Shelmerdine earned his fame in the pit

The NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 Induction Ceremony will take place Friday, Jan. 20.

Matt Kenseth, Hershel Mcgriff and Kirk Shelmerdine make up the Hall of Fame’s 13th class. In addition, Mike Helton was named as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

In celebration of the Class of 2023, the NASCAR Hall of Fame provided this get-to-know bio on Shelmerdine:

KIRK SHELMERDINE Shelmerdine won four premier series championships with Dale Earnhardt in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

POSITION: CREW CHIEF HOMETOWN: Philadelphia

BORN: 03/08/1958

COMPETED: 1977-1992 CHAMPIONSHIPS:

4 (1986, 1987, 1990, 1991)

STARTS/WINS/POLES: 460/46/15

CHAMPION CREW CHIEF

Not many reach the pinnacle of their professions as quickly as Shelmerdine.

At age 25 in 1983, Shelmerdine guided Ricky Rudd to victory at Riverside, the first of two wins during that season. And a scant three years later, he directed Dale Earnhardt to the 1986 Cup Series championship. More than a flash in the pan, Shelmerdine won four total Cup Series championships with Earnhardt (1986, ’87, ’90, ’91). Over his 16-year crew chief career with Earnhardt, Rudd, James Hylton and Richard Childress, he won 46 races and posted top-10 finishes in more than half his starts.

In 1987, Shelmerdine won 11 races with Earnhardt, including four in a row and six of seven.

Shelmerdine retired as a crew chief in 1992 to pursue a career as a driver. In the cockpit, he made 41 starts across all three NASCAR national series.