DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Championship team owners Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske as well as the late Davey Allison are among five new nominees for the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.
NASCAR announced the additions Wednesday. Three-time Late Model Sportsman and 1956 Modified champion Red Farmer and 2000 NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte also are new to the 20-person nomination class. They join 15 holdovers from last year.
Gibbs has nine car owner championships in NASCAR’S top two series. Penske has four car owner titles in the top two series. Allison won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1992 Daytona 500.
The returning nominees are Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Ron Hornaday Jr., Harry Hyde, Alan Kulwicki, Hershel McGriff, Larry Phillips, Jack Roush, Ricky Rudd, Mike Stefanik, Ken Squier, Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates.
Five nominees will be elected May 24.
Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons were elected last year and inducted in January.
Jim France and Alvin Hawkins are new additions to the list of Landmark Award nominees. France worked closely with his father, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., and is the current chairman of International Speedway Corporation. Hawkins was NASCAR’s first flagman. He established NASCAR racing at Bowman Gray Stadium with France Sr.
Potential Landmark Award recipients include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role.
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