NASCAR: 2017 Hall of Fame class announced

NASCAR's first champion car owner, Raymond Parks, 14-time car owner champion Rick Hendrick, 11-time car owner champion Richard Childress, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion Benny Parsons and 96-time race winner Mark Martin have been named as the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 following a vote by the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel.

H. Clay Earles, founder and president of Martinsville Speedway, is the winner of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

The voting panel including representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and, for the third year, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion (Kyle Busch). Fifty-four votes were cast; four members recused themselves from voting as potential nominees for induction (Ricky Rudd, Robert Yates, Waddell Wilson and Ken Squier). The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.

Voting was as follows: Benny Parsons (85 percent), Rick Hendrick (62 percent), Mark Martin (57 percent), Raymond Parks (53 percent) and Richard Childress (43 percent).

The next top vote-getters were Robert Yates, Red Byron and Alan Kulwicki.

The five inductees were chosen from a group of 20 nominees, including Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Ron Hornaday Jr., Harry Hyde, Alan Kulwicki, Hershel McGriff, Larry Phillips, Jack Roush, Rudd, Squier, Mike Stefanik, Wilson and Robert Yates.

Nominees for the Landmark Award were Janet Guthrie, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Squier.

The Class of 2017 will be inducted on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.