By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Five new members will enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame during an induction ceremony Monday night in Charlotte, constituting a class that was not without controversy when the identities of the five inductees were announced last October.

Certainly, drivers David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett and car owner Walter M. “Bud” Moore—the Hall of Fame’s second class—are far from second-class citizens when it comes to their credentials. All are solid Hall of Fame picks and deserving of the honor.


The controversy surrounding the announcement of the second class had more to do with NASCAR legends not chosen, rather than those who were—much as the omission of Pearson from the first class was considered in many quarters a glaring oversight.


Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough, both three-time champions with on-the-track accomplishments comparable to Allison’s, didn’t make the cut. Waltrip won 84 Cup races, as did Allison. Yarborough is fifth on the all-time list with 83 victories and returned to the limelight in 2008 and 2009 when Jimmie Johnson first tied his record of three straight Sprint Cup championships and then broke it.


Clearly, ongoing contributions to NASCAR racing and other intangibles contributed to the election of the current class. In addition to winning 54 races and three championships, Petty is recognized as the patriarch who founded Petty Enterprises, the most successful dynasty in the history of the sport.


Jarrett retired in 1966 with 50 wins and two Cup titles but maintained a strong presence in racing for many years thereafter as one of the top broadcasters in the business. Moore made a lifelong contribution as a car owner after returning from World War II as a decorated hero.


The good news for Waltrip and Yarborough is that they will join the elite group of inductees, perhaps as soon as January 2012, when the next class is enshrined. This year, however, the Hall will celebrate the accomplishments of five men, all champions of the sport—David Pearson, Lee Petty, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett and Bud Moore.