Three bold predictions for the Class of 2016 induction
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With seemingly every Voting Day that goes into the history books, the process for selecting each class of five NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees becomes more and more difficult. NASCAR trimmed the list of nominees from 25 to 20 two years ago, but that hasn’t made the procedure any easier.
Strong cases can be made for all 20 nominees, all worthy candidates in their own right. That’s what makes predicting this year’s five akin to picking winning lottery numbers from a hopper of ping-pong balls.
With fearless abandon, three NASCAR.com staff writers reveal their Hall of Fame predictions. Kenny Bruce’s selections represent his actual ballot as a member of the 58-person NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel; selections from Holly Cain and Zack Albert represent mock ballots.
KENNY BRUCE
Red Byron: He may have only won two Strictly Stock races, but Bryon was the very first champion (1949) in what is today’s Sprint Cup Series. This will be the seventh class named to the Hall. It’s time Byron, winner of the ’48 Modified title as well, got his due.
Terry Labonte: The only driver among the nominees with multiple premier series titles not in the Hall, Labonte ended his career with 22 victories and 42 runner-up finishes. His 361 top-10s is 10th all-time while his 890 career starts trail only two other drivers — Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd — and he won on just about every type of track configuration.
Robert Yates: One of the sport’s premier engine builders, Yates’ engines powered Hall of Famer Bobby Allison to the title in 1983 while as an owner his teams won 57 races, including three Daytona 500s and the 1999 title with driver and Hall of Fame member Dale Jarrett.
Jerry Cook: Won four consecutive titles, and six overall, in NASCAR’s Modified Division. By the end of his 20-year career behind the wheel, Cook had amassed 342 wins. Few were as successful, and one — Richie Evans — is already in the Hall.
Curtis Turner: Most folks that saw Turner behind the wheel would tell you he was one of the most talented drivers ever to compete in NASCAR. While he never ran full-time, he won 17 times in the premier series, and 38 races in NASCAR’s convertible division.
MORE: See all seven NASCAR Hall of Fame classes
HOLLY CAIN
Raymond Parks: NASCAR’s first championship car owner is a significant part of the sport’s history and one of the original group that met at Daytona Beach’s Streamline Hotel to found the sanctioning body. Although previous Hall of Fame inductees may have accumulated heftier statistics, it’s time Parks joins NASCAR’s other trailblazers and we celebrate his contribution.
Rick Hendrick: A 14-time championship owner in NASCAR’s three national series, Hendrick’s time has come to be recognized for his contributions over decades. His manner of fielding Cup teams has changed the sport’s landscape both off the track and on the track.
Terry Labonte: The only multi-time Cup champion on the ballot, the quiet but talented and focused Labonte was never fully appreciated for his accomplishments. He won titles in two of the toughest eras of competition racing against the new and old guard of the sport’s elite.
Bruton Smith: One of the sport’s biggest personalities, Smith’s conglomeration of speedways from Bristol, Tennessee, to Sonoma, California, to NASCAR’s home track Charlotte Motor Speedway, along with his emphasis on promotion has served as a strong foundation a bustling model of success.
Ray Evernham: In my eyes, Hall of Fame class inductees should represent different roles in the sport, and Evernham certainly has proven himself worthy of such distinction. His contributions are prolific and diverse. He not only led Jeff Gordon to three championships as crew chief, but also his work with the team and, in particular, his innovation on pit stops, transformed the Cup Series. He went on to become a successful team owner, guiding Dodge’s return to NASCAR and has proven himself adept as a television commentator as well.
ZACK ALBERT
Curtis Turner: A case where charisma goes further than stats, the swashbuckling Turner captivated crowds and rose to stardom at a time of dramatic growth for the sport, becoming the first NASCAR driver to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Induction for Turner would surely prompt many spirited stories about his hard-partying lifestyle and interpretive approach to aviation, but it would also validate a major truth — the larger-than-life man who called everyone "Pops" could flat-out drive.
Mark Martin: Very few drivers can claim sustained excellence in parts of four decades at NASCAR’s top level. Even fewer have 96 victories in NASCAR national series to their credit. While the knock on Martin might be that he never claimed a championship ring at NASCAR’s top level, the driver who finished second five times in the premier series standings is most deserving of his Hall of Fame coronation.
Terry Labonte: In the previous three NASCAR Hall of Fame ballots, the voting panel has elected one individual with more current ties to the sport. With Martin and Labonte this year, there’s room for two. Labonte’s accomplishments as the sport’s Ironman and Iceman all in one, plus his pair of premier-series championships, deserve Hall recognition sooner rather than later.
Red Byron: The breadth of Byron’s accomplishments in stock-car racing are fleeting, but his ground-breaking contributions as NASCAR’s first champion of the Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) and Modified divisions merit strong consideration. That Byron achieved as much as he did after suffering a severe leg injury in World War II makes his Hall credentials even more remarkable.
Rick Hendrick: Perhaps there’s some hesitation to voting in a team owner whose contributions to stock-car racing history are far from complete, but skimming over Hendrick’s 200-plus victories and 11 championships in NASCAR’s premier series would be an oversight. Hendrick, a savvy businessman away from the track, changed the model for how modern stock-car racing teams are built.
