Hall class named
Rick Hendrick is among three owners who will join two drivers in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017,
It had taken too long for Rick Hendrick to earn the spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but the legendary Sprint Cup team owner received it Wednesday.
The 66-year-old’s body of work was finally rewarded for greatness even as it continues to grow. He seemed unsure of the process but grateful.
“I think the legends of the sport that have retired should go in ( before me),” Hendrick said in a conference call. “I’m really humbled to be in the position I’m in. I’ve been doing it now for 33 years, so I hope we’ve got some more things to accomplish. I’m very, very appreciative of the fact that I got voted in while I’m still racing.”
And hopefully that will become a trend.
Drivers Benny Parsons and Mark Martin and owners Hendrick, Richard Childress and Ray- mond Parks constitute 2017’s NASCAR Hall of Fame class, as voted upon and announced Wednesday.
Hall qualification procedures put owners in the odd position of being Hall-eligible while still competing, and Hendrick and Childress became the first active individuals rewarded for an apparent rethink of stacking the shrine with retired legends. It was time, luckily, to start recognizing legends getting more legendary each year.
Hendrick’s inclusion ended an eight-year wait and set right a voting mind-set that had stalled entry of active owners. Still, he received only 62% of the vote. Fourteen championships — a record 11 in Sprint Cup with three drivers — 242 Cup wins and 208 poles while unleashing retired four-time champion Jeff Gordon and six-time victor Jimmie Johnson should have sufficed before but were plenty to lead this class.
Childress and Hendrick seemed to constitute a unit, as each is active in the series and each made it. Childress’ 105 wins since 1969 and his contributions to the growth of the sport are significant, but the fact that each of his six Cup titles came behind the efforts of one force of nature, Dale Earnhardt, likely reduced his vote total to 43%.
“I didn’t really expect to get in, because I was told the only way I was going to get in was to retire or be deceased,” Childress said. “I sure like the first one better, but I haven’t got plans to retire yet, either.”