NASCAR Hall of Fame's 25 nominees for first class to be announced Thursday
The first 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class will be announced Thursday night.
The Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a fan-vote element, will then choose the first class of five inductees who will be honored next May at the Hall in Charlotte.
The 25 names were determined by a 21-member nominating committee that consists of officials from both NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, plus owners/operators of major speedways and historic short tracks. The list is said to include many who helped build the sport, including drivers, owners and promoters.
NASCAR will release the names of a handful of nominees with daily blogs its official website leading into Thursday.
The announcement will take place during an hour-long special on Speed (8 p.m. ET) that will be hosted by long-time NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier. The show will count down all 25 nominees with background and footage of each of them. Immediately following the broadcast, NASCAR's official site will go live with a gallery of all 25 nominees and will open registration for the fan vote.
