The NASCAR Hall of Fame has released the nominees for the Class of 2019.
Four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is one of five nominees added to the potential class. Gordon collected 93 wins, 325 top fives and 477 top 10s while driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon also has three Daytona 500 wins, three Coca-Cola 600 wins and five Brickyard 400 victories.
Moments after Gordon found out he was one of the nominees he sent out a tweet:
I’m so honored and thrilled to be one of the 20 nominees for the 2019 @NASCARHall of Fame class. Such a special consideration. Thank you. https://t.co/YClCPPANeT
— Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) March 6, 2018
Gordon’s last MENCS race was in 2016 at Martinsville when he took over for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing sixth.
Harry Gant has also been newly nominated for the NASCAR HOF. Gant is the oldest driver to ever win a MENCS race at the age of 51 when he picked up the victory at Michigan in 1992. Gant earned 18 career Cup wins and 21 in the XFINITY Series. All of Gant’s 18 Cup Series wins came in the No. 33 Skoal Bandit.
John Holman, Ralph Moody and Kirk Shelmerdine make up the other three new nominees.
John Holman and Ralph Moody formed the team Holman-Moody Racing which competed in the Cup Series from 1957-1973. Holman-Moody Racing collected 96 victories during that time with many drivers who have already been inducted.
Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen, Fireball Roberts, Junior Johnson, Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and David Pearson all won for the Holman-Moody Racing team.
Kirk Shelmerdine is known for being the crew chief of 7-time champion Dale Earnhardt. Shelmerdine won four MENCS championships and collected forty-four wins with Earnhardt. He also won twice with another 2019 nominee, Ricky Rudd.
The other 15 nominees have been nominated at least once, they include:
- Davey Allison
- Buddy Baker
- Red Farmer
- Ray Fox
- Joe Gibbs
- Harry Hyde
- Alan Kulwicki
- Bobby Labonte
- Hershel McGriff
- Roger Penske
- Larry Phillips
- Jack Roush
- Ricky Rudd
- Mike Stefanik
- Waddell Wilson