DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The letters have been mailed, with the invitations extended.
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France has sent letters of invitation to 50 people on Wednesday, asking them to serve on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and/or Voting Panel.
The hall’s inaugural class, consisting of five members, is scheduled to be enshrined in May 2010. That class will be selected by the Voting Panel from a list of 25 candidates assembled by a 21-person Nominating Committee.
The Voting Panel will consist of the members of the Nominating Committee and 29 others from throughout the NASCAR industry. There also will be one more ballot, decided by a nationwide fan vote, for a total of 51 Voting Panel ballots.
Prospective members of the Nominating Committee represent NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups and operators of historic short tracks. Those members are listed below.
“We have assembled a truly distinguished group of people from the NASCAR industry, a group that understands and represents the history of the sport,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “The Nominating Committee and the Voting Panel, including the fan vote, will combine to make NASCAR history, by deciding the first NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees.”
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
NASCAR Hall of Fame: Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.
NASCAR Officials: Chairman/CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; Senior Vice President Paul Brooks; President Mike Helton; Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter; Competition Administrator Jerry Cook; former Vice President Ken Clapp.
Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Speedway Motorsports Incorporated CEO Bruton Smith; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway owner Doc Mattioli; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Greenville-Pickens Speedway operator Tom Blackwell; Riverhead Raceway operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1 vote); Toyota Speedway at Irwindale operator Jim Williams.
The prospective 29 people slated to join the Nominating Committee members on the Voting Panel follow.
VOTING PANEL
National Motorsports Press Association: Kenny Bruce, NASCAR Scene; Dustin Long, Landmark Newspapers/NMPA President; Mike Harris, Associated Press; Nate Ryan, USA Today; Jim Pedley, RacinToday.com; Duane Cross, NASCAR.com.
Eastern Motorsports Press Association: Ernie Saxton, EMPA President.
American Auto Racing Writers &Broadcasters Association: Dusty Brandel, AARWBA President.
Broadcasters: Mike Joy, FOX; Bill Weber, TNT; Jerry Punch, ESPN; Barney Hall, MRN; Doug Rice, PRN; Rick Allen, SPEED.
Manufacturers: Chevrolet – Ed Peper, Vice President/General Manager North America; Ford – Edsel B. Ford II, Board of Directors; Dodge – Mike Accavitti, Director of Dodge Brand Global Marketing, Motorsports; Toyota – Lee White, President/General Manager, Toyota Racing Development USA.
Retired Drivers: Ricky Rudd; Harry Gant; Ned Jarrett.
Retired Car Owners: Bud Moore; Cotton Owens; Junior Johnson.
Retired Crew Chiefs: Barry Dodson; Waddell Wilson; Buddy Parrott.
Industry leaders: Former Lowe’s Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler, former motorsports journalist Tom Higgins.
NASCAR Managing Director of Corporate Communications, Ramsey Poston coordinated many of the details for the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction process. Poston sought the advice and guidance of the late David Poole of the Charlotte Observer and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
“David was a sounding board for ideas on the induction process and of course provided his own ideas as well,” said Poston. “Just last Friday I contacted David to let him know that he had been selected to serve on the Voting Panel. He was honored. We’ll all miss his input on the future NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees.”
Plans call for the inaugural list of candidates to be announced in July. Voting, to include a fan vote, will be completed by October 2009 with the results announced soon after.
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