NASCAR Announces Nominees for Hall of Fame Class of 2021

NASCAR has announced the 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021, as well as its new Modern Era and Pioneer ballots and nominees for the Landmark Award.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021 will consist of two inductees from the list of Modern Era nominees and one from the list of Pioneer nominees – for a total of three new inductees in 2021.

Potential Landmark Award recipients include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.

The Modern Era Ballot and Landmark Award nominees were selected by the Nomination Committee, which consists of representatives from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks. The new Honors Committee, largely comprised of all living Hall of Famers, Landmark Award winners and Squier-Hall Award winners, selected the Pioneer Ballot. Both committees’ votes were tabulated by accounting firm EY.

Following are the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021 nominees and Landmark Award nominees:

Modern Era Ballot

• Neil Bonnett, won 18 times in the NASCAR Cup Series, including consecutive Coca-Cola 600 victories
• Jeff Burton, won 21 times in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the Southern 500 and two Coca-Cola 600s
• Dale Earnhardt Jr., 15-time NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver and two-time Xfinity Series champion
• Carl Edwards, winner of 28 NASCAR Cup Series races and 2007 Xfinity Series champion
• Harry Gant, winner of 18 NASCAR Cup Series races, including two Southern 500 victories
• Harry Hyde, 1970 NASCAR Cup Series championship crew chief
• Larry Phillips, first five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion
• Ricky Rudd, won 23 times in NASCAR Cup Series, including the 1997 Brickyard 400
• Kirk Shelmerdine, four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief
• Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships

Pioneer Ballot

• Jake Elder, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief
• Red Farmer, three-time NASCAR Late Model Sportsman champion; 1956 Modified champion
• Banjo Matthews, built cars that won more than 250 NASCAR Cup Series races and three championships
• Hershel McGriff, 1986 NASCAR West Series champion
• Ralph Moody, two-time NASCAR Cup Series owner champion as mechanical genius of Holman-Moody

Landmark Award

• Janet Guthrie, the first female driver to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway race
• Alvin Hawkins, NASCAR’s first flagman; established NASCAR racing at Bowman Gray Stadium with Bill France Sr.
• Mike Helton, named third president of NASCAR in 2000; career included track operator roles at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway
• Dr. Joseph Mattioli, founder of Pocono Raceway
• Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company