NASCAR today announced the 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2027 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. As part of the NASCAR on Fox broadcast, Kevin Harvick was surprised by NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton and announced as one of the new additions to the ballot.
The odds that anyone from NASCAR handing me a ballot are about as long as Erin Burnett saying something positive about Donald Trump. However, that won’t prevent me from weighing in on the matter and revealing who I’d vote for if I did have the chance.
See the full list of nominees here.
Modern Era Ballot
I think this is a fairly easy one to predict. Kevin Harvick and the late Greg Biffle will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2027.
In Harvick’s case, it gives the Hall of Fame a keynote speaker, so to speak. As a commentator for NASCAR on Fox, and a host of several podcasts and TV shows, Harvick is well-spoken and definitely has a lot of stories to tell from his time in NASCAR. Biffle will be an emotional induction, given his passing in a plane crash last December.
Don’t take the above paragraph as a slight against the two drivers. Both are deserving nominations and deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Harvick won two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Championships, a Cup Series Championship and the 2007 Daytona 500. Biffle won the 2000 Craftsman Truck Series Championship and, two years later, an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship.
If someone handed me a ballot, I’d be hard pressed to not vote that way. Having said that, I’ve always hoped that Neil Bonnett would make his way into the Hall and this year saw the addition of Ernie Elliott to the ballot.
To me, Elliott would make a great addition to the Hall of Fame. He’s definitely got the credentials, being a crew chief for both of Bill Elliott’s Daytona 500 wins and the championship in 1988. As well, it would be nice to see some more crew chiefs and engine builders, above and beyond the Petty family, go into the Hall. (Ernie Elliott’s engine for his brother Bill’s #9 car in the 1985 Daytona 500 literally sent a who’s who of NASCAR at the time to the garage trying to keep up with him.) From a personal standpoint, I like Ernie because we share a birthday and my Dad was a big fan of the Elliotts, especially Bill and Chase.
Pioneer Ballot
I’m kinda torn between Banjo Matthews and Harry Hyde on this one. Harry Hyde’s just listed as the 1970 NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief (Bobby Isaac), but he was also around the Hendrick organization in the mid-80s, as he was Tim Richmond’s crew chief. This means he probably had an influence on the team during the early days of what became the juggernaut team that it is now. However, with 250 Cup wins and three championships to his credit, Banjo Matthews should get the nod.
Landmark Award
Lesa France Kennedy is probably a lock to go in, with her being part of the France family and being listed as “one of the most influential women in sports.” Her Wikipedia page is mostly lists she’s made and awards she’s won. However, her Hall of Fame bio does her a lot more justice, discussing her 30 year career with International Speedway Corporation and how she spearheaded the revitalization of Daytona International Speedway and Phoenix Raceway and the building of Kansas Speedway. While I keep hearing a lot about Les Richter the more I read about NASCAR in the 80s and 90s, I think Kennedy has the credentials to be a Hall of Famer.
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