Dale Jarrett, Waddell Wilson, Tom Higgins elected to NMPA Hall of Fame
Former Cup champion Dale Jarrett, famed crew chief and engine builder Waddell Wilson and veteran journalist Tom Higgins have been selected to the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.
An induction ceremony will take place in January.
Jarrett, now an ESPN analyst, won the 1999 Cup championship. Among his 32 Cup victories were three Daytona 500 titles (1993, 1996 and 2000). Dale Jarrett follows his father, Ned, into the NMPA Hall of Fame. Ned Jarrett was inducted in 1973.
Wilson won the Daytona 500 in 1980 as crew chief for Buddy Baker, and again in 1983 and 1984 with Cale Yarborough. His engines powered teams to 109 wins, 123 poles and three Cup championships. Wilson built the first engine to exceed 200 mph with Benny Parsons behind the wheel.
Higgins covered NASCAR and other motorsports in a 40-year journalism career, including 34 years at The Charlotte Observer. He was one of the first reporters to cover NASCAR full time. He received NASCAR’s Award of Excellence in 1996. He also won the NMPA’s George Cunningham Award in 1987.
“Our members have selected another outstanding class to the NMPA Hall of Fame,’’ NMPA President Dustin Long said. “These three men have impacted the sport on the track, in the garage and in the media center. Their contributions are significant.”
All three were selected on more than 65 percent of the ballots cast by members to earn induction. Wilson was selected on 70 percent of the ballots, Higgins was selected on 68 percent of the ballots, and Jarrett was selected on 66 percent of the ballots.
