NASCAR Inducts New Hall Of Fame Class

NASCAR increased its Hall of Fame entries to 15 on Friday night, as the five members of the Class of 2012 received induction during ceremonies held at the Hall in Charlotte, NC.

The versatile list includes Dale Inman, the first crew chief to join the Hall as an eight-time champion; three-time Cup champions Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough, who won a combined 167 races; team owner Glen Wood, whose legendary team has earned 98 wins in seven decades of competition; and the late Richie Evans, a nine-time NASCAR Modified champion. Evans is the first to join the Hall of Fame from outside its premier division now known as the Sprint Cup.

Dale Inman, Richard Petty's first cousin, is generally credited with inventing the modern role of crew chief. His seven championships with Petty Enterprises and his eighth with Billy Hagan and driver Terry Labonte in 1984 are about as untouchable as his cousin's victory total of 200. Inman retired from the sport in 1998 with 193 wins.

"I'm kind of familiar with this ring," Inman said of his new NASCAR Hall of Fame jewelry. "For the last two or three years Richard has put it in my face a bunch of times," he joked.  Host Mike Joy added, "Tonight, Dale Inman and Richard Petty are together again, as NASCAR Hall of Fame members."

Waltrip is better known today to viewers of NASCAR races as a broadcaster, much like fellow honoree and former driver/champion Ned Jarrett. "Jaws," as he's been known for his ever-active mouth, won back-to-back championships in 1981-2 and again in 1985, driving for Hall of Famer Junior Johnson.

Waltrip, 64, has 84 victories in 809 starts, fourth on the all-time list in a tie with Bobby Allison, also a member of the Hall. "I was telling [wife] Stevie earlier this week that I hoped I wouldn't get emotional tonight, but she reminded me, 'Honey, you always get emotional about things you are passionate about,'" Waltrip said. "This night, these men and the people in this room, they're what inspire me."

Yarborough made NASCAR history in 1978 with a third consecutive championship that stood as a record until Jimmie Johnson claimed his fourth straight in 2009. Now 72, Yarborough won 83 times (sixth all-time including four Daytona 500 victories) and the majority of his wins, too, came in cars fielded by Junior Johnson.

"Racing is like a big, tall ladder," the South Carolina-born Yarborough said. "When you begin you're at the bottom and it's a long, hard climb. And tonight, I feel like I'm standing on the top step!"

Wood left the cockpit after winning four races to own the fabled No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford team. The organization, built around four brothers (including NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee and crew chief Leonard Wood), counts 98 victories in NASCAR's premier division, including the 2011 Daytona 500. Among the elite drivers who worked with the Wood Brothers are inductee Yarborough, Hall of Fame member David Pearson, A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney.

"This is not just about me being inducted in the Hall of Fame," Wood emphasized. "It's also about the Wood Brothers. And it's about NASCAR. And I'm proud to have been a NASCAR driver and car owner for the past 60 years. And I'm proud of this great honor," he said.

Nicknamed the "Rapid Roman" for his hometown of Rome, NY, Evans won nine championships over a 13-year span and took eight in a row. The modified cars in which he competed were fashioned from pre-World War II coupes and sedans powered by high horsepower engines.

Evans' bright orange No. 61 cars became legendary throughout the northeastern tracks of the country as he won an estimated 475 times, customarily racing every day of the week! Evans passed away in 1985 at age 44 as he practiced for a race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, having clinched his ninth title a week earlier.

The inductors for these five new NASCAR Hall of Fame members were: crew chief Billy Nacewicz for Evans; Richard Petty for Dale Inman; former crew chief Jeff Hammond for Darrell Waltrip; Leonard Wood for his brother Glen; and journalist Ken Squier for Cale Yarborough.  

Special exhibits for the new inductees open on Sunday, January 22 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC.