Stunned Jarrett gains entry on first ballot

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

Jarrett surprised to hear name called in first year on ballot, despite assurances from his father and Rusty Wallace

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Jarrett came dressed for a pool party.

The 1999 champion of NASCAR’s premier series arrived at Wednesday’s unveiling of the next Hall of Fame class wearing while slacks, white tennis shoes, and a short-sleeve button-front shirt. His plan was to stay for the announcement and then head an hour up the road to Hickory, N.C., where his family was holding a pool party for son Zach, set to graduate from high school on Thursday night.

Those plans changed abruptly when Jarrett’s name was the third one called by NASCAR chairman Brian France. In his first year of eligibility, the three-time Daytona 500 champion joined Tim Flock, Fireball Roberts, Jack Ingram and Maurice Petty in the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Stunned? You bet.

“I am very much surprised that this happened on the first ballot,” Jarrett said. “I’ve always tried to put myself in the position every year of just voting, because I’ve tried to keep up with the sport over the years. I see people who are very deserving. You can make a case for everyone, or they wouldn’t be on the list. Once I saw that I was on the list, I was very appreciative of that, and figuring that in a few years, down the road, that it would probably happen. But I really came here with no idea. Didn’t think that.”

WHAT: Hall of Fame Voting Day
WHERE: Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center
WHO VOTES: 21 members of Nominating Committee and 33 members of Voting Panel. In addition, one vote is generated by fan input.
WHO WAS CHOSEN: Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty and Fireball Roberts
WHEN THE 2014 INDUCTEES WILL BE INDUCTED: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 (Live television coverage provided by FOX Sports 1)

Jarrett said he attended the 6 p.m. ceremony in the Great Hall as a show of support for the facility, NASCAR, and his father Ned, a two-time champion who was inducted in 2011. The plan was to be on the road by about 6:20, make the hour and 15-minute drive up to Hickory, and arrive at the party shortly after it began at 7. Instead, he became part of only the second father-son driving combination to earn enshrinement, he and Ned joining Richard and Lee Petty.

“Incredibly special, for a number of reasons,” he said. “I was excited two years ago when my dad got in, that he could be recognized while his health was good, and he could be here and be a part of it and enjoy it. Kind of the same thing now. You can never repay your parents for all they do, for the sacrifices they make for helping you in all the ways. This is the type of thing where, it’s a little bit of a payback, to say thank you for all the hard work and the effort and the guidance along the way. It’s very special to know there’s only one other father-son combination from the driver’s side in this Hall of Fame. I’m very privileged.”

Jarrett won 32 races in his premier-series career, and showed a penchant for excelling in the sport’s biggest events. His three Daytona 500 titles are part of an array of crown jewels that also includes a pair of victories in the Brickyard 400 and one in the Coca-Cola 600. He won four races in his championship season of 1999, but blew away the field by recording top-10 finishes in 29 of 34 events.

“He’s deserving, there’s no question about that,” said his father Ned, who is also a voter. “But there are so many others on the list that are deserving too, which makes it so hard in the voting meeting to choose five out of 25. … We’re just thrilled to death for all the support the Jarrett family has been given in this sport."

Although contemporary Rusty Wallace got in last year on the first ballot with a similar resume — one title, 55 career victories, and a second career as a television analyst — the younger Jarrett remained doubtful even while others were more optimistic. After deliberations ended Wednesday, Ned told him “you might have a shot at this,” Dale said. And Wallace told Jarrett that he was a lock.

“I didn’t see that,” Jarrett said. “He kept telling me that. Because he stood in this very spot last year, too, and was shocked he got in on the very first time. You have that hope, but deep inside you realize when you look at that list, that it’s probably not going to happen that first time. It will eventually. But he was very adamant. He said, ‘You’re going to get in.’ When I look at the people who are in the Hall of Fame, and to think I’m a part of that, I’m really honored.”

So why did Jarrett get in? He thinks winning all those major races played a role, as did his work outside the car promoting the sport as a spokesman and analyst. Inside the voting room, his father lobbied on his behalf — but only to a point.

“I tried to set it straight in the meeting,” Ned said. “… He did not want the influence of Ned Jarrett getting him in the Hall of Fame, as far as the voting goes. He wanted to get in on his own, and I think he did."

And as a result, the pool party at the Jarrett household Wednesday night became a double celebration. When Dale Jarrett returns to the Hall of Fame for the induction ceremony on Jan. 29, he won’t have to worry about what to wear. There will be a blue blazer waiting for him.

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Posted on May 22, 2013 by NASCAR Wire Service

Flock, Petty, Jarrett, Ingram and Roberts to be inducted in January 2014

Any trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame puts fans face-to-face with some of the sport’s most remarkable artifacts, stories and legends.

Today, five more of those all-timers will live on forever, as NASCAR announced the inductees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

The five newest members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame that will be inducted on January 29, 2014 are Tim Flock, Maurice Petty, Dale Jarrett, Jack Ingram and Fireball Roberts.

Flock, who received 76 percent of the vote, was one of NASCAR’s earliest superstars, winning the NASCAR premier series championship twice (1952, 1955). In only 187 starts, he had 39 victories, which ranks him 18th on the all-time wins list. He won eight races and posted 22 top fives in 33 starts while driving a Hudson Hornet to his first title in 1952. In 1955, his second championship season, he visited Victory Lane an amazing 18 times with 32 top fives and 18 poles in only 39 races.

He also won NASCAR’s only sports car race in 1955. For Flock, racing in NASCAR’s premier series was a family affair as he was joined on track by his brothers Bob and Fonty and sister Ethel. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

Petty joins his father Lee, older brother Richard and cousin Dale Inman in the NASCAR Hall of Fame after receiving 73 percent of the vote in his first time on the ballot. As the chief engine builder at Petty Enterprises, he supplied the horsepower that propelled Richard Petty to most of his 200 victories in the NASCAR premier series, including seven titles and seven Daytona 500 victories.

The younger Petty also built winning engines for a number of other drivers, including his dad, Lee. As a teenager, he worked on his father’s pit crew alongside his brother. In 2001, he worked as a consultant to Dodge upon its return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001.

Jarrett, who was on the ballot for the first time this year, received 56 percent of the votes. The 1999 NASCAR premier series champion joins his father, Ned, as the third father-son combination to be enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame behind the Frances and Pettys. In the younger Jarrett’s championship season, he finished first four times and landed 29 top-10 finishes in only 34 races. He capped off the year with a run of eight consecutive top-10 finishes that propelled him to the title.

By the time he hung up his driving gloves in order to pursue a successful career as a NASCAR commentator for ESPN and ABC, he had won 32 races in the premier series — good for 21st on the all-time wins list — including three Daytona 500s, two Brickyard 400s and a Coca-Cola 600.

Ingram, who only started 19 NASCAR premier series races, primarily found success in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and its precursor — the Late Model Sportsman Division. Before the series as we know it today was formed, Ingram won three consecutive championships (1972-1974). He won the NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) title in its inaugural season of 1982, and again in 1985.

After 10 years of racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he had 31 wins, a record that stood until Mark Martin broke it in 1997. All but two of his wins came on short tracks. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1988.

Fireball Roberts, who earned his nickname as a hard-charging high school pitcher, was the last inductee to be announced with 51 percent of the vote. During his career, which spanned 207 starts, he often came up big in the biggest events, winning the Daytona 500 in 1962 and the Southern 500 in 1958 and 1963. His driving style was a perfect match for Daytona International Speedway, where he won seven times.

In 1958, he only competed in 10 of 51 races, winning six and finishing in the top 10 in nine of them. Although he didn’t compete in 41 of that season’s races, he still finished 11th in the season-ending points standings. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

The next top vote getters were Jerry Cook, Joe Weatherly and Wendell Scott.

The top five vote getters in the fan vote were (listed alphabetically) Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Jarrett, Benny Parsons and Fireball Roberts.

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