NASCAR
2019 Induction Marks 10th Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame
February 1, 2019 marked the 10th time that 5 members were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This 10th class features some heavy hitters in NASCAR’s record books. 2 active team owners, 2 drivers with concise careers, and a fan-favorite 4-time champion. These new members in the Hall of Fame are Jack Roush, Roger Penske, Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, and Jeff Gordon. TSJ101NASCAR had exclusive access at the induction ceremony, where memories were reminisced for each member of the 10th class.
Alan Kulwicki
An underdog in many ways, Wisconsin’s Alan Kulwicki made own path in NASCAR racing. He moved down to Charlotte with a college education in engineering, and opened his own race team. With himself as the driver, Kulwicki would win the 1992 Cup Series championship. However, just months later, Alan would pass away in a plane crash en route to Bristol.
25 years after his passing, Alan Kulwicki was named to the 10th class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Representing him at the induction ceremony were his former crew guys. Included in this trio was current Stewart-Haas Racing Production Manager Tony Gibson. Also there to honor Kulwicki were former crew chief Paul Andrews, and Peter Jellen. Both were integral pieces in Alan’s 1992 championship, where he beat Bill Elliott by just 10 points.
With the Cup Series championship, it was a matter of when and not if Alan would get inducted. Last year, Alan narrowly missed the cut as the 6th-highest voted nominee. Now, as a member of the 10th class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Alan Kulwicki’s legacy as a true independent racer lives on forever.
Davey Allison
A second-generation star destined for greatness from the beginning, Davey Allison certainly left his mark in NASCAR. While he only made 191 Cup Series starts, he won 19 of them including the Daytona 500. Davey was the son of Bobby Allison, 1983 Cup Series champion and a previous Hall of Fame inductee. Bobby was on hand to remember his son’s life and brief racing career, as Davey received the ultimate honor.
Unfortunately just weeks after Alan Kulwicki’s fatal accident, Davey Allison had a similar fate. While at Talladega in July 1993, Davey endured a fatal helicopter crash. Davey’s death also came not long after his brother Clifford’s passing at Michigan International Speedway.
Allison’s surviving family members were there on his behalf to accept his enshrinement in the 10th class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Widow Liz Allison was on stage, along with son Robbie and daughter Krista Marie.
Jack Roush
The winningest car owner across all 3 NASCAR national series, Jack Roush has been putting talented drivers in Ford vehicles for over 30 years. The list of drivers for Roush-Fenway Racing reads like a list of current and future Hall of Fame members; Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, and many others. In total, Roush has 8 championships and 328 wins across all of NASCAR. Roush’s 2 Cup titles came in consecutive seasons, 2003 and 2004.
Roush was in attendance to be able to accept his admittance to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Along with him were some of his past and present drivers, including Mark Martin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “I cannot remember a night filled with more emotion than this night,” said Roush. “Tonight was a history lesson as well as a chance to renew old friendships with drivers and competitors. There was a lot of sentiment and love in this room tonight.”
As an active team, be sure to follow Roush-Fenway racing’s progress throughout 2019, with drivers Ryan Newman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. On the same day as Roush’s induction, Newman and the 6 team were busy testing at Las Vegas, trying to find performance in their Roush Fords.
Roger Penske
Considered to be the Vince Lombardi of motorsports, ‘The Captain’ Roger Penske has seen success in all forms of racing. In terms of NASCAR, Penske has seen over 100 wins, 2 championships, and many crown jewel races since 1972. The 81 year-old team owner was there to accept this spot in the Hall, along with many of his current drivers. Among these drivers were Rusty Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney.
Roger Penske has called 2018 “our best season ever.” In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series title with Joey Logano, Penske won their first Brickyard 400, their 17th Indianapolis 500, their 500th overall race, and their first IMSA Sports Car win. His many successes over the past 5 decades have come with a plethora of different drivers. Many of Team Penske’s driving talent, past and present, was there to honor Roger. In response to this, Penske said “I just think (them all being here) shows what a family we have. There’s an opportunity here tonight for someone to get accolades, and we’re all here to support them, that’s appreciated greatly.”
Roger Penske has the unique honor of joining the Hall of Fame as the defending Cup Series championship team owner. Joey Logano made this possible by winning the Monster Energy Cup Series title last November in Homestead. Logano, along with Keselowski and Blaney, will try to win 2 straight titles for ‘The Captain’ in 2019.
Jeff Gordon
Perhaps the man behind the most widespread growth in NASCAR history, Jeff Gordon’s impact on the sport is still felt today. The young racer from Indiana took stock car racing mainstream in the 1990s, with his unprecedented amount of success. In addition, he still is active in NASCAR as a broadcaster for NASCAR On Fox.
93 wins, 4 championhips, and multiple wins in every crown jewel race are without a doubt first ballot Hall-of-Fame statistics. Jeff Gordon received 96% of the vote last May, a record for any inductee but still not unanimous.
Along with Jeff Gordon on his induction night were his family, team owner Rick Hendrick, and longtime crew chief Ray Evernham. With Jeff and Ray just 1 year ago the roles were reversed, as Ray was being inducted. “Last year, going in the Hall of Fame myself was a much different emotion, and I would have said that was the greatest feeling of my career. But tonight, sitting there and watching Jeff go in was as special,” said Ray Evernham. “I don’t know whether to call him friend, brother, or son, because he’s been all of those to me. We’ve always had some type of deep connection from first meeting 29 years ago, and to be so connected to his great night is humbling.”
“The emotions for me are different now, because I was losing it backstage last year when Ray was talking about me. Now that we’re apart from the business relationship, our friendship made tonight special,” said Gordon. “Ray saved every checkered flag we won together in a chest of drawers and gave it to me right after Leo was born, and that’s more than just a crew chief-driver relationship, that’s a bond of friendship for life.”
Looking Ahead to Next Year
Without a doubt, the 10th class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame is a unique class that highlights essential figures in stock car racing history. Since the induction night is now behind us, racing in Daytona is coming this weekend. It won’t be long before the voting day for the Class of 2020 in May, who will make the 11th Hall of Fame class?
