Selection of first hall of fame class sparks controversy
When the 50-member voting panel selected the inaugural class for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the debate immediately began on how one of the sport’s greatest drivers, if arguably the greatest, didn’t get in on the first try.
Apparently, David Pearson’s 105 victories weren’t deemed good enough to put him among the first five members of the hall of fame.
The Oct. 14 voting resulted in the two men who led the sport for more than 50 years (Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr.), the two men who won the most championships (Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt) and a legendary moonshiner who won races as both an owner and driver (Junior Johnson) as the inaugural class.
“It was a lot of what people gave to racing that were voted in the other day,” Johnson said. “It will be what you did in racing the next go around.”
When asked if he was disappointed, Pearson said “not really.”
“I told them before that I always heard that they wanted Junior in there, of course you know that Earnhardt and Petty are going to be in there, no doubt about it,” Pearson said. “When I seen the two Frances went in, I knew I didn’t have a chance.”
Pearson, three-time series champion Cale Yarborough and 84-time Cup race winner Bobby Allison were the top three vote-getters who did not make it among the inaugural five. Three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip, who is tied with Allison on the all-time win list, was also among the 25 nominees for the voting panel.
“Pearson would have been my No. 1 pick,” Petty said. “Look at all he accomplished. … Anybody that won 105 races and didn’t make the cut? Somebody ain’t adding right,”
The induction ceremony is scheduled for May 23, 2010, the Sunday after the Sprint All-Star Race and about two weeks after the hall opens in Charlotte.
“There was a lot of discussion having two France family members in the same year, so I was surprised but very, very proud,” NASCAR Chairman Brian France said. “My father and grandfather poured their whole heart into this sport.”
