NASCAR Hall of Fame Class 2016 Nominees News Update: Nominees List Announced
The 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame class has been announced. Drivers Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly, and Rex White are going in. Along with that announcement a new set of NASCAR legends is being discussed for the 2016 class.
The process for enshrinement beings with a 22-person nominating committee who nominate 20 NASCAR legends for enshrinement. Then a 55-person voting committee votes five persons into the hall each year. With five people elected the nominating committee has nominated five new NASCAR legends who will be under consideration for the first time in 2016.
These new nominees are Crew Chiefs Ray Evernham and Harry Hyde. Along with drivers Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, and Hershel McGriff. They join a list of 15 holdover nominees that includes drivers Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Jerry Cook, Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte, Benny Parsons, Larry Phillips, Mike Stefanik, and Curtis Turner. Race team owners Rick Hendrick, Robert Yates, Raymond and Richard Childress. Along with official Ray Fox and track owner and promoter O. Burton Smith.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
It seems unlikely that any of the five new nominees could be elected in the first year on the ballot. The person with the best chance of that is probably Harry Hyde, who was the basis for the Robert Duvall character in the movie Days of Thunder. As a two-time champion Labonte should be enshrined but is relatively low 22 career wins may be holding him back.
With 40 career Cup series wins Martin becomes the driver with the most wins not already enshrined so that may mean he could make it in his first year, but his lack of a NASCAR championship may hold him back. Bobby Isaac with 37 career cup wins has been on the ballot for several years now. Ray Evernham is going to get elected but he may have to wait a year with a sense that Hyde should be enshrined before him.
