NASCAR announces class of 2012 Hall of Fame inductees

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NASCAR officials announced the third class of five inductees who will be officially honored on January 20, 2012 at the Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC.

The group consists of Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Inman, Richie Evans and Glen Wood.

The voting was a little less contentious than in the previous two years which saw the founders of the Stock Car Series and legendary drivers being elected.

Again the voting was driver heavy but, for the first time a crew chief and a Modified Series driver were elected. Yarborough led with 85 percent of the vote, followed by Waltrip (82%), Inman (Richard Petty’s crew chief) (78%), Evans (who only drove Modifieds) (50%) and Wood (driver and crew) (44%).

“My whole career, I've always thought it was cool that other big league sports would refer to their guys as ‘Hall of Famers,’” said Waltrip from the Hall of Fame ceremony held today in Charlotte, NC.

“I hoped that one day someone would refer to me that way. This is the greatest honor a driver can receive. It means you must have been pretty good at what you do. I am humbled and excited that my name, Darrell Waltrip, now sits among the sports best and brightest.”

Richard Childress the former driver and current owner of Richard Childress Racing said,
“Congratulations to Glen Wood, Cale Yarborough, Dale Inman, Richie Evans and Darrell Waltrip -- the 2012 inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Each new member played a significant role in establishing the strong and successful foundation that NASCAR enjoys today. It was an honor for me to be nominated with them and I look forward to being at the Hall next January for their induction."

Class of 2012 Inductees:

Cale Yarborough
William Caleb Yarborough was the first driver to win three consecutive NASCAR premier series championships, from 1976-78. During his three-year dominance, Yarborough won 28 races – nine in 1976, nine in ’77 and 10 in ’78. His final championship points margin in those three years was never fewer than 195 points and was as much as 474 in 1978. Yarborough totaled 83 victories in his 31-year career, which ranks sixth all-time. His 69 poles rank fourth all-time. He also won the Daytona 500 four times (1968, ’77, ’83-84), a mark that ranks second only to Richard Petty’s seven. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Darrell Waltrip
A three-time NASCAR premier series champion (1981-82, ’85), Waltrip won all three with legendary driver/owner Junior Johnson. Waltrip is tied with Bobby Allison and Jeff Gordon for third all-time in series victories with 84. His 59 poles rank fifth all-time in NASCAR premier series history. He competed from 1972-2000, which included a 1989 Daytona 500 victory in a Rick Hendrick-owned Chevrolet. He currently is a commentator on FOX’s NASCAR broadcasts. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Dale Inman
Dale Inman, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s crew chief at Petty Enterprises for nearly three decades, set records for most wins (193) and championships (eight) by a crew chief. Inman won seven of those championships with Petty (1964, ’67, ’71, ’72, ’74, ’75 and ’79), and a final one in 1984 with Terry Labonte.

Richie Evans
The recognized "king" of Modified racing, Evans captured nine NASCAR Modified titles in a 13-year span, including eight in a row from 1978-85. In the first year of the current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour format in 1985, Evans won 12 races, including winning four of five events at Thompson, Conn. Evans ranked No. 1 in the 2003 voting of the NASCAR All-Time Modified Top 10 Drivers, and he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Glen Wood
Glen Wood laid the foundation for the famed Wood Brothers racing team as a driver in NASCAR’s premier series. Competing on a semi-regular basis, mostly at tracks close to his southern Virginia home, Wood won four times – all at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wood, of course, is best known for his collaboration with brothers Leonard and Delano in Wood Brothers Racing. The Stuart, Va.-based team, which dates to 1950 and remains active, has amassed 98 victories.