Legendary owners, drivers honored at NASCAR Hall of Fame induction

CHARLOTTE — Three of stock car racing’s most influential team owners were among the five new members inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Friday night.

          The induction of the hall’s eighth class was the highlight of an evening banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center adjacent to the hall building.

          Team owners Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Raymond Parks were inducted along with Cup Series champion driver Benny Parsons and driver Mark Martin, a 40-time winner in NASCAR's premier series. Parsons and Parks were inducted posthumously.

          The newest members bring the hall membership list to 40.

          Childress, who began his NASCAR career as a driver, and Hendrick remain active as team owners. Martin retired in 2013. Parks died in 2010, and Parsons, who had a second career as a motorsports broadcaster after retiring from driving in 1988, died in 2007.

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          Hendrick, who was elected on his eighth time on the ballot, started the All-Star Racing team to compete in the Cup Series in 1984. The name soon was changed to Hendrick Motorsports, and the team became one of the strongest in the history of the sport.

          Hendrick teams have won a record 12 championships — seven by Jimmie Johnson, four by Jeff Gordon and one by Terry Labonte — in the Cup Series. Others who have driven for Hendrick include Darrell Waltrip, Tim Richmond, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Geoff Bodine and Parsons. Johnson and Gordon introduced the man they call "Mr. H" at the ceremony.

          “I’m not retiring,” Hendrick said, turning to his current drivers in the audience. “This doesn’t mean we’re not going to win more races. It’s not over. I’m the luckiest guy in the world because of my family and the friends I’ve met in this sport.”

PHOTOS: Memorable moments of Rick Hendrick's career

          Childress is most famous for teaming with Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. to win six Cup championships and 67 races, but the Winston-Salem, N.C. native also drove his own cars from 1969 to 1981, finishing a high of fifth in the point standings in 1975.

          “Only in America could a kid selling peanuts and popcorn at Bowman Gray Stadium (race track in Winston-Salem) have a dream of being a NASCAR driver some day (and see it come true),” Childress, who was introduced by his grandsons, drivers Austin and Ty Dillon, said. He singled out Earnhardt Sr. “I wouldn’t be standing here tonight without him,” Childress said.

          Over a 30-year driving career, Martin established a reputation as a racer’s racer, one of that group of drivers who excelled at both car preparation and on-track performance. Although he failed to win a Cup championship —  he was second five times — Martin is remembered as one of the most talented and tenacious drivers in history.

          Martin called his induction “a culmination of a life-long dream. The road was long and sometimes the mountain seemed insurmountable, but, in the end, here we stand in the greatest victory lane of all.”

          Martin, who was introduced by former teammate Matt Kenseth, saluted team owner Jack Roush, who signed the Arkansas native as his first driver after Martin had failed in his first run at Cup racing in his own cars. “Jack Roush gave me that second chance,” Martin said.

PHOTOS: Mark Martin through the years

          Parsons, whose easy-going manner made him one of the most popular drivers among his peers, won 21 times in the Cup Series and emerged as champion in 1973. He crashed early in the final race that season and was in danger of losing the point lead, but dozens of mechanics from other teams helped rebuild his battered car so he could finish the race and win the championship.

          Parsons, who led the year’s hall nominees with 85 percent of the votes, built a second fan base in a 19-year career in broadcasting.

          Terri Parsons, the driver’s widow, accepted the award from 2014 Hall of Fame inductee Dale Jarrett after Parsons was introduced by 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. In attendance were many of the mechanics who worked on Parsons’ cars, from his first season in the Automobile Racing Club of America to his closing years.

          Parks’ time in racing was brief, but his impact was great. An Atlanta businessman, he fielded cars in NASCAR series from the organization’s first season in 1948 before leaving the sport in 1955. Red Byron, driving Parks’ cars, won NASCAR’s first title (the Modified championship in 1948) and the first championship (1949) in what became the Cup Series.

          Parks added spark to NASCAR races by bringing immaculately prepared cars — polished and professionally painted — to tracks. He and NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. had a close relationship.

          Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion introduced Parks to open the ceremony. Parks’ granddaughter, Patricia DePottey, accepted the honor for the Parks family. She recalled the scene in Parks’ small office in Atlanta, a nondescript space which held some of the oldest trophies in NASCAR history. Famously quiet, Parks could tell his life story in 10 minutes, she said.  

PHOTOS: 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony