Yates, Evernham will be NASCAR Hall of Famers

Charlotte, N.C. — Robert Yates still remembers his college professor telling him he'd never make anything of himself.

It turns out his professor was wrong.

Yates' 40-year career in auto racing culminated with his selection to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday, an achievement that left him in tears.

The 74-year-old Yates admitted he wasn't the smartest guy, but said "I knew how to work on cars."

Yates, a NASCAR Cup champion as both an engine builder and owner, was voted in along with three-time NASCAR Cup championship crew chief Ray Evernham, drivers Red Byron and Ron Hornaday Jr. and broadcaster Ken Squier. Hornaday and driver Alan Kulwicki tied for the fifth and final spot, and Hornaday won the tiebreaker.

Yates was an overwhelming favorite, selected by 94 percent of the voters.

Evernham earned his fame as a crew chief.

He became synonymous with Jeff Gordon when they began working together in 1992.

Evernham guided Gordon and the Rainbow Warriors team to Cup titles in 1995, '96 and '98. Under Evernham, the No. 24 team excelled on pit stops, becoming the envy of other NASCAR teams as they dominated the 1990s decade by winning a series-leading 47 Cup races.

Byron won NASCAR's first race in 1948 on the Daytona beach and road course and went on to win NASCAR's first championship. Byron was wounded in World War II and drove with a special brace on his pedal.

Squier, who became the definitive voice of NASCAR, called Byron "an American hero."

Seven-time Cup Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick were among the many young drivers who attribute Hornaday to helping them get their start in NASCAR. Hornaday let a number of drivers, including Johnson and Harvick, sleep in his couch at his Charlotte-area home while they were getting started in the sport.