NASCAR Hall of Fame Candidates Announced for 2011 & Predictions

NASCAR announced the addition of five names to the original 20 names that did not make it into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first go round. The new NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees range from two modified legends to possibly the most prolific NASCAR crew chief of all time.

NASCAR Nominates Another Short Track Legend Jerry Cook

Two of the greatest modified legends ever to race the discipline were Richie Evans and Jerry Cook. Both drivers dominated the competition in their glory days and were feared from coast to coast. Cook captured six modified titles and was named to the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame and also was named as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time. It is a nice honor to nominate Jerry Cook but he will not be elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Fred Lorenzon Was the Golden Boy of NASCAR in the Mid 60's

Fred Lorenzen's career included 26 NASCAR Cup victories and in 1965 he captured the Daytona 500 and the World 600. Lorenzen's career was short lived, retiring at the young age of 33 and although he made a brief attempted comeback from 1970-1972 it was not successful. Lorenzen's short lived career stands on it's own as a solid 10 year run. Lorenzen's nomination is an honor but he will never be elected to NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Dale Inman Laid Claim to 8 NASCAR Cup Titles as a Crew Chief

Dale Inman turned the wrenches for Richard Petty for seven of his NASCAR Championships and then he also won a NASCAR Championship without his famous cousin. In 1984 Dale Inman and Terry Labonte combined to win a NASCAR title, Inman's last. Inman may not make it into this 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class but he should make it in the next few years. Look for Inman to be elect to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the next three years.

Jack Ingram Was One of First Drivers to Dominate What is Now Nationwide

Iron man Jack Ingram was a legend in NASCAR circles but was never nationally recognized by the media. Ingram became better with age, winning 31 races from the ages of 45-50 years old. Ingram can still be found racing his late model stock car at Greenville Speedway, in Greenville, South Carolina on a Saturday night at the age of 70. Unfortunately Jack Ingram will probably never make it into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

T Wayne Robertson is a Legend in the Area of Sports Marketing for NASCAR

T Wayne Robertson was not known to many outside of racing but those that knew him, understood how important he was to the development of RJR Tobacco and NASCAR's strong relationship for many years. Robertson worked his way up from a show car driver to the top spot in RJR Tobacco in short order. Robertson's claim to fame was the creation of the Winston, which is now dubbed the All Star Race. T Wayne Robertson may be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in a different induction process in later years.

Three Sure Fire Elections to the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame

Three nominees that will definitely be inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011 are, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson. These three NASCAR legends were the three leading vote getters in the 2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame voting. There will be plenty of debate when it comes to the remaining two nominees in the months leading up to the October 13th nomination meeting. For the complete list of nominees go to Speed TV's Hall of Fame Nominations page here.

sources:
www.speedtv.com 2011 Hall of Fame Nominees.
www.nascar.com driver profiles.
www.lasvegasinsideinfo.com