What current/recently retired drivers do you think will be in the HOF some day?

ToyYoda

ToyYoda

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So who do you think are the future Hall of Famers that we're seeing on the track now, or have seen in the very recent past? What kind of chance do you think they have of getting in? My picks would be as follows:

Locks:
Jimmie Johnson (5-time Cup champ, 2-time Daytona 500 winner, 62 Cup wins)
Jeff Gordon (4-time Cup champ, 3-time Daytona 500 winner, 87 Cup wins)
Tony Stewart (3-time Cup champ, 47 Cup wins)
Mark Martin (5-time Cup championship runner-up, 40 Cup wins)
Bill Elliott (1988 Cup champ, 44 Cup wins, 16-time MPD)

More than likely:
Matt Kenseth (2003 Cup champ, 2-time Daytona 500 winner, 27 Cup wins)
Kyle Busch (2009 NW champ, 26 Cup wins, 56 NW wins (most all time), 31 Truck wins)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr (2-time NW champ, 2004 Daytona 500 winner, 19 Cup wins, 10-time MPD)
Terry Labonte (2-time Cup champ, 22 Cup wins)
Kevin Harvick (2-time NW champ, 2007 Daytona 500 winner, 20 Cup wins)

Possible:
Kurt Busch (2004 Cup champ, 24 Cup wins)
Brad Keselowski (2012 Cup champ, 2010 NW champ, 9 Cup wins)
Carl Edwards (2007 NW champ, 20 Cup wins)
Bobby Labonte (2000 Cup champ, 1991 BGN champ, 21 Cup wins)
Greg Biffle (2002 NW champ, 2000 Truck champ, 18 Cup wins)
Denny Hamlin (22 Cup wins)
 
Great thread topic.

As a preface their is a tier system, to define the most worthy

TIER 1 (the most worthy subjects that deserve to be expeditiously entered into the Hall).
1. Brian France
2. Lisa France
3. Anne France
4. The family dog
5. The France pool boy
6. Brians favorite gerbal.
7. Mike Helton
8. Gary Nelson
9. Robin Pemberton
10. John Darby
11. Morris Metcalfe




TIER 2 ( drivers that should enter first year of elibility provided that five are not eligible from the more rightous TIER 1 royal family grouping.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Tony Stewart
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Bill Elliott
6. Terry Labonte
7. Mark Martin
8. Kyle Busch
9. Kurt Busch
10. Brad Keszelowki

will add more later
 
ToyYoda said:
So who do you think are the future Hall of Famers that we're seeing on the track now, or have seen in the very recent past? What kind of chance do you think they have of getting in? My picks would be as follows:

Locks:
Jimmie Johnson (5-time Cup champ, 2-time Daytona 500 winner, 62 Cup wins)
Jeff Gordon (4-time Cup champ, 3-time Daytona 500 winner, 87 Cup wins)
Tony Stewart (3-time Cup champ, 47 Cup wins)
Mark Martin (5-time Cup championship runner-up, 40 Cup wins)
Bill Elliott (1988 Cup champ, 44 Cup wins, 16-time MPD)

More than likely:
Matt Kenseth (2003 Cup champ, 2-time Daytona 500 winner, 27 Cup wins)
Kyle Busch (2009 NW champ, 26 Cup wins, 56 NW wins (most all time), 31 Truck wins)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr (2-time NW champ, 2004 Daytona 500 winner, 19 Cup wins, 10-time MPD)
Terry Labonte (2-time Cup champ, 22 Cup wins)
Kevin Harvick (2-time NW champ, 2007 Daytona 500 winner, 20 Cup wins)

Possible:
Kurt Busch (2004 Cup champ, 24 Cup wins)
Brad Keselowski (2012 Cup champ, 2010 NW champ, 9 Cup wins)
Carl Edwards (2007 NW champ, 20 Cup wins)
Bobby Labonte (2000 Cup champ, 1991 BGN champ, 21 Cup wins)
Greg Biffle (2002 NW champ, 2000 Truck champ, 18 Cup wins)
Denny Hamlin (22 Cup wins)
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I think Terry Labonte and Matt Kenseth are both locks for the HOF, though probably in 50 years or so.
 
Ricky Rudd for sure..(best driver not to win a Cup title)
Bobby Labonte...
Kyle Petty hopefully..
 
If you are going to have drivers like Dale Jr and Kevin Harvick mentioned as possibilities then I think Bobby Labonte is a lock. Will he be voted in as soon as he is eligible? Probably not, but will be soon after that.
 
I don't know enough about the early drivers (before I started following NASCAR), I wonder who in their day compare to those mentioned in this thread.
 
Jeff Gordon,Jimmie Johnson, Bill Elliott, Tony Stewart and Mark Martin are Locks thats agreed by most everyone.
I see Kenseth, Kyle Busch. and Terry Labonte as most likely.
The possibles are endless , I would put Harvick in this group along with most others previously mentioned.

How would Davey Allison, my favorite, fit in this picture?
 
BamaFan said:
Jeff Gordon,Jimmie Johnson, Bill Elliott, Tony Stewart and Mark Martin are Locks thats agreed by most everyone.
I see Kenseth, Kyle Busch. and Terry Labonte as most likely.
The possibles are endless , I would put Harvick in this group along with most others previously mentioned.

How would Davey Allison, my favorite, fit in this picture?
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Davey was an interesting person and one hell of a driver. He had 19 wins in a short period of time. Interestingly enough, he never won in the lower series.

It is tough to say what would have been had he not been killed but he was one of my favorite drivers.
 
Allison had way fewer starts than either Harvick or Earnhardt Jr. with a much higher winning percentage. Not sure if that winning percentage is enough or not to get him in. I don't think they vote on what could have been but who knows?
 
I would guess at some point they are going to have some sort of boundries to get in. Remember this hall is fairly new. at some point they will not let people in. I personally would have had a larger 1st class. Too many deserving people of Nascar. On the other side if you let too many in it diminishes the accomplishments of some others.Interesting enough as it is.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
If you are going to have drivers like Dale Jr and Kevin Harvick mentioned as possibilities then I think Bobby Labonte is a lock. Will he be voted in as soon as he is eligible? Probably not, but will be soon after that.
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I was torn on B. Labonte, but I think what may hurt him is he's been bad longer than he was good. BL basically had two really good seasons: 1999 and 2000. Outside of those two years, he never finished higher than 6th in points. That's why I couldn't really see him as a lock. Junior's popularity and Harvick's success in other series' in addition to Cup I think will go a long way toward getting them in.
 
It is my opinion that Jr. and Harvick need to do more to get in. They have both have supported race teams to contribute to the sport but I don't know how that or popularity should factor in.
 
maxiracer said:
Ricky Rudd for sure..(best driver not to win a Cup title)
Bobby Labonte...
Kyle Petty hopefully..
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As a newbie , I have to warn you that you are not supposed to like a driver whose last name is the same as a previous driver or a rich person . Rudd is fine , but Petty and LaBonte are ones that I like( but am careful not to tell anybody about). On this forum , we consider one driver per family about right . Except for Junior ,of course , he gets a pass.:D
 
ted@economy said:
As a newbie , I have to warn you that you are not supposed to like a driver whose last name is the same as a previous driver or a rich person . Rudd is fine , but Petty and LaBonte are ones that I like( but am careful not to tell anybody about). On this forum , we consider one driver per family about right . Except for Junior ,of course , he gets a pass.:D
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LOL :XXROFL:
 
BamaFan said:
I would guess at some point they are going to have some sort of boundries to get in. Remember this hall is fairly new. at some point they will not let people in. I personally would have had a larger 1st class. Too many deserving people of Nascar. On the other side if you let too many in it diminishes the accomplishments of some others.Interesting enough as it is.
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I agree. At some point they'll probably go to a percentage that each candidate has to meet like the MLB HoF. Otherwise if they keep inducting five per year it will get watered down.
 
New around here, long time Nascar follower though (circa 1993).

Shoe-ins for HOF:
1. Jeff Gordon (Success and longevity)
2. Jimmie Johnson (Unprecedented success)
3. Tony Stewart (Sustained success)

The three above stand a cut above the rest. The next group is a few solid picks:
1. Terry Labonte (Cup championships at very long intervals)
2. Matt Kenseth (He has a great chance to win another title or two with Gibbs)
3. Mark Martin (No championship, but plenty of long term success, almost 100 wins across top 3 Nascar series, pure class)
4. Kyle Busch (He's really in shoe-in territory already, but could use a Cup)
5. Bill Elliott (He will get in given that Rusty's in)

Some maybes:
1. Kurt Busch (Almost managed to wreck his career, but there is still possibility that he can climb out, HOF material based on ability)
2. Brad Keselowski (Quickly surging up, could be a shoe-in in 3-4 years)
3. Denny Hamlin (HOF ability, but a pedestrian personality)
4. Kasey Kahne (I am not a big fan, but it seems like there is huge potential there, about ready to flourish)

Rejects:
1. Dale Jarrett (1 Cup and quite a few wins including big races, but it never felt like DJ was a versatile driver)
2. Bobby Labonte (His success was too short lived)
3. Kevin Harvick (Not enough wins in Cup, no championship in sight)
4. Dale Jr. (Same as Harvick)
 
I have to believe any driver with a cup title eventually gets in, it is no small accomplishment.
 
Some of you guys crack me up. Kyle Petty, Harvick, and Jr, but a driver like Bobby Labonte gets a snub from most of you.

1 Cup Championship
1 Grand National Championship
21 wins
Wins in the following races:
Coke 600
Southern 500
Brickyard 400
Plus wins at older respected tracks like Martinsville, Talladega, Rockingham, and Pocono. Plus has most wins at Atlanta than any other driver with 6,on both configurations. Just because his last win was in 2003, doesn't mean we should over look all of his other accomplishments.

Plus isn't he like one of 5 or 6 drivers who have won in all three top series?
 
Greg said:
I have to believe any driver with a cup title eventually gets in, it is no small accomplishment.
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I agree. Also people have to also understand right now the HoF is so new that there is a ton of really good guys out there who have a ton of accomplishments. Eventually they will be voted in and guts like Labonte, Harvick, Kesolowski (still young no 100% guarantee yet) and Jr will get hard looks.
 
Three guys that should eventually get in
-Harry Gant the incredible 4 in a row, after the 50th birthday would be reason enough, but he had a great LMS record as well.

-Neil Bonnett a class act, a good driver, and he was good in the booth.

-Geoff Bodine, conehead wasnt a favorite of mine, but in spite of his quirks he was a good driver. Great in modifieds and LMS cars, and probably underated in the mid to late 80 as a cup driver.

Holding my nose but Michael Waltrip will cash in his brown nosing points in one day. Nascar has plenty of smoochers, but none so shameless. He will probably work in an Aarons lucky dog plug during the induction speech a day of infamy.

An exception needs to granted to Alan Kulwiki, he desrrves a spot.

Buddy Baker gets in eventually too, not just for the driving, but also for his media work.

Not a driver but Harry Hyde deserves a future spot.
 
Greg said:
An exception needs to granted to Alan Kulwicki, he deserves a spot.
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Good call. Kulwicki should have been inducted already given that Jarrett and Rusty are in. Won a championship while running his own operation against powerhouse teams.
 
Now that Jarrett is in, I guess that means drivers like Harvick/Dale Jr etc can get in considering they have about the same driving ability/stats as Jarrett.

Anyways, agree with pretty much everything that everybody else said. Though I came up with one more more than likely. I don't want this person to make it in, as she is not worthy. That's right, its a she. Got any clues? :)
 
Jeffrey00 said:
Some of you guys crack me up. Kyle Petty, Harvick, and Jr, but a driver like Bobby Labonte gets a snub from most of you.
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I went with Harvick over B. Labonte because, other than the Cup title, their stats are very similar. However, the difference is, Harvick is almost certainly not done winning, while Labonte likely saw his last checkers many years ago. As for the comparables to B. Labonte:

1 Cup Championship (Harvick's best points finish so far has been 3rd twice, but has 5 Top-5 points finishes to Labonte's 2)
1 Grand National Championship (Harvick has 2)
21 wins (Harvick has 20, but will likely have more)
Wins in the following races:
Coke 600 (so has Harvick, in 2011)
Southern 500 (hasn't won this, but has won a Daytona 500, which B. Labonte never did)
Brickyard 400 (so has Harvick, in 2003)
Plus wins at older respected tracks like Martinsville, Talladega, Rockingham, and Pocono. Plus has most wins at Atlanta than any other driver with 6
(Harvick has wins at Martinsville, Talladega, and Atlanta too. Hasn't won at Pocono or Rockingham, but there are tracks where Harvick has won where Bobby Labonte never did as well)
 
Red Byron and Ray Fox. Please read "Riding with the Devil." If you're a fan you'll truly love it.
 
maxiracer said:
Ricky Rudd for sure..(best driver not to win a Cup title).
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MRM said:
I thought that was Mark Martin.
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Greg said:
I have to believe any driver with a cup title eventually gets in, it is no small accomplishment.
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I agree that Mark Martin is the best driver in the history of the Cup series to not win a title, except for maybe Fireball Roberts.

IMO, the driver with the best chance to take that "honor" is Kyle Busch.

Add performances in the Nationwide and Craftsman series to projected Cup totals and I could see both Martin and Busch going to the Hall without a Cup title.
 
One championship is a lot , especially when Jimmy is sucking them up like a vaccuum cleaner . Rusty and DJ are hall of famers with only one. Just a matter of luck and who you are up against in any particular year . I'm wonderin how high Brad can finish this year.
 
Rusty also won 50 + races.. If I was to scale the wins appropriately with how competitive cup is now, I'd say 40 wins and cup title is pretty much a lock.. esp. if a few of those wins are the big races.. I don't think DJ gets in if he never won Daytona.
 
Lazyking said:
Rusty also won 50 + races.. If I was to scale the wins appropriately with how competitive cup is now, I'd say 40 wins and cup title is pretty much a lock.. esp. if a few of those wins are the big races.. I don't think DJ gets in if he never won Daytona.
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Not Fireball Roberts with 33 wins and O cups?
 
ted@economy said:
Not Fireball Roberts with 33 wins and O cups?
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Lazyking said:
I was saying as the modern era.. Fireball Roberts of course predates that. but someone with 33 wins and 0 cups now? I don't think so..
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You've got to remember that when Roberts was killed in 1964, he was only in his mid 30's. Odds are he would have won at least another 5 or 10 more races if he had lived.

Interestingly, guys like Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson and Fred Lorenzen retired shortly after Roberts was killed and they were only in their mid 30's also.

Makes ya wonder, if those guys had decided to keep racing, just how many fewer wins guys like Petty and Pearson would have racked up.
 
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