During an emotional induction ceremony Friday night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a pair of three-time champion drivers, racing’s quintessential crew chief, a founding father of the sport and the hands-down best modified driver who ever lived all took their rightful places among NASCAR’s elite. The third class of five NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees evidences no fall-off in quality from the two classes that preceded it in 2010 and 2011. In fact, some would argue that the 2012 inductees all boast credentials worthy of consideration for an earlier welcome to the Hall.
Darrell Waltrip, for instance, won three Sprint Cup titles and is tied for fourth on the career win list with 84 victories.
Cale Yarborough, the only driver to win three straight Cup titles before Jimmie Johnson equaled and then eclipsed the feat in the first decade of the 21st century, is sixth in all-time wins with 83.
As far as championships are concerned, Dale Inman is the most prolific winner among NASCAR crew chiefs, having accumulated seven Cup titles during his pioneering run at Petty Enterprises and a series-record eighth with driver Terry Labonte and owner Billy Hagan in 1984.
Glen Wood, who with brother Leonard Wood founded the most enduring team in the sport’s history, was an innovator who nurtured the careers of a litany of elite drivers, most notable among them Hall of Famers Yarborough and David Pearson.
Richie Evans, a nine-time modified champion, simply was without peer. The ‘Rapid Roman’ clinched his first NASCAR National Modified title in 1973. On Oct. 24, 1985, a week after securing his ninth modified championship, Evans was killed in a crash during practice at Martinsville Speedway. He was 44.(NASCAR Wire Service)(1-21-2012)
