NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Hall of Fame set to announce next five-member class for 2015

Published May. 21, 2014 9:45 a.m. ET

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Tom Jensen

The NASCAR Hall of Fame will identify the five members of its 2015 class on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, with live television coverage of the announcement on FOX Sports 1.

The five new members will be selected from a group of 20 nominees, who were announced in February. Among the 20 are five who are on the list for the first time: Terry Labonte, who won NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships in 1984 and '96; Bill Elliott, the '88 champ and 16-time National Motorsports Press Association most popular driver; championship team owner and engine builder Robert Yates; 19-time race winner Buddy Baker; and nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik.

Following are the 20 nominees for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically:

Buddy Baker -- Won 19 times in what is now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500. Set Daytona 500 race record average speed of 177.602 miles per hour in 1980.

Red Byron -- All about the firsts: Byron won very first NASCAR race in 1948, the first Modified Division championship, also in '48 and the first NASCAR Strictly Stock Series title in 1949. Also built race car for 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Richard Childress -- An 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series, Childress was a tenacious racer before stepping out of the cockpit to concentrate on ownership.

Jerry Cook -- Still active today as a NASCAR official, this six-time NASCAR Modified Division champion won a staggering 342 races. He and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Richie Evans were fierce rivals.

Bill Elliott -- One of the sport's, biggest draws, Elliott was the 1988 Cup champion and is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, as well as the 16-time NMPA Most Popular Driver recipient.

Ray Fox -- ­Few men ever turned a wrench better than Fox, the legendary engine builder/car builder/car owner. Fox's cars were driven by David Pearson, Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others.

Rick Hendrick ­-- The 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series and winner of more than 200 Sprint Cup races, this Virginia native has built Hendrick Motorsports into a powerhouse team.

Bobby Isaac -- The 1970 Cup champion, Isaac set a record that still stands today, winning an amazing 19 poles in 1969. He also won 37 Cup races and set 28 world records at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Terry Labonte ­-- The man nicknamed "Texas Terry" is a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, winning one title in 1984 and another in '96. That's the longest gap between two titles of any champ.

Fred Lorenzen -- They called Lorenzen "The Golden Boy" for his movie-star good looks. In 1963, he became the first driver to earn $100,000 in a season. He had 26 wins, including triumphs in the Daytona 500 and World 600.

Raymond Parks -- NASCAR's first champion car owner, Parks hired some of the best drivers in the first decade of the sport, including stars like Red Byron, Bob and Fonty Flock, and Curtis Turner.

Benny Parsons -- One of the most popularity personalities in the sport, Parsons was the 1973 NASCAR champion and the 1975 Daytona 500 winner. He went on to enjoy great success as a broadcaster as well.

Larry Phillips -- The only five-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion, from 1989 through '96, Phillips won an astonishing 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned starts. That was 76 percent of his starts.

Wendell Scott -- This NASCAR trailblazer remains the only African-American race winner at the Sprint Cup level, and the first to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

O. Bruton Smith -- The visionary behind Charlotte Motor Speedway and architect of Speedway Motorsports Inc., Smith operates some of the biggest and most successful tracks in NASCAR.

Mike Stefanik -- This New England driver won a record-tying nine NASCAR championships, seven in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and two more in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series.

Curtis Turner -- Called the "Babe Ruth of stock-car racing," Turner was a prodigious talent and the only driver to ever win a NASCAR Strictly Stock Series race in a Nash. He drove hard and lived harder.  

Joe Weatherly -- A two-time NASCAR champion, Weatherly won his first title driving for Bud Moore in 1962 and in '63, he won a second title driving for nine different teams.

Rex White -- The 1960 NASCAR champion won 28 races and had 36 poles in just 233 starts. He was the fourth owner/driver to win a title and finished in the top five in nearly half his starts.

Robert Yates -- won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner, and his Fords were known for producing prodigious amounts of horsepower.

Also during Voting Day, one of these five nominees will become the recipient of the inaugural Landmark Award.

H. Clay Earles -- founder of Martinsville Speedway.

Anne Bledsoe France -- helped build the sport with husband Bill France Sr. Affectionately known as "Annie B.," she is the first woman to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Raymond Parks -- NASCAR's first champion car owner.

Ralph Seagraves -- formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

Ken Squier -- legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

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