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NASCAR Hall of Fame, Class of 2017

The founder and owner of Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick’s organization is recognized as one of NASCAR’s most successful. A longtime racing enthusiast and driver himself, Hendrick owned drag-racing boat teams that won three championships before founding “All-Star Racing,” the team that would evolve into Hendrick Motorsports, in 1984

Born: July 12, 1949
Hometown: Palmer Springs, Virginia

Championships (14)
Premier: 1995, ’96, ’97, ’98, 2001, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’13, ’16 (owner)
Truck: 1997, ’99, ’01 (owner)

Premier Series Owner Stats (Through 6/18/17)
Competed: 1984-Present
Starts: 3,759
Wins: 248
Poles: 211

Hendrick Motorsports owns an all-time record 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner championship titles — seven with Johnson, four with Gordon and one with Terry Labonte. Hendrick also has 14 total NASCAR national series owner championships, which is 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.

Some of NASCAR’s most prominent drivers have driven for Hendrick. Geoff Bodine was the first, snaring the organization’s first victory on April 29, 1984, at Martinsville Speedway. The late Tim Richmond, three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip and the late Benny Parsons, the 1973 champion, also are Hendrick alumni.

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Class of 2017 Landmark Award winner

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.

Born: August 11, 1913
Died: Nov. 16, 1999
Hometown: Martinsville, Virginia

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.

Built as a dirt track, the .526-mile asphalt speedway has grown from a dusty, primitive operation into a multi-million dollar facility covering over 340 acres. The track’s unique paperclip shape makes it especially challenging with 800-foot straights and tight turns banked at only 12 degrees.

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.

Earles passed away on Nov. 16, 1999 as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the speedway.

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NASCAR Hall of Fame, Class of 2017

Long before he became one of the preeminent car owners in NASCAR history, Richard Childress was a race car driver with limited means. Still, he persevered, which is what you do when you purchase your first race car for $20 at the age of 17.

Born: Sept. 21, 1945
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Championships (11)
Premier: 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’94 (owner)
XFINITY: 2001, ’03, ’06, ’07 (owner)
Truck: 1995 (owner)

Premier Series Owner Stats (Through 2014)
Competed: 1969-present
Starts: 2,495
Wins: 105
Poles: 46

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. The rest, as they say, is history.

Much of that history is linked to one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, who won six championships and 67 races between 1984-2000 for RCR.

But Childress has had other successes. In addition to Earnhardt’s championships, Childress drivers have given him five others. His total of 11 national series owner championships is second all-time. Childress was the first NASCAR owner to win championships in all three of NASCAR’s national series.

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RELATED: Buy Darlington tickets | ’16 throwback schemes | SHOP: Keselowski gear

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.”

RELATED: Darlington announces 2016 throwback theme

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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!

 

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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.



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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:

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RELATED: Fallen military members who will be honored in Sunday’s race


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.

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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.”