Happy Hall days: NHoF gearing up for a huge month of January
January is shaping up to be a huge month at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
On Jan. 29, the 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place, with Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty and Fireball Roberts slated to be the newest inductees to join their fellow NASCAR legends already in.
And for the first time since its opening in 2010, the NHOF "Glory Road" exhibit will undergo an extreme makeover, with the 18 cars on display slated to all be replaced.
The NHOF will be closed Jan. 6-10 as the 18 new cars are brought in and arranged.
'Glory Road' is one of the most popular exhibits at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
So far, nine of the 18 cars have been announced.
They are:
Marshall Teague's 1952 Hudson Hornet -- The early days of NASCAR were dominated by the now-defunct Hudson brand, the first manufacturer to actively support stock-car racing. Teague and his Hudsons won consecutive races on the old Daytona Beach & Road Course in 1951 and 1952.
Ned Jarrett's 1966 Ford Fairlane -- The 1966 season would prove to be the final one for two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett, one of the sport's true ambassadors and a tremendous talent on the race track and later in the broadcast booth.
Buck Baker's 1957 Chevrolet "Black Widow" -- During the 1957 season, Baker led all drivers with 10 victories and six poles, becoming the first driver to win back-to-back NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) championships.
Fred Lorenzen's 1966 Ford Galaxie "Banana Car" -- One of the most controversial NASCAR race cars of all time was this utterly tricked-up Ford Galaxie owned by Junior Johnson. Chopped, channeled and heavily modified, it only raced once. The next season, NASCAR introduced body templates.
Bobby Allison, a 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, drove the 1973 No. 12 Coca-Cola Chevrolet Chevelle marking his return to team ownership after driving with Junior Johnson's team the previous season.
Bobby Allison's 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle -- One of the toughest and most determined racers of all time, Allison drove to two victories in 1973 as an owner/driver, with brother Eddie Allison serving as his crew chief on this Chevrolet Chevelle.
Jeff Gordon's 1994 Chevrolet Lumina -- At the age of 22, Gordon drove this Hendrick Motorsports Chevy to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race victory in the Coca-Cola 600. He would go on to win three series championships in the next four years.
Jeff Gordon drove this rainbow-colored No. 24 car in his second Sprint Cup Series season of 1994.
Rusty Wallace's 2000 Ford Taurus -- A short-track specialist, Wallace won his 50th career NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway, one of his favorite tracks. This is the Penske Racing Ford that he scored his milestone victory with.
Jimmie Johnson's 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS -- Now a six-time Sprint Cup champion, this is the car that Johnson won his first championship in. He clinched his title at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he finished ninth in this No. 48 Hendrick Chevy.
Tony Stewart's 2011 Chevrolet Impala -- In an improbable championship run in 2011, Stewart won an amazing five of 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to take his third series title. This is the car he drove to victory in the season finale at Homestead.
Tony Stewart (14) drove this car to the win and the championship in the 2011 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
