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Voting available on NASCAR website, mobile app

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Race fans will be able to determine several competition-related procedures for this year’s Sprint Unlimited, ranging from the breakdown of the race format to the possible elimination of drivers following the second of three segments in the 75-lap event.

Even the design of the fire suit Miss Sprint Cup will wear in Victory Lane is decided via fan vote.

SPRINT UNLIMITED   
Sprint Cup Series kick-off

Fans decide: Vote on format

Mobile experience
New innovations for 2013

Sprint Unlimited content
Event gets an overhaul
New name, same setting
Video: Kyle Busch’s 2012 save

The voting program, details of which were announced Jan. 20, was developed as Sprint took over sponsorship of the season-opening non-points race at Daytona International Speedway.

The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona, previously known as the Budweiser Shootout, officially kicks off the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season Saturday, Feb. 16.

“We are entering our 10th season as the title sponsor of the series and each year we challenge ourselves to improve upon the previous year,” said Kimberly Meesters, manager of Sprint’s NASCAR Cup sponsorship program. “The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona offers both national exposure and an innovative way for us to bring fans closers to the sport.”

Fan vote will be used to determine the following:

• Race Format. The breakdown (lap count) for each of the three segments of the 75-lap event.

Options: 30/25/20 laps; 40/20/15 laps; or 35/30/10 laps.

• Pit Stop. Should there be a required pit stop at the end of the first segment?

Options: No pit stop; Yes, and include a two-tire change; Yes, with four-tire change.

• Elimination. How many cars should be eliminated at the conclusion of the second segment?

Options: None; two cars; four cars; six cars.

Fans may vote by logging onto NASCAR.com, and by downloading the NASCAR Mobile ’13 app. Each vote cast through NASCAR Mobile ’13 will count as two votes.

Previously announced fan elements include the opportunity to serve as grand marshal, honorary starter and trophy presenter during the event. Other opportunities will allow fans to help deliver the trophy to the winner’s circle and participate in pre-race driver introductions.

“This is definitely the most extensive role fans have played in any one race,” said Tim Considine, director of sports marketing for Sprint. “We worked closely with Daytona and NASCAR to develop this concept. We pushed the envelope on a few things and probably got all of us out of our comfort zone, but we were very pleased with the final product.”

Twenty-two drivers are eligible for this year’s race, either by winning a Cup pole in 2012 or as a previous winner of the event. Previous event winners must have attempted to qualify for at least one race in 2012.

Last season’s pole winners:
Carl Edwards
Mark Martin
Kasey Kahne
Greg Biffle

Denny Hamlin
Martin Truex Jr.
AJ Allmendinger
Jeff Gordon
Aric Almirola
Joey Logano
Marcos Ambrose
Jimmie Johnson
Matt Kenseth
Kyle Busch
Juan Pablo Montoya
Tony Stewart
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Past event champions who meet standards:
Kurt Busch
Kevin Harvick
Bill Elliott
Terry Labonte
Ken Schrader

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After big leap, Bowyer hopes to take another step

Coming off a season in which he finished second in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series points battle, it’s not surprising that Clint Bowyer has high expectations heading into 2013.

Clint Bowyer

No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota

2012 rank

2nd

Team

Michael Waltrip Racing

Crew chief

Brian Pattie

Biggest change for 2013 is…

Perception. There will be no more flying under the radar for the No. 15 team, which caught a lot of folks offguard in 2012.

Watch out for…

Call it the sophomore jinx. Bowyer and the team established several high marks in their first season together. Can they do it again?

Will win the title if…

His team adapts to working with new car quickly and he can avoid those pesky DNFs.

2012 was…

The team doesn’t suffer a letdown from its 2012 success and Bowyer manages to avoid another four-DNF season.

Bowyer, 33, says he knows what it will take for his Michael Waltrip Racing team to keep contending on a weekly basis, something the No. 15 accomplished last year.

“We’ve just got to continue to improve,” said Bowyer, an eight-time winner in the Cup series. “That was the one think that I felt like (crew chief) Brian Pattie and everybody … did all season long.”

Continued improvement was evident for the group, with Bowyer tallying eight top-10 finishes — including one victory — in the 10-race, season-ending Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“We picked our program up in a big way and elevated our game,” Bowyer said. “Me in the race car, us working together, our chemistry and Brian calling races. I see that same thing starting out this year.”

After a six-year stint at Richard Childress Racing that produced five Cup wins and three appearances in the Chase, Bowyer departed for MWR, hoping to help elevate that group’s program. Fellow former RCR employee Scott Miller also made the move, taking the role of executive vice president of competition.

The results were telling. Bowyer won a career-best three races, returned to the Chase and was a title contender until the season’s final event.

Likewise, other MWR programs picked up the pace. Teammate Martin Truex Jr. also qualified for the Chase, and the group’s third team — featuring Waltrip, Brian Vickers and Mark Martin in the driver’s seat — finished the year with a combined 16 top-10s.

Starting the 2013 season strong will be crucial, Bowyer said.

“You’ve got to get that confidence and momentum going early,” he said, noting that drivers and teams have only “one opportunity” to win the season-opening Daytona 500 — the Sprint Cup Series’ biggest event — “but also you’ve got to get the season started out right and take care of business points-wise and things like that. It’s crazy you think about that at Daytona, but you do.”

With the introduction of the Generation-6 car, teams have been scrambling to build new cars for a season-opening stretch that features four very distinct tracks, ranging in size from Daytona’s 2.5-mile layout to Bristol’s high-banked 0.533-mile oval. Pattie says the timing is the same for everyone, and he’s confident that by the start of the season, his team will be in good shape.

“Obviously this is the first new car that we’ve had in quite a few years,” he said. “Don’t take that the wrong way; being behind is not a bad thing when you have new cars. It’s just that we’re not where we were 12 months ago as far as prepping for Daytona, but we will be.”

By the time the Daytona 500 is in the books, he said, “we should be in really good shape.”

Bowyer credits Pattie with keeping him “focused and in the game” in 2012.

“It’s just been a great relationship,” Bowyer said. “Our backgrounds are a lot the same. The way we go about things is a lot the same. We both enjoy what we do and we love racing.

“More importantly, when it’s time to get your hands dirty and get to work, we’re both plenty capable of doing that, too. It’s just a great fit and I think it’s only going to get better.”

See the full schedule of our top 12 Sprint Cup Series drivers and read more below:

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

11. Martin Truex Jr.

10. Jeff Gordon

9. Tony Stewart

8. Kevin Harvick

7. Matt Kenseth

6. Denny Hamlin

5. Greg Biffle

4. Kasey Kahne

3. Jimmie Johnson

2. Clint Bowyer

1. Brad Keselowski

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Father-son duo set to compete against each other at Eldora Speedway

Ryan and Dave Blaney have competed against each other on the race track just twice, both times last year. One was a charity dirt modified event where the son finished first, and the father second. The other was a big-block modified race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York, where neither driver won but experience outran youth.

Beyond that, the Blaneys don’t usually go head-to-head. “I pretty much know what the outcome is going to be,” Dave said, “so there’s no need to go do it.”

That may change July 24, when Dave and Ryan will both be at Eldora Speedway for a Camping World Truck Series event that will be NASCAR’s first national race on dirt since 1970. They’ll even be running for the same team — Brad Keselowski Racing, which will field Ryan full-time in its No. 26 truck for 2013, and Dave at Eldora in a No. 19 that will feature several different drivers and compete for the owners’ championship.

And for once, 19-year-old Ryan — who last season became the youngest race winner in Truck Series history, and was later runner-up in a Nationwide event — may be at a disadvantage. Dave is something of a legend at the half-mile dirt track, having won six World of Outlaws features there, twice including the King’s Royal, one of that circuit’s biggest events. The elder Blaney last competed in that event in 2010, and has been a regular participant in the Prelude to the Dream charity race that track owner Tony Stewart holds at Eldora.

"… With dirt racing, you just never know what kind of track conditions you’re going to have."

— Dave Blaney

“I’ve turned a million laps there,” said Blaney at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, testing Tommy Baldwin’s No. 7 car — renumbered for this season to honor the owner’s late father — on the Sprint Cup Series. But looking toward Eldora, he’s not sure how much his extensive experience on the dirt track will help.

“Anyone with some dirt experience, it’s going to help them over there. But with dirt racing, you just never know what kind of track conditions you’re going to have,” he said. “It can be wet and have some grip, or it can be dry and be four seconds a lap slower in a half-mile. It can be like ice. It’s hard to tell, so you have to wait and see. But that’s the thing — if you’re a dirt guy, you learn to adapt to huge changes in the track surface. So we’ll see. Hopefully by the end of it, you can maybe guess what the track is going to do, and have the truck right.”

Blaney said BKR general manager Wayne Setterington contacted him about potentially running the Eldora race well before the race was even finalized on the Truck Series schedule. BKR announced last week that its second truck would be divided among Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ross Chastain, with the elder Blaney making the one start at Eldora.

“It looks like they’ve got funding for the second team for pretty much the whole season, so they can afford to put an old guy in there for one night, you know?” joked Dave, 50. “We’ll see what happens.”

Asked to name his biggest wins at Eldora, Blaney recalls a former event called the Historical Big One that paid $100,000 to win, as well as the King’s Royal, for which the winner receives a crown and purple robe in Victory Lane. “Pictures that my kid makes fun of me for,” he said with a smile. The 1995 World of Outlaws champion, Blaney clearly relishes the chance to get back on the dirt in the Truck Series event, which is called the Mudsummer Classic.

“It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “I saw the video of (Stewart and Austin Dillon) testing, and I was like, ‘Wow, they were going around that place pretty fast.’ But I don’t know if the track will be wet or sticky. Being able to see concerns me, with the windshields. In the sprint cars, your visor is your windshield. It’s going to be fun to see how it turns out.”

The biggest thrill, though, will be working as a teammate to his son. But this time, dad shapes up as the driver in the family to beat.

“He doesn’t have any dirt experience,” Dave said of Ryan. “It might not play any type of role. You can’t really tell.”

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Scott Cooper earns prestigious Ken Patterson Helping Others Award 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Scott Cooper, vice president of communications for Charlotte Motor Speedway, is this year’s recipient of the Ken Patterson Helping Others Award.

The award, determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association membership, was announced during the organization’s convention and awards ceremony Jan. 20.

The award, presented annually since 2004, is named for former Talladega Superspeedway media relations representative Ken Patterson. It honors a public relations representative in the motorsports industry (track, team or sanctioning body) who has exhibited the exceptional qualities often demonstrated by Patterson.

Talladega Superspeedway will donate $1,000 to the Kenneth Patterson Educational TrustFund in Cooper’s name.

“Scott has always gone above and beyond the call of duty to help ensure that the various needs of the members of the media are met,” NMPA President Kenny Bruce said. “His professionalism and kindness are great assets to Charlotte Motor Speedway.”

Previous winners:
2012 – Scott Cooper, Charlotte Motor Speedway
2011 – Kerry Tharp, NASCAR
2010 – Denny Darnell, Darnell Communications
2009 – Judy Dominick, GM Racing
2008 – Tom Roberts, TRPR
2007 – Ray Cooper, Dodge
2006 – Jimmy White, Camp & Assoc., Inc.
2005 – Dan Zacharias, Ford Racing
2004 – Kristi King, Talladega Superspeedway

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Reigning Sprint Cup champion takes home another award at NMPA banquet

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Brad Keselowski brought new glory to Penske Racing during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Keselowski won five races to earn his first Sprint Cup title, and the first for team owner Roger Penske. For his efforts, he has been named the National Motorsports Press Association Richard Petty Driver of the Year.

It is the first time the membership of the NMPA has voted Keselowski as the winner of the award, which has been given since 1969.

The announcement was made Jan. 20 during the NMPA’s annual convention in Charlotte, N.C.

“It truly is an honor to receive the Driver of the Year Award from the National Motorsports Press Association,” said Keselowski. “They are the voice of our sport. I really feel as though I should be honoring them because many of these individuals are with us every weekend of a long season. I am proud of the mutual respect that I share with this group.”

During the 2012 season, Keselowski earned two of his five wins during the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He earned 23 top-10 finishes, 13 of them top fives.

Also receiving votes were fellow Cup competitor Clint Bowyer and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series national champion Jimmy Owens.

The award, named in honor of NASCAR’s all-time win leader, is determined by a vote of the NMPA membership. 

Previous winners:
2011 – Tony Stewart
2010 – Jimmie Johnson
2009 – Jimmie Johnson
2008 – Carl Edwards
2007 – Jimmie Johnson
2006 – Jimmie Johnson
2005 – Tony Stewart
2004 – Jimmie Johnson
2003 – Ryan Newman
2002 – Tony Stewart
2001 – Kevin Harvick
2000 – Bobby Labonte
1999 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Jeff Gordon
1997 – Dale Jarrett
1996 – Terry Labonte
1995 – Jeff Gordon
1994 – Dale Earnhardt
1993 – Rusty Wallace
1992 – Davey Allison
1991 – Harry Gant
1990 – Dale Earnhardt
1989 – Mark Martin
1988 – Rusty Wallace
1987 – Dale Earnhardt
1986 – Tim Richmond and Dale Earnhardt
1985 – Bill Elliott
1984 – Terry Labonte
1983 – Bobby Allison
1982 – Darrell Waltrip
1981 – Darrell Waltrip
1980 – Dale Earnhardt
1979 – Cale Yarborough
1978 – Cale Yarborough
1977 – Cale Yarborough
1976 – Darrell Waltrip
1975 – Richard Petty
1974 – Richard Petty
1973 – David Pearson
1972 – Bobby Allison
1971 – Bobby Allison
1970 – Bobby Issac
1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough

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Rockingham Speedway benefactor, former driver honored

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Andy Hillenburg, the former racer who turned a dream into reality when he brought NASCAR competition back to Rockingham Speedway, has been named the recipient of the 2012 NMPA/Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award.

The award, determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association, was presented during the NMPA’s annual awards ceremony Jan. 20.

Hillenburg, 49, purchased the legendary Richmond County facility in 2007 after the track’s previous ownership group moved its lone Cup date to another facility and put the 1-mile track on the auction block.

Nearly five years later, and against incredible odds, Hillenburg had successfully lobbied NASCAR for a 2012 date on its Camping World Truck Series schedule.

The Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 reportedly drew more than 25,000 fans to a track that had hosted Cup races from 1965-2004. This year’s NCWTS event, the Carolina 200, is scheduled for Sunday, April 14.

A two-time Daytona winner in ARCA competition, Hillenburg won that series’ overall championship in 1995. He is one of only a handful of drivers that have competed in the Indianapolis 500 as well as the Daytona 500.

The Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are selected, and a yearly winner is determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association membership.

Quarterly Spirit Award winners for 2012 were: Clint Bowyer (first quarter); Hillenburg (second); Brad Keselowski (third) and Ryan Newman (fourth).

Previous winners
2012 – Andy Hillenburg
2011 – Jeff Gordon
2010 – Jim Hunter
2009 – David Poole
2008 – T. Taylor Warren
2007 – Bill France Jr.
2006 – Benny Parsons
2005 – Morgan Shepherd
2004 – Kyle and Pattie Petty
2003 – Bob Latford
2002 – Larry Hicks
2001 – Ricky Craven
2000 – Kyle Petty
1999 – Clay Earles
1998 – Mark Martin
1997 – Dave Marcis
1996 – Dale Earnhardt
1995 – Ernie Irvan
1994 – Ernie Irvan
1993 – Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki
1992 – Davey Allison Family

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Driver thinks he’s learned from last year’s close call

The 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season won’t get under way for another five weeks, but Ty Dillon already has a plan in place. And a strategy that’s as sound as it is simple.

“My plan is to not make it a close race by the end of the year,” the Richard Childress Racing driver said. “Not make the last race close, so nobody has a chance to beat us.”

Dillon, 20, has been in the series for only one full season, but he made sure the competition knew he was around. He won for the first time (at Atlanta), won three poles and led the points battle late in the year en route to winning Rookie of the Year.

"I think the only way we can follow (last year) up is to win a lot more races."

— Ty Dillon

The opportunity to win a championship, however, slipped from his grasp in the waning laps of the final race of the season.

“Even going into that last race (at Homestead) we had a chance; almost down to the last lap we had a chance at winning the championship before a little bit of misfortune there,” Dillon said.

Contact from Kyle Larson’s truck inside of the final five laps sent Dillon into the wall, ending his title hopes. For the third time in the final four races, Dillon finished 15th or worse.

The closeness of the heated battle left its mark. Lessons were learned.

“We just made too many dumb mistakes that kept the championship too close,” he said. “Dumb mistakes that could have been avoided.”

Crew chief Marcus Richmond returns, having taken over the duties after the 2012 season had already begun. The two meshed quickly and the results continued to improve as the season wore on.

“We weren’t running too bad,” Dillon said of the crew chief change. “But we thought we could be better. As soon as we put Marcus in there we definitely did pick up our finishes — from top-10 finishes we started getting top fives. Then getting our first win. … I think it was the right move. It was tough, but sometimes that’s what you’ve got to do to stay on top.”

Richard Childress has a unique relationship with both Ty and older brother Austin, who competes in the Nationwide Series. Not only is Childress the owner of their respective teams, he’s also their grandfather. Austin won the NCWTS title in 2011 before making the move up to the Nationwide Series at RCR last season.

“I think he had a good season for his rookie season, winning a race and winning Rookie of the Year,” Childress said of Ty. “He was three laps from having a chance at the championship. He was right there all year long.”

Dillon will likely compete in 10-12 Nationwide races this season as well. He made three Nationwide starts last year, finishing in the top 10 in all three.

But his focus, he said, is the Truck Series crown. And after a solid rookie campaign, Dillon appears ready for what lies ahead.

“I think the only way we can follow that up is to win a lot more races and win the championship,” he said. “That’s definitely what we have our mind set on. I think we were so close last year to winning the championship anything less would be a failure to us.

“Still, it’s going to be a tough year; you never know what’s going to happen. But I think we’re very capable of winning the championship.”

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Newcomer Brooke Werner joins returning members Kim Coon, Jaclyn Roney

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — With only 28 days left until the green flag drops for The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona, Sprint today unveiled the complete 2013 Miss Sprint Cup lineup to the more than 1 million Miss Sprint Cup followers on Facebook and Twitter. Newcomer Brooke Werner (Granville, Vt.) will join returning members Kim Coon (Orlando, Fla.) and Jaclyn Roney (Ann Arbor, Mich.) this season.

Miss Sprint Cup represents the Sprint brand around the track and in Victory Lane wherever the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competes. The three representatives also serve as the fans’ “friend on the inside,” delivering behind-the-scenes updates, pictures and videos via Facebook and Twitter, while highlighting Sprint products and offers.

Hailing from the “Green Mountain State,” Werner adds a Northern charm to the Miss Sprint Cup lineup. The former Miss Vermont USA stuck to her hometown roots while growing up by hiking the Green Mountains and listening to bluegrass music. When she isn’t at the racetrack, Werner enjoys snow skiing, antiquing and watching old movies. After receiving her degree in public relations from Champlain College, Werner worked at a nationally recognized youth-marketing agency, where she served on the community committee, helping to coordinate donations to regional non-profit organizations.

“It’s truly an honor to be selected to wear the Miss Sprint Cup fire suit this year,” said Werner. “Kim, Jaclyn and the rest of the Miss Sprint Cup legacy have done an amazing job of bringing fans closer to the sport, and the opportunity to be a part of that is incredibly exciting. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the race fans at The Sprint Unlimited Experience and, of course, my first Victory Lane!”

Coon returns for her third season as Miss Sprint Cup, which makes the former marketing and public relations professional the veteran member of this year’s lineup. 

“Last year was such a great season, filled with lots of fun and exciting experiences,” said Coon. “I went skydiving, hunted for rattlesnakes, drove on an off-road course, helped host NASCAR After The Lap and met tons of amazing fans. I’m looking forward to making many more memories this season.”

Rounding out the 2013 lineup is Roney, who is entering her third season as Miss Sprint Cup. The Eastern Michigan University grad joined the program in July 2011 and is looking forward to another thrilling season of racing.

“Being Miss Sprint Cup for the past two seasons has allowed me to encounter such amazing opportunities,” Roney said. “Each race weekend is so different and I count my blessings each morning when we head to the track. There are only three tracks I haven’t been to yet — Kentucky, Watkins Glen and Darlington — and I hope to mark those off my NASCAR bucket list this season.” 

The program has gained tremendous recognition among race fans and industry members, with the Miss Sprint Cup representatives greeting thousands of fans every race weekend at The Sprint Unlimited Experience, Sprint’s mobile marketing display.

Thanks to their engaging personalities and knowledge of the sport, the Miss Sprint Cup lineup serves as popular interview subjects among local media looking to get an insider’s view on the activities surrounding race weekends. As the Miss Sprint Cup program’s popularity has grown, they now regularly participate in charity events and appear at other NASCAR sponsors’ events. In all, the Miss Sprint Cup representatives took part in more than 900 media interviews and appearances in 2012.

Follow Miss Sprint Cup on Facebook at Facebook.com/MissSprintCup or Twitter @MissSprintCup.

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National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame welcomes three

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Track owner Dr. Joseph Mattioli, broadcaster Ken Squier and NASCAR official Jim Hunter were inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association’s Hall of Fame during ceremonies Saturday, Jan. 19.

Mattioli, the founder of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, gave NASCAR a formidable presence in the Northeast when he built the unique, three-turn, 2.5-mile speedway. The track hosted its first 500-mile NASCAR event in 1974, and it has been a staple on the series’ schedule ever since.

Mattioli cut an imposing figure, yet he was warm and caring, not only seeking what was best for his facility, but for the surrounding region as well. Those traits made him a beloved and respected figure inside and outside the sport.

Squier, who began his broadcast career at just 14 years of age, continues his work behind the microphone today. One of the original members of the Motor Racing Network, Squier eventually made the transition to television where he became a fixture in the broadcast booth for telecasts of the Daytona 500. To this day, he has maintained his ties to his Northeastern roots through ownership of radio stations and the popular Thunder Road racefacility.

Hunter began his career in the sport as a journalist, but soon found himself working for the sanctioning body in a number of different capacities, including president of Darlington Raceway. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of the sport, Hunter helped craft decisions that impacted its growth in a variety of areas. In his later years, he became a guidance counselor of sorts for drivers as well as members of the media, often providing advice and friendship in equal doses.

The National Motorsports Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame was founded in 1965 to recognize excellence and leadership in the sport of autoracing. To date, there are 94 members in the Hall. It is located on the grounds of Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. 

Members, with date of induction in parenthesis, include: 

-A-

Bobby Allison (1993); Davey Allison* (1996); Sam Ard (1999)

-B-

Buck Baker* (1982); Buddy Baker (1997); Cannonball Baker* (1966); Neil Bonnett* (1997);Harold Brasington* (1992); Red Byron* (1966)

-C-

Bob Colvin* (1969); Jerry Cook (1989); Richard Childress (2012)

-D-

Darel Dieringer* (1988); W.C. “Junie” Donlavey (2009)

-E-

H. Clay Earles* (2000); Dale Earnhardt* (2001); Ralph Earnhardt* (1989); Chris Economaki* (2009); Richie Evans* (1986)

-F-

Bob Flock* (1981); Fonty Flock* (1965); Tim Flock* (1973); Ray Fox (1985); A.J. Foyt (2001); Bill France Sr.* (1976); Bill France Jr.* (2001)

-G-

Harry Gant (2003)

-H-

Barney Hall (2007); Ray Hendrick* (1993); Tom Higgins (2011); John Holman* (1980); Tommy Houston (2008); Jim Hunter* (2013); Harry Hyde* (2004)

-I-

Jack Ingram (1997); Dale Inman (2002); Bobby Isaac* (1979)

-J-

Dale Jarrett (2011); Ned Jarrett (1973); Junior Johnson (1973)

-K-

Carl Kiekhaefer* (1980); Alan Kulwicki* (1999)

-L-

Houston Lawing* (1987); Butch Lindley* (2006); Joe Littlejohn* (1975); Fred Lorenzen (1978)

-M-

Edwin “Banjo” Matthews* (1996); Dr. Joseph Mattioli* (2013); Paul McDuffie* (1965); RalphMoody* (1990); Bud Moore (2002); Billy Myers* (1968)

-O-

Ed Otto* (2002); Cotton Owens* (1970)

-P-

Marvin Panch (1987); Raymond Parks* (1995); Benny Parsons* (1995); Jim Paschal* (1977); David Pearson (1991); Roger Penske (2010); Lee Petty* (1969); Maurice Petty(2007); Richard Petty (1998); Pat Purcell* (1967)

-R-

Tim Richmond* (2004); Glenn “Fireball” Roberts* (1965); T. Wayne Robertson* (2000); Jack Roush (2010); Ricky Rudd (2012)

-S-

Paul Sawyer* (2006); Wendell Scott* (2000); Ralph Seagraves* (1992); Jack Smith* (1981); O. Bruton Smith (2006); Ken Squier (2013)

-T-

Marshall Teague* (1968); Herb Thomas* (1965); Speedy Thompson* (1984); Curtis Turner* (1971)

-V-

Red Vogt* (1979)

-W-

Rusty Wallace (2010); Darrell Waltrip (2003); T. Taylor Warren* (2009); Joe Weatherly* (1965); Bob Welborn* (1982); H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler (2004); Rex White (1974); Waddell Wilson (2011); Glen Wood (2001); Leonard Wood (2002)

-Y-

Cale Yarborough (1994); LeeRoy Yarbrough* (1990); Robert Yates (2010); Smokey Yunick* (1984)