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Class Of 2018 Inducted Into NASCAR Hall Of Fame
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Five NASCAR icons—two drivers, a crew chief/owner, an engine builder/owner and a broadcaster—were enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, during an induction ceremony held in the Crown Ball Room at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ken Squier and Robert Yates make up the ninth class of The NASCAR Hall of Fame, which now holds 45 inductees.
A pioneer of the sport, Red Byron won the first NASCAR race at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1948. That year, he went on to win NASCAR’s first season championship in the NASCAR Modified division. The next season, Byron won NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock title—the precursor to today’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
In the 1990s, Ray Evernham guided Jeff Gordon to three championships in four seasons (1995, ’97, ’98). The pair collected a series-high 47 wins in the 1990s, taking the checkered flag in two Daytona 500s (1997, ’99). A skilled innovator, Evernham’s ‘Rainbow Warriors’ pit crew revolutionized the modern pit stop. He won 13 times as an owner and led the return of Dodge back to NASCAR in the 2000s.
Ron Hornaday boasts a record four Truck Series championships and won 51 races. He also tops the series annals with 158 top-five finishes. In 2009, Hornaday won five straight races, a feat matched by only two other drivers in NASCAR national series history.
Ken Squier is best known for calling the 1979 Daytona 500 on CBS, providing the play-by-play for the first live flag-to-flag coverage of “The Great American Race” – a moniker he coined. Following that event, Squier called races on CBS and TBS until 1997 before shifting to the studio as a host for NASCAR broadcasts until 2000. He founded MRN Radio in 1970.
A dual-threat, Robert Yates provided the engines that powered Bobby Allison to his 1983 championship and Richard Petty to his 200th win. He launched Robert Yates Racing in the 1980s. As an owner, he won three Daytona 500s and the 1999 premier series championship with Dale Jarrett. Overall, his team claimed 57 victories. Yates passed away last October from cancer.
In addition to the five inductees, honored as the fourth recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR was Jim France.
Before the Induction Ceremony, trailblazing motorsports journalist Norma ‘Dusty’ Brandel was awarded the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.
For more complete biographies, including starts, wins and pole stats (when applicable), visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame website here.
Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ken Squier and Robert Yates make up the ninth class of The NASCAR Hall of Fame, which now holds 45 inductees.
A pioneer of the sport, Red Byron won the first NASCAR race at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1948. That year, he went on to win NASCAR’s first season championship in the NASCAR Modified division. The next season, Byron won NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock title—the precursor to today’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
In the 1990s, Ray Evernham guided Jeff Gordon to three championships in four seasons (1995, ’97, ’98). The pair collected a series-high 47 wins in the 1990s, taking the checkered flag in two Daytona 500s (1997, ’99). A skilled innovator, Evernham’s ‘Rainbow Warriors’ pit crew revolutionized the modern pit stop. He won 13 times as an owner and led the return of Dodge back to NASCAR in the 2000s.
Ron Hornaday boasts a record four Truck Series championships and won 51 races. He also tops the series annals with 158 top-five finishes. In 2009, Hornaday won five straight races, a feat matched by only two other drivers in NASCAR national series history.
Ken Squier is best known for calling the 1979 Daytona 500 on CBS, providing the play-by-play for the first live flag-to-flag coverage of “The Great American Race” – a moniker he coined. Following that event, Squier called races on CBS and TBS until 1997 before shifting to the studio as a host for NASCAR broadcasts until 2000. He founded MRN Radio in 1970.
A dual-threat, Robert Yates provided the engines that powered Bobby Allison to his 1983 championship and Richard Petty to his 200th win. He launched Robert Yates Racing in the 1980s. As an owner, he won three Daytona 500s and the 1999 premier series championship with Dale Jarrett. Overall, his team claimed 57 victories. Yates passed away last October from cancer.
In addition to the five inductees, honored as the fourth recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR was Jim France.
Before the Induction Ceremony, trailblazing motorsports journalist Norma ‘Dusty’ Brandel was awarded the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.
For more complete biographies, including starts, wins and pole stats (when applicable), visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame website here.
