History was made again Monday night as the second Nascar Hall of Fame class was officially inducted. Legendary drivers Lee Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison, driver turned broadcaster Ned Jarrett and car owner Bud Moore are now enshrined in the Hall of Honor with last year's class, made up of both Bill France Sr and Jr, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson. I still say that Pearson and Lee Petty should have been indicted in the first class, but both classes so far have been great and all those inducted are very deserving.
The first man inducted was Walter M. "Bud" Moore. Moore began his career in Nascar after a tour of duty in the United States military in World War II. He was part of the D-Day invasion and was on of the first to storm the beaches of Normandy. He was one of the lucky ones that managed to make it past the enemy fire. After receiving several medals, he returned home and tried his hand at wheeling a Nascar stock car. After meeting the wall on more than a few occasions, Moore decided it made more sense to work on the cars instead. That turned out to be the right call, as his team, Bud Moore Engineering, went on to win 63 races, 43 poles and three Grand National titles in it's 37 year run. An amazing owner, a brave soldier and a truly great American, Bud Moore is not only a Nascar hero, but an American hero as well. I know all Nascar fans thank him for his service to this great nation and congratulate him on his induction into our hall of fame.
The second man inducted was Lee Petty. As the patriarch of the racing Petty family, Lee was one of the first, if not the first, professional Nascar drivers. He began driving the #42 car in Nascar's Strictly Stock Series and raced to make a living and provide for his family. If he didn't win, they didn't eat, so he raced to win at all costs. After winning 54 wins, 18 poles and three Grand National championships, a wreck cut Lee's career short. He passes the reigns on to his son, Richard Petty who would go on to win seven titles, 200 races and seven Daytona 500s and to be one of Nascar's greatest drivers. Congratulations to Lee and the whole Petty family.
The third inductee honored was Ned Jarrett. Nicknamed "Gentleman Ned" for his home spun, folksy charm, Ned Jarrett was one of Nascar's greatest drivers. He was a Nascar champion in 1961 and 1965 and also won the 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington by a staggering 14 laps! That is still the farthest margin of victory in Nascar history (in terms if miles). Jarrett retired from driving in the prime of his career and moved to MRN Radio to broadcast races. He later moved to the television booth at CBS Sports and called some of the sports most historic races. Arguably, the most memorable of these finishes was in the 1993 Daytona 500, what is now called "The Dale and Dale Show" when Ned called his son, Dale Jarrett, to his first victory in the Great American Race. Dale won that race, his first Daytona 500, beating Nascar legend Dale Earnhardt to the stripe. Congratulations to "Gentleman Ned" and the whole Jarrett family.
The fourth man inducted was Bobby Allison. Allison, his brother Donnie and their friend Red Farmer set up a shop in Hueytown, Alabama and began to answer to the name the "Alabama Gang". He won 85 races in his Nascar Winston Cup career as well as a Winston Cup championship in 1983. He was also involved in one of the greatest finishes in the sports history. In 1988, he was able to fight his son, Davey Allison to the finish line in the Daytona 500. That is still one of the most popular finishes in Nascar. Allison's career has also been marred by unspeakable tragedy. In 1988, he was nearly killed in a wreck at Pocono Raceway. he suffered a massive head injury and forced him to retire from driving. To this day, he still can't remember that Daytona 500 finish in 1988 with Davey. In 1992, Allison's son, Clifford, was killed in a practice wreck at Michigan International Raceway. Then, in 1993, Allison's other son, Davey was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Davey Allison was quickly becoming one of Nascar's greatest and carrying on the family legacy. We can only imagine how many races and championships he would have won by now. But one thing we do know is that both Davey and Clifford were smiling, looking down on their father as he was inducted into the hall of fame. Congratulations to Bobby Allison and the whole Allison family on this honor.
The final inductee honored was "The Silver Fox" himself, David Pearson. Pearson is, arguably the best to ever climb into a stock car. He won three Grand National titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969, as well as a staggering 105 races, 113 poles and 366 top tens. Those 105 victories are second only to Richard Petty's 200 on the all time wins list. Pearson rarely ran a full schedule and mostly concentrated his efforts on races that he knew he could win. His style was simple: don't use the car up early in the race, run hard at the end and wait for the leader to make a mistake. That sneaky, where did he come from approach is what earned Pearson the nickname "the Silver Fox". Pearson was also involved in a historic Daytona 500 finish, when he and Richard Petty wrecked off turn four fighting for the lead on he last lap of the 1976 installment of the Great American Race. Both cars hit the wall, spun and failed to cross the line. But Pearson's #21 Purolator Mercury re fired before Petty's #43 STP Dodge and he crossed the line and took the victory in dramatic fashion. Petty and Pearson were the greatest of rivals, finishing first and second to each other countless times, but they were (and still are) close friends with huge amounts of respect for each other. Like I said, Pearson's numbers are great enough that he should have gone in with the first class, but the second class is the next best thing for one of Nascar's greatest. Congratulations David Pearson on this honor.
Well, the second class of very deserving Nascar legends are now forever enshrined in the Nascar Hall of Fame. The first class, with names like Ricard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, was just what it should have been: the "Mount Rushmore" of our sport. This second class is made up of legends who helped to perfect almost all aspects of the sport. Bud Moore, a war hero turned car owner, was a innovator as a mechanic and owner of Bud Moore Engineering. Lee Petty was Nascar's first professional driver and the patriarch of Nascar's "Royal Family". Ned Jarrett was a legendary driver, turned legendary broadcaster and ambassador for our sport. Bobby Allison was one of Nascar's greatest drivers while also suffering the loss of both his sons, a loss that no one should ever have to go through. But the leader of the "Alabama Gang" persevered and is a true Nascar icon. David Pearson is truly a legendary figure in the sport and one of the greatest to ever wheel a sock car. What else can you say about a guy who won 105 races? All five of these inductees are extremely deserving of this dubious honor and they all deserve a pat on the back for a job well done over their careers. I can't wait to see who the next five legends to be inducted will be.
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