NASCAR
Kenseth, Shelmerdine, McGriff Make up Hall of Fame Class of 2023
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Formally kicking off the new year, a new class has been enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Three new inductees are now immortalized as stock car racing legends. The Class of 2023 is one of the most wide-sweeping and diverse groups yet; a grassroots racing pioneer, a legendary crew chief, and a modern champion driver comprise this class.
Also honored in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 are Landmark Award winner Mike Helton and Squier-Hall Award recipient T. Taylor Warren. Helton has been a NASCAR executive for decades, with a career that dates back to 1980. He served as NASCAR’s third President starting in 2000, and has been a guiding force in the garage ever since.
Warren’s work was renowned from NASCAR’s pioneer era, as a longtime photographer. It was Warren’s famous photo of the finish to the inaugural Daytona 500 that overturned the win from Johnny Beauchamp to Lee Petty. Warren served as Daytona International Speedway’s track photographer for the next 50 years, until his death in 2008. Warren is the first photo-centric journalist to win this prestigious racing media award.
Hershel McGriff
Oregon native Hershel McGriff has been present for the entirety of NASCAR’s existence. Invited by Bill France Sr. to run the first Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 1950, McGriff won four Cup Series races. However, McGriff is far more known for his achievements in the NASCAR West Series, currently known as ARCA West. In that division, McGriff totaled 34 victories and won the 1986 championship. A west coast racing legend, McGriff is one of NASCAR’s most decorated touring and weekly series drivers. Just five years ago at the age of 90, McGriff ran the West race at Tucson Raceway, becoming the oldest driver ever to compete in a NASCAR event. Now 95 years young, McGriff hopes to make another start when he turns 100.
“My speech shouldn’t be too long, because most of the people I have to thank are dead,” said McGriff. “But I truly can’t express in words what this means to me.”
“I grew up loving to drive. I started at seven years old with a cart that was pulled by a goat that I bought from my uncle for $4. At 14, I was just starting eighth grade, and I was the only person in school who had a car—including the teachers and the principal.”
“For those who wanted to learn more about his life, read my book, which hasn’t been written yet, but it’s on my bucket list.”
Kirk Shelmerdine
A pivotal piece of the Richard Childress Racing dynasty with Dale Earnhardt, Kirk Shelmerdine was crew chief from 1984-1992. In this time, the famed 3 team won four championships, making Shelmerdine the youngest crew chief to win a race and a title at the time. A Philadelphia native, his career began working with James Hylton, and in his post-RCR days turned to driving himself. With Earnhardt and Childress both previously inducted, the RCR trifecta are all now together again as Hall of Famers.
“What makes a great crew chief?” Shelmerdine asked. “It’s simple—a great driver. We all knew Dale. What else can you say about him? I’m not sure. I think very few people knew how sensitive he really was—I mean all the senses.”
“When he and I got together, we just kind of clicked intuitively on how to talk about the car and what he needed to do all those things he could do… We all loved old Ironhead, and sometimes even we thought he was magic.”
Matt Kenseth
Representing the contemporary racing era, 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth is the Class of 2023 headliner. Also the 2000 Rookie of the Year and a 39-time race winner, Kenseth was a near-constant threat for races and championships for nearly two decades. Taking Roush Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing to victory lane, Kenseth is currently 21st on the all-time wins list. The Wisconsin native’s career accomplishments include two Daytona 500 wins, an All-Star Race, a Southern 500, and a Coca-Cola 600.
Kenseth’s racing career can be defined by a few memorable final moments he won. He won the last Winston Cup Series title in 2003, which was the last non-Playoff championship. He also won the last Cup race at Rockingham Speedway the next year, the last race in the Gen 4 car, and the last NASCAR Nationwide Series event.
Kenseth was a top-tier contender right until the end. When his full-time career ended the first time in 2017, Kenseth earned the win in his second-to-last race at Phoenix. While not a Playoff driver, the wily veteran showed that he could still beat the best. Kenseth’s two returns to racing in 2018 and 2020 both saw flashes of brilliance too, despite their unusual circumstances.
“I always looked at my career as a ladder,” said Kenseth. “You start at the bottom, and you hope you climb your way to the top. My ladder had hundreds and hundreds of rungs on it, and without any of them—bottom, middle or top, wherever you sit—I wouldn’t be standing here without any of you.”
With the Hall of Fame ceremony now behind us, racing is not far off. NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season will kick off February 5 with the Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum. Cars on track again is just around the corner, as the offseason is quickly winding down.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
