France Sr. and Jr., Petty, Johnson, Earnhardt to enter NASCAR Hall of Fame

CHARLOTTE — The former president of Darlington Raceway glanced over his shoulder at a sign above the Charlotte Convention Center ballroom floor and smiled approvingly.

The first five selections for the NASCAR Hall of Fame — drivers Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson and founder Bill France Sr. and son Bill France Jr. — were illuminated for everyone to see after they were announced Wednesday.

And Jim Hunter, who ran the Darlington track for nine years before becoming NASCAR’s vice president of communications, paused for a second, surveyed the list one last time and called the choices an “unforgettable moment” in the sport’s 62-year history.

“It’s an historic day for NASCAR,” Hunter said. “We wanted the first Hall of Fame class to be special, because it will be remembered for years to come, and I think it was.

“It’s representative of the sport,” he said, “because you have the founder and his son, and you have three of the top drivers of all time. There were 25 finalists, and all of them will make the Hall of Fame at some point. But for today, for the first class, we have a great list.”

A 50-member committee chose the inaugural class. A fan ballot, compiled from 670,000 online votes at nascar.com, counted as the 51st ballot.

Other finalists included Sardis native and three-time NASCAR champion Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Buck Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Richie Evans, Tim Flock, Rick Hendrick, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts, Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly and Glen Wood.

The choice of France Jr. over Pearson, Yarborough and Allison was the only controversial aspect of the selections. Petty, Earnhardt and France Sr. were considered locks for inclusion.

Pearson, Yarborough and Allison finished sixth through eighth in the balloting, NASCAR said later Wednesday. Pearson won more than 100 races in his career.

“That (France Jr.) wouldn’t have been my pick,” Petty told The Associated Press.  ``Anybody that won 105 races and didn’t make the cut — somebody ain’t adding right.“

Pearson said he knew he would not make the first class when he heard France Sr. and France Jr. made it.

``The same people don’t like everybody,‘’ Pearson said of the voters. ``So there got to be some people voting for other people. If they don’t like me, they’re going to vote for somebody else anyway, so that’s all right. I’m happy.‘’

The five selections will be enshrined in May 23, when the NASCAR Hall of Fame opens in downtown Charlotte. The 130,000-square-foot, $195 million facility is nearing completion in time for Memorial Day weekend.

“It is truly an honor to see Dale recognized as one of the five most influential members of the NASCAR family and inducted into the first class,” Earnhardt’s wife, Teresa, said.

Earnhardt, known as “The Intimidator,” and Petty, known as “The King,” won seven championships in their storied careers, tied for the most all time. Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap accident in the 2001 Daytona 500. Petty, 72, retired in 1992 with 200 career victories but has continued as a presence in the sport as a team owner.

“It was cool,” said Petty’s son, former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty, who was covering the announcement for Speed Channel. “It pretty much was a foregone conclusion dad would make it. But it’s cool anyway. I’m proud. Very proud.”

Petty’s No. 43 Dodge and Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet became larger-than-life symbols in a sport that grew wildly in popularity in the South in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s before spreading nationwide.

“Petty and Earnhardt were larger than life for many people,” said Waltrip, also commenting for Speed Channel. “The clearly were the top two (drivers). When I think of NASCAR, I think of the drivers, not the founders or the officials.”

Johnson was chosen for his exploits as a driver and team owner. The former moonshiner helped Yarborough and Waltrip to three championships each.

“He always told us, leave it all on the track,” Waltrip said. “He wanted to win.”

Johnson won 50 races as a driver and 132 and six championships as a car owner.

``I’ll tell you, this is a big, big deal to me,‘’ he said. ``It’s the greatest thing that’s happened to me in this sport.‘’

The Frances turned NASCAR into what NASCAR CEO Brian France called “the major league sport of the South.” France Sr. founded the sport in 1947 and ran the first Daytona 500 in 1959. France Jr. built NASCAR into a billion-dollar empire, with large corporate sponsorships and elaborate race tracks from coast to coast.

“Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. had the vision and passion to build NASCAR from its humble beginnings to the sport it is today and are certainly well deserving of this honor,” Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning said.

“This inaugural Hall of Fame class will go down in history as one of the most influential groups in the history of NASCAR,” he said.

After the ceremony, six women in black dresses, sunglasses and fake Earnhardt-like mustaches distributed invitations to a celebration hosted by Teresa Earnhardt later Wednesday night at a Charlotte hotel.

“To see my dad voted to the very first class to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame is amazing and humbling,” said part-time NASCAR driver Kerry Earnhardt, whose half brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr., did not attend the ceremony.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.