Three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart headlines NASCAR Hall of Fame finalists for 2020
NASCAR announced the finalists for its 2020 Hall of Fame class on Wednesday, and for the second year in a row, there’s a surefire headliner to count on.
Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was inducted 2019, and in his first year of eligibility, three-time champion Tony Stewart figures to follow his old rival into the Hall.
In addition to his three titles at NASCAR’s highest level, Stewart won 49 races and now co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing.
Stewart is one of six new nominees this year, joined by Sam Ard, Neil Bonnett, Marvin Panch, Jim Paschal, and Red Vogt. Bonnett, who died in a practice crash before the 1994 Daytona 500, won 18 Cup races during his career, including consecutive Coca-Cola 600s in 1982 and 1983.
A panel of media members, NASCAR representatives, and track representatives will select the next five-person Hall class on May 22. That class will be inducted in February, before the start of the 2020 NASCAR season.
The full list of nominees, in alphabetical order:
▪ Sam Ard, two-time Late Model Sportsman (now Xfinity) Series champion
▪ Buddy Baker, 19 Cup Series wins, including the 1980 Daytona 500
▪ Neil Bonnett, 18 Cup Series wins
▪ Red Farmer, three-time Late Model Sportsman champion
▪ Ray Fox, legendary engine builder, crew chief, and car owner who worked with several Hall of Fame drivers
▪ Harry Gant, 18 Cup Series wins, including a stretch of four straight in September 1991 that earned him the nickname “Mr. September”
▪ Joe Gibbs, four-time Cup Series champion as a car owner, nine car owner championships across series
▪ John Holman, two-time Cup Series champion as a car owner
▪ Harry Hyde, 1970 Cup Series championship crew chief
▪ Bobby Labonte, 2000 Cup Series champion and 1991 Busch (now Xfinity) Series champion
▪ Herschel McGriff, 1986 NASCAR west series champion
▪ Ralph Moody, two-time Cup Series champion as a car owner
▪ Marvin Panch, 17 Cup Series wins, including the 1961 Daytona 500
▪ Jim Paschal, 25 Cup Series wins, including 23 on short tracks
▪ Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion
▪ Ricky Rudd, 23 Cup Series wins, including the 1997 Brickyard 400
▪ Mike Stefanik, nine-time Modified and/or Busch West champion
▪ Tony Stewart, three-time Cup Series champion and car owner
▪ Red Vogt, named NASCAR and considered the sport’s first master mechanic
▪ Waddell Wilson, three-time Cup Series champion as an engine builder
The Hall of Fame also released its five nominees for the Landmark Award, given annually for outstanding contributions to NASCAR. Jim Hunter, a former journalist, public relations professional, and track president, won in 2019. Those nominees are:
▪ Edsel Ford II, Ford Motor Co.
▪ Alvin Hawkins, NASCAR’s first flagman who helped establish NASCAR racing at Bowman Gray Stadium with founder Bill France Sr.
▪ Mike Helton, the first non-France family member named NASCAR president
▪ Dr. Joseph Mattioli, founder of Pocono Raceway
▪ Ralph Seagraves, responsible for longtime NASCAR-Winston partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco.
This story was originally published March 13, 2019 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart headlines NASCAR Hall of Fame finalists for 2020."
