be sweet.

Well, the emoji phenomenon has hit NASCAR. In advance of this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), fans will have the chance to share their favorite driver emojis wherever and whenever they want. Today marks the launch of NASCAR Emoji Garage, a brand-new app filled with NASCAR-themed emoji stickers available for free at the Apple App Store — click here.

The app is designed to be a platform for fans to engage with their favorite teams and drivers through the use of themed stickers. Teams and drivers helped choose their favorite sticker designs, making NASCAR Emoji Garage the latest platform allowing fans to connect with the sport any day of the week.

Some examples below:

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Staff Report

NASCAR.com’s GarageCam program has a guest co-host this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway and special recognition of fallen heroes as part of the weeklong NASCAR Salutes program honoring U.S. military service members.

Jesse Iwuji, who is an active duty officer in the U.S. Navy, will co-host GarageCam live from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET Watch the live stream at NASCAR.com/garagecam.

The program will also feature each of the service men and women who have given their lives to serve our country and who will be honored in this weekend’s 600 Miles of Remembrance. Drivers in the Coca-Cola 600 each will carry the name of a fallen service member on his or her car’s windshield.

While still on active duty, Iwuji has raced in four NASCAR K&N Series West events this season, netting his first top-10 finish in the series Saturday at the Sunrise Ford 150 at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, California.

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Staff Report

NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program has a lot to celebrate recently with its former members blazing the tracks in all three NASCAR national series, and also with its current members showing early promise.

D4D is a development program that is in its 12th year and is aimed toward finding primarily young, diverse and female drivers and pit crew members. Through Rev Racing, which like NASCAR is also sponsored by Goodyear and Sunoco, those involved receive one-on-one training and year-round competition experience.

The race weekend at Dover International Speedway displayed the depth — and star power — of former drivers who went through the Drive for Diversity initiative. Three of Drive for Diversity’s former members earned the runner-up spot in the Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series races at the 1-mile oval — Kyle Larson, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez, respectively.

The six members of the 2016 class hope to have a similar experience someday. Learn more about 2016’s six members and the upcoming Drive for Diversity pit crew combine below.

Collin Cabre

Birthdate: Oct. 8, 1993
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

After starting his motocross racing career at age 4, Cabre spent six years on the national circuit followed by go-kart racing by the time he was 10.

In 2008 he earned Rookie of the Year in the Open Whelen Series. The Tampa native moved onto sprint cars at age 16. He is also a member of this year’s NASCAR Next class.

Jairo (JR) Avila

Birthdate: May 11, 1995
Hometown: Alhambra, California
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

The 20-year-old made his K&N Pro Series West debut in 2014 and earned four top-10 finishes in just five starts. Avila also has two ARCA Racing Series starts with a career-best 10th at Kansas Speedway in 2015.

Junior, who speaks fluent Spanish, finished 16th at Pocono Raceway, as well.

Ruben Garcia Jr.

Birthdate: Nov. 21, 1995
Hometown: Mexico City
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

The Mexico City native won four races in the NASCAR Mexico Series en route to his first NASCAR championship, making him the youngest NMS driver to win the series.

Garcia was also a member of 2015’s and 2016’s NASCAR Next classes.

Ali Kern

Birthdate: May 11, 1993
Hometown: Fremont, Ohio
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

Beginning her racing career in Karts and Quads, the 22-year-old earned a total of 350 wins between the two series. She then progressed into Modified racing before moving to ARCA.

At 17, Kern became the youngest female to run a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at LEE USA Speedway.

Enrique Baca

Birthdate: Aug. 13, 1991
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Series: NASCAR Whelen All-American Series

The Mexico native began his karting career in 1997 and, thanks to several championships, he became the youngest champion in the Shifter 125cc Nationals.

Baca also has several wins, poles and championships in the Formula series on top of an eighth-place finish in the NASCAR Mexico Series.

Madeline Crane

Birthdate: Oct. 30, 1997
Hometown: Meansville, Georgia
Series: NASCAR Whelen All-American

Crane started racing Bandoleros in the Thursday Night Thunder Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway at age 10. In her first season she earned back-to-back wins.

Quickly moving into Legend Cars, Crane earned 59 top fives in just 82 starts.

Her success in the Legend Cars allowed her to move up, yet again, to race Crate Late Models at Dixie Speedway. In her first season in this series, she finished second in the standings.

Drive for Diversity Pit Crew National Combine

The upcoming pit crew combine (May 27-28) will see 17 participants — both men and women — try out for one of 10 spots in the pit crew development program. The event will be hosted by the Rev Racing team. It’s the first-ever national combine for the program, which already has more than 30 graduates working in a NASCAR national series.

The crew member platform seeks multicultural and female athletes from all sports to train for NASCAR’s pit crew teams.

One combine hopeful, Joshua Tate, who was trying to make the NFL, spoke on Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway about his experience thus far.

“I just saw this opportunity and said ‘Hey, I might as well come down here and … try to make a name in another spot.’

“Before this experience, I only knew of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. I didn’t know that much about the pit crew,” he admitted. “Coming here and actually performing and learning the steps and fundamentals and working as a team (was quite) an experience.”

Another candidate, Brehanna Daniels spoke of her time training.

“Everything you do on a pit stop is crucial. Timing is everything,” she said. “You really have to focus. It’s no joke. Everything goes so fast.”

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When Benny Parsons had learned that his recent cancer diagnosis was a terminal one, he made a plan for his wife, Terri, to carry out after his death in January 2007. On Wednesday, May 25 — Voting Day for the NASCAR Hall of Fame — Terri Parsons checked the last box on that 10-item list.

“I know when Benny knew that he wasn’t going to make it, his biggest fear was he was going to be forgotten. And I think this cements that,” Terri Parsons said. “He will never be forgotten now, and I think his final wish … he gave me a list of 10 things to do, and as of today, all 10 are done.”

Benjamin Stewart Parsons will forever be remembered as a NASCAR champion, a Daytona 500 winner and a blue-collar competitor behind the wheel. But he’ll also be known as a brilliant, engaging commentator for stock-car racing from the TV booth. After Wednesday, if either of those memories were ever to fade, he’ll now be forever known as a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee.

Mostly, Parsons will also be known simply as Benny, an everyman ambassador for the sport known as much for his driving and broadcasting skills as for his ability to bond with fans in the stands. That enduring popularity is what produced a groundswell of fan support on social media and an overwhelming show of approval by the 54-member voting panel, which named him on 85 percent of its ballots, leading all 20 Hall of Fame nominees.

“It always meant a lot to Benny what people thought of him because Benny loved everybody,” said Phil Parsons, Benny’s younger brother and himself a longtime TV broadcaster. “From the fans to the competitors to the owners, sponsors, NASCAR, ARCA, whoever it might’ve been, they always meant a lot to him. So it was important that people liked him because he genuinely liked everybody in return. And I think he would be very pleased today knowing that this honor was bestowed upon him.”

Fellow Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, whose bond with Parsons dates back to his earliest experience in NASCAR, shared the sentiment. Parsons made his first start in NASCAR’s top divison in August 1964 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in western North Carolina. Jarrett won that Sunday in dominating fashion, but took time out of the race weekend to welcome the newcomer.

That first chance meeting forged a friendship that extended beyond their driving careers and into television, where the two often shared a role as color commentator.

“To have worked with him for so long on television and to see his dedication to the sport and the love for the fans, and the reaction of the fans over the years — he was a people person,” Jarrett said. “People could relate to him because he was one of them, just a down-to-earth type of individual who wanted the best for them, and they sensed that. With all of that, we became great friends.”

Jarrett said he had a strong gut feeling about Parsons on Wednesday, pointing also to the support he received in the voting room. Terri Parsons had a similar feeling, one that was somehow different than the previous seven votes — all of which she faithfully attended.

Maybe it was the overwhelming response she said she received from her persistent campaigning for her husband, reminding people every day to participate in fan balloting. Maybe it was her welcome upon her arrival at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday afternoon. “There was a man waiting for me at the parking place that said, ‘Are you Mrs. Parsons? Hurry, hurry,’ ” she said with a laugh. “I felt a little different about that. They didn’t care last year if I had a parking place or not.”

Benny Parsons now has a permanent place, one that will become official with his enshrinement in January 2017, close to the 10-year mark since his passing at age 65.

“Somewhere tonight he’s saying ‘fantastic,’ I’m sure, and we all know the smile that he’d have on his face, and there’s certainly one on mine because I’ve been here for nine years waiting for this,” Terri Parsons said, noting the time it’s taken to cross the last item from her list. “All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Official NASCAR Release

RELATED: See all of the nominees

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 25, 2016) – NASCAR announced today the inductees who will comprise the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017. The five-person group — the eighth since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 — consists of Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons. In addition, NASCAR announced that Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles won the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

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 2017 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton announced the class and Landmark Award winner, respectively, this evening in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Great Hall.”

The Class of 2017 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, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and, for the third year, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion (Kyle Busch). In all, 54 votes were cast, with four additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Ricky Rudd, Robert Yates, Waddell Wilson and Ken Squier). The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.

Voting was as follows: Benny Parsons (85%), Rick Hendrick (62%), Mark Martin (57%), Raymond Parks (53%) and Richard Childress (43%).

The next top vote-getters were Robert Yates, Red Byron and Alan Kulwicki.

Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, were Buddy Baker, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Benny Parsons and Larry Phillips.

The five inductees came from a group of 20 nominees that included, in addition to the five inductees chosen: Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Ron Hornaday Jr., Harry Hyde, Alan Kulwicki, Hershel McGriff, Larry Phillips, Jack Roush, Ricky Rudd, Ken Squier, Mike Stefanik, Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates.

Nominees for the Landmark Award included Earles, Janet Guthrie, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Ken Squier.

Class of 2017 Inductees:

Richard Childress

Long before he became one of the preeminent car owners in NASCAR history, Richard Childress was a race car driver with limited means. Childress, the consummate self-made racer, was respectable behind the wheel. Between 1969-81 he had six top-five finishes and 76 top 10s in 285 starts, finishing fifth in the NASCAR premier series standings in 1975. Having formed Richard Childress Racing in 1972, Childress retired from driving in 1981. He owned the cars that NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt drove to six championships and 67 wins between 1984-2000. In addition to Earnhardt’s championships, Childress drivers have given him five others. Childress was the first NASCAR owner to win owner championships in all three of NASCAR’s national series, and his 11 owner titles are second all-time. Childress also owned the vehicles driven by NASCAR XFINITY Series driver champions Clint Bowyer (2008) and Austin Dillon (2013), as the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver champion Austin Dillon.

Rick Hendrick

The founder and owner of Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick’s organization is recognized as one of NASCAR’s most successful. Hendrick Motorsports owns an all-time record 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner championship titles — six with Jimmie Johnson, four with Jeff Gordon and one with NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte. Hendrick also has 14 total NASCAR national series owner championships, most in NASCAR history. Gordon and Labonte combined to win four consecutive titles from 1995-98. In 2010, Johnson won a record-extending fifth consecutive championship. Hendrick also owned the car driven by 2003 NASCAR XFINITY Series driver champion Brian Vickers. Hendrick’s 242 owner wins in the premier series rank second all-time.

Mark Martin

He is often described as the “greatest driver to never to win a championship,” but Mark Martin‘s legendary career is so much more than that. He came incredibly close to that elusive title many times — finishing second in the championship standings five times. Over the course of his 31-year premier series career, Martin compiled 40 wins (17th all time) and 56 poles (seventh all time). Martin saw success at every level of NASCAR. He won 49 times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, holding the series wins record for 14 years. He retired with 96 wins across NASCAR’s three national series, seventh on the all-time list. In 1998, Martin was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

Raymond Parks

Raymond Parks is one of stock-car racing’s earliest — and most successful — team owners. Funded by successful business and real estate ventures in Atlanta, Parks began his career as a stock-car owner in 1938 with drivers Lloyd Seay and Roy Hall. His pairing with another Atlantan, mechanic Red Vogt, produced equipment good enough to dominate the sport in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Red Byron won the first NASCAR title (modified, 1948) and first premier series title (1949) in a Parks-owned car. Parks’ team produced two premier series wins, two poles, 11 top fives and 12 top 10s in 18 events.

Benny Parsons

Benny Parsons won the 1973 NASCAR premier series championship and could be called an everyman champion: winning enough to be called one of the sport’s stars but nearly always finishing well when he wasn’t able to reach Victory Lane. He won 21 times in 526 career starts but finished among the top 10 283 times — a 54 percent ratio. One of Parsons’ biggest victories came in the 1975 Daytona 500. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Parsons also was known as a voice of the sport making a seamless transition to television following his NASCAR career. He was a commentator for NBC and TNT until his passing in 2007, at the age of 65.

Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR:

H. Clay Earles

One of the original pioneers of stock car auto racing, H. Clay Earles played an integral role in the early years of NASCAR’s development. Earles built and opened Martinsville Speedway in 1947, and the short track remains the only facility to host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races every year since the series’ inception in 1949. The speedway held its first race on Sept. 7, 1947 — three months before the creation of NASCAR. That initial race drew more than 6,000 fans to the track, which had just 750 seats ready. In 1964, Earles decided it was time for a “different” type of trophy for his race winners. He gave winners grandfather clocks, a tradition that continues today.

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Roush Fenway Racing has entered a multi-year partnership extension with primary partner the Fastenal Company that will continue Fastenal’s position as the anchor partner of the No. 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. As part of the extension, Fastenal will also increase the number of its primary races in 2017 and beyond.

“We are really excited to announce that Fastenal will remain the anchor partner of the No. 17 team for years to come,” said driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “Fastenal is a first-class organization with values that align completely with myself and this race team.

“We’ve seen a lot of improvement across the board this year,” added Stenhouse. “We are very happy that Fastenal will continue to be a part of the momentum at Roush Fenway. There has been a lot of hard work and effort put into this team and our goal and expectation is to reward Fastenal with a trip to victory lane and the Chase in the near future.”

Fastenal is currently in its fifth season as a primary partner in Roush Fenway’s Sprint Cup stable, and its second full season as the anchor partner on Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford Fusion.

“To have a company of the caliber of Fastenal recognize the long-term value of a partnership with Roush Fenway, Ricky and the No. 17 team is gratifying for our entire organization,” said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. “During our relationship, Fastenal has created and implemented a robust and impactful motorsports marketing program, and we are thrilled to have Fastenal continue to be a key part of the Roush Fenway family now and in the future.”

Fastenal, which boasts 2,600 stores nationwide, first joined Roush Fenway as a primary partner in 2010 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

“We are truly looking forward to continuing our partnership with Roush Fenway Racing as the anchor sponsor of the No. 17,” said Fastenal President and CEO Dan Florness. “Ricky has done an excellent job representing our brand — both on and off the track — and we are extremely proud of the relationship we have built with Ricky, Jack Roush and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing.”

“Extending our partnership as the anchor sponsor of the No. 17 reflects our belief in Roush Fenway Racing and Ricky Stenhouse,” said Florness. “The NASCAR program has helped us grow our business and excite our employees, and we feel a strong connection with the NASCAR community and fan base.”

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Reid Spencer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two phenomenally successful contemporary car owners, a champion driver-turned-beloved-broadcaster, a driver with a prolific winning history and the man described as NASCAR racing’s “original car owner” are the newly elected members of the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France introduced the new inductees on Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, calling this group of five perhaps “the greatest class yet.”

The new members, selected from a group of 20 nominees, include 1973 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and 1975 Daytona 500 winner Benny Parsons, who later became one of the most revered television broadcasters in the sport’s history; team owner Rick Hendrick, who has notched a record 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles; driver Mark Martin, whose 96 career victories across NASCAR’s three national touring series are sixth all-time; car owner Raymond Parks, whose cars won the first NASCAR modified title in 1948 and NASCAR’s first premier series title a year later; and car owner Richard Childress, whose pairing with Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt produced six championships and 67 victories in NASCAR’s top division.

Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles is this year’s recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

MORE: Hall of Fame reaction pours in

Parsons, who succumbed to lung cancer on Jan. 16, 2007, was named on 85 percent of ballots cast by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Committee. Parsons had been on the ballot for eight years.

“This is the biggest honor of Benny’s life,” said Terri Parsons, his widow. “It summarizes everything he has ever worked toward. Every job he has ever had, be it as a race car driver in all divisions, host of NASCAR radio shows, NASCAR color commentator for TV networks each were just as important to him as the next.

“He lived his life for NASCAR fans and helping to make the sport of auto racing a better sport for them to enjoy. I know he is smiling his big smile tonight saying, ‘Unbelievable!’ “

In a career that spanned 25 years, Parsons won 21 Sprint Cup races in 526 starts, but he was a top-10 machine, recording 283 for a staggering percentage of 53.8.

Hendrick, who received 62 percent of the vote, has won car owner titles in the Sprint Cup Series with three different drivers — six with Jimmie Johnson, four with Jeff Gordon and one with fellow Hall of Famer Terry Labonte. Hendrick’s 242 owner wins in the premier series rank second all-time.

“I’m extremely proud to go in with Benny Parsons and Mark Martin, who drove for me, and then Richard Childress, who’s one of my closest friends in the sport,” Hendrick said. “Parks… I watched the video on him, and he kind of helped the sport get started.

“So I’m really humbled to be in the position I’m in. I’ve been doing it now for 33 years, and I hope that we’ve got some more things to accomplish, but I’m very, very appreciative of the fact that I got voted in while I’m still racing.”

Martin, who garnered 57 percent of the vote, boasts the highest Sprint Cup victory total (40) of any eligible driver not already inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. In addition, Martin has 49 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins to his credit (second all-time), along with seven wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

His 56 Sprint Cup poles rank seventh on the all-time list.

PHOTOS: Martin, other inductees through the years

Martin, who was runner-up in the final Sprint Cup standings on five occasions, most recently in 2009 at age 50, described his selection to the Hall of Fame as the “crown jewel of my career.”

“I didn’t expect it,” Martin said. “And I’m so grateful to the people who helped me get there… I have so many great memories of the sport. The class that I’m being inducted in, I’m humbled to no end.”

Parks, named on 53 percent of the ballots, funded his racing operations through his successful real estate ventures in Atlanta. With mechanic Red Vogt tuning his cars, Parks dominated stock car racing in the 1940s and 1950s, teaming with Red Byron to win the inaugural modified title in 1948 and the first premier series championship in 1949.

Also included on Parks’ roster of drivers over the years were Bob Flock, Roy Hall, Fonty Flock and NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner. Park, who has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for eight years, passed away in 2010 at age 96.

Childress, who was included on 43 percent of voting panel ballots, started his career as a driver but found considerably more success in the sport as an owner. In addition to the races and titles he won with Earnhardt, Childress holds 11 owner’s championship trophies in NASCAR’s top three series, second only to Hendrick’s 14.

Childress performed the posthumous induction of close friend and driver Dale Earnhardt into the first NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

“I was really, really honored and proud that day,” Childress said. “I didn’t really expect to get in because I was told that the only way you were going to get in was to retire or be deceased — and I sure liked the first one better, and I haven’t got plans to retire yet either.”

Landmark Award winner Earles had a simple business philosophy that made Martinsville Speedway one of the most pre-eminent short tracks in the country.

“The secret to success in our business is giving the customer what he wants,” Earles said before his death in 1999. “When a man plunks down his money, he deserves the best. You try to make him comfortable, give him a great show and make sure he gets his money’s worth. And we’ve always tried to do just that.

“Your customers are your greatest assets, and that will never change. You actually sell the customer a memory as much as a race. If their memories are good, they’ll keep coming back.”

Note: Hendrick and Childress will field a combined seven cars in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET on FOX).