Elliott, Scott among those inducted into NASCAR HofF
Jan 31, 2015 - 5:04 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Bill Elliott, a former Sprint Cup Series champion, and Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win a race in NASCAR's premier racing circuit, were among the sixth five-member class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday night.Joe Weatherly, a two-time Cup champion, Fred Lorenzen, who won 26 races in the sport's top series, including the Daytona 500 and the World 600 (Charlotte) in 1965, and Rex White, a former premier series champion as well, were also inducted during the two-hour ceremony, which was held at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Known as "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville (Georgia)," Elliott had an illustrious 37-year career as a driver in NASCAR. His 44 wins rank him 16th all-time and his 55 poles rank eighth. He won the Cup Series championship in 1988 and scored victories in the Daytona 500 in '85 and '87. In addition, Elliott won NASCAR's "Most Popular Driver" Award a record 16 times.
Elliott was introduced by driver Kasey Kahne and inducted by his former car owner Ray Evernham.
"It's just an honor to be here," Elliott said. "At a young age, I dreamed of doing this, and I knew as time went on, my dad was so involved in racing, he had such a love for the sport. I've always said he was such a Ford fanatic, if you cut him, he bled Ford blue. That's just the way the man was. He was just so involved."
Elliott's induction occurred one day after his 19-year-old son, Chase, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, was named as the replacement driver for Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after Gordon departs from the team following the conclusion of the 2015 season.
Scott was the first African-American to race full-time in NASCAR's top series. His only win in the series came in December 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott recorded 147 top-10 finishes in 495 starts during his 13-year on the premier circuit. Prior to that, he had won more than 100 races at local tracks, including 22 races at Southside Speedway in Richmond, Virginia, in 1959, en route to capturing both the Sportsman Division and NASCAR Virginia Sportsman championships. He died in 1990.
Members of Scott's family attended the induction ceremony. His sons, Wendell Jr. and Franklin, honored him, while Gordon, a four-time Sprint Cup champion, introduced Scott.
"Wendell Scott fulfilled his destiny, and now we can proudly say that he is the first African-American inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame," Franklin Scott said. "We must carry his legacy to even greater heights with the same selflessness, honor, integrity, humility and perseverance that were his trademark."
Weatherly's titles in the Cup Series came in 1962 and '63. He also won 25 races during his career in the series. A decade earlier in 1952-53, Weatherly won 101 events in the NASCAR Modified division, claiming that title in '53. He competed in NASCAR's short-lived Convertible Division from 1956-59, winning 12 times. Weatherly died in 1964 as a result of a racing accident at Riverside, California.
"Uncle Joe was a very competitive driver," said Joy Barbee, who is Weatherly's youngest niece. "He was one of NASCAR's first big stars, as his 25 wins and back-to-back championships in 1962 and 1963 will attest.
"In those days, the races were not televised in our home, and my mother would listen to them on the radio, but she sure got to know the local sportswriter at the newspaper. She knew exactly what time the races were over, and she would call the newspaper, and she would ask who won, and when she hung up the phone and she was crying and she was jumping with excitement, we knew that there was a 'W'."
Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup titleholder, introduced Weatherly, while Bud Moore, who was inducted into the second class in the NASCAR HofF in 2011, inducted him.
Lorenzen got his start in NASCAR as a mechanic with the famed Holman-Moody team in 1960, but he was elevated to lead driver by the end of the year. He won three races in only 15 starts the following season. Lorenzen's best overall season came in 1963, posting six wins, 21 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s in 29 starts. Despite missing 26 races that season, he finished third in the standings.
Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart introduced Lorenzen. Amanda Gardstrom, who is Lorenzen's daughter, inducted him.
"Our dad's story began as a childhood dream," said Lorenzen's son, Chris, who accepted the induction on behalf of his father. "All dad could think about was that he had to find a way to become a race car driver. He proceeded to live his life doing everything possible to make that dream come true. He always believed that anything is possible if you work hard enough and you put your mind to it, no matter what."
Competing in the Cup Series during the 1950's and 60's, White was a short- track specialist in an era in which those tracks dominated the schedule. Of his 28 career wins in the series, only two came on tracks longer than one mile in length. White finished among the top-five in nearly a half of his 233 races and outside the top-10 only 30 percent of the time. He won six times during his 1960 championship season.
Reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick introduced White.
"Words can't express how honored I am to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with the other Hall of Fame members, especially the 2015 fellow inductees," White said. "No driver wins a championship by himself. Nobody enters the Hall of Fame alone. I am a symbol of a team effort, my first race in 1953 until now. This effort spans 62 years."
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