NASCAR sets guidelines for new Hall of Fame

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NASCAR today announced how it plans to choose the five people to be inducted each year into its new Hall of Fame and said stock-car racing fans would be among those voting.

The hall in Charlotte, N.C., is scheduled to open next year, and the inductees will be selected by a panel that includes NASCAR industry leaders, manufacturer representatives, former competitors, the media and fans.

Potential inductees will be chosen from a list of no more than 25 nominees each year, and the candidates will be nominated by a 20-member panel that includes mostly NASCAR executives and track owners.

To be eligible, former drivers must have competed 10 years in NASCAR and be retired from racing for at least three years. Non-drivers must have worked at least a decade in the sport.

Some NASCAR observers already are speculating about who will be in the initial class, a list that includes NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and his son Bill France Jr.; seven-time champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt; Richard’s father, Lee Petty; David Pearson; and Cale Yarborough.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo, far left: Dale Earnhardt. Credit: Associated Press / NASCAR
Photo, left: Richard Petty. Credit: Harry Reiter / Reuters