I am sure by now that all of you fans have heard about the NASCAR hall of Fame selections for the first inductees.
It was a pretty subdued ceremony compared to, say, the NFL inductions. Nice video compilations of the inductees and no speeches by anyone getting in (although 4 of the 5 are deceased) or by family members.
One of the big questions was how were people going to vote? Would they vote for the older, historical side of NASCAR (Red Byron, Buck Baker, Fireball Roberts) or would they go to make a splash with the King, Earnhardt and others?
When the names of both Bill France Sr. AND Jr. were announced, it was pretty clear that NASCAR would only be inducting three drivers at the most. AND THERE is where the controversy lies.
There is little doubt that the King should be one of the first. He was a second generation racer and crossed over from the old NASCAR to the “new” NASCAR.
There is also little disagreement over Junior Johnson. The man epitomizes the roots of NASCAR and won as a driver and a car owner, leaving the sport in his prime, as many of his day did.
Eanhardt was a huge sentimental favorite and a deserved inductee with his record-tying seven championships. But he also brought about the modern era in NASCAR almost single-handedly. His era was Bill France, Jr.’s era. And while many fans hated Earnhardt (and still do), there is no doubt that people came to see others best him.
But to leave out David Pearson? Would there have been a Richard Petty without David Pearson? Their rivalry defined the sport for years.
NASCAR is about the drivers. No one pays to see a member of the France family at the track. The drivers are the stars, rightfully so.
While many think that honoring Bill France, Sr. was the right thing to do, one could also argue that the first five inductees should have all been drivers. The drivers sacrificed the most and sometimes made the ultimate sacrifice for the sport.
Personally, I would have liked to see David Pearson in place of Bill Sr. and, well heck, pick another. Bobby Allison. Red Byron. Ned Jarrett. Lee Petty. Cale Yarborough. Tim Flock.
I am sure all of these drivers will get in eventually. And car owners like Bud Moore and Hendrick. Even legendary sportscasters such as Chris Economaki and Ken Squier will make the HOF.
Personally, I could have seen the France’s be inducted in round two. While I do not doubt Big Bill’s determination to sanction racing and give birth to the sport, he could not have done it without the drivers. Nor do I doubt Bill Jr.’s oversight of the sport during its transformational years. But this is the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, not the National Association of Stock Car Owners or Stock Car Management.
Saving the first class of inductees for all drivers would have been, well, first class.
But all in all, it is a decent class of inductees. It just might have been different had I been in charge.
That’s all for now. Let me know your thoughts.
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I agree with your comments wholeheartedly. Keep up the good work.
While I agree with you, I really didn’t have an issue with Bill Sr. but France Jr, Bill France Jr should have never gotten in over David Pearson or even Cale Yarborough on the first go around. A complete injustice. I’m just surprised that it wasn’t Bill Sr, Jr (France), Brian France, Mike Helton and somebody like John Darby or Jim Hunter.
I have to believe that the whiners over Bill Jr. are new to the sport. Doesn’t anyone remember that HE was the France that brought NASCAR to the modern era in such great fashion? You build anything from the base up and the Frances are the base. NASCAR can’t just be about just the drivers, it’s the men that sat at that table and designed it. When was the last time anyone saw a David Pierson bumper sticker on a car? New fans know Petty and Earnhardt and they both played a huge part in the growth of the sport. Pierson, Cale and the Allisons would be the second tier for me. The 5th place was the only one I wasn’t sure of and I voted for Tim Flock, but I’m ok with Jr. Johnson.
MISSU3, First off It’s Pearson not Pierson, Second I’ve been watching NASCAR since the 1976 Firecracker 400 and if have been watching longer, then more power to you. Like I said I didn’t have a problem with Bill Sr. or Bill Jr. for that fact, just not in the first go around. If memory serves me correctly Bill Jr. took over in 1972, David PEARSON won his championships in 1966,68 and 69. David won 105 races second all time. I think the record speaks for its self.
First of all, I am not a whiner but a realist. I also am not new to the sport. I have been a supporter of the sport of racing since it first began.
You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. However, I would like to point out the proper spelling of the name David Pearson, not Pierson.
Yes Bill Jr did bring the sport into the “modern era”. But many folks think that the first class should have been a little bit more about the sport’s past. I think you can make an argument either way for it. This is not a bad first class of inductees, it is just a little different than what some thought it should be. But then, you would get that no matter what.