HOF nominees a class of firsts

Once again, it's time to vote five new members to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

It's a list with two firsts - a woman nominee and an African-American nominee. I've been saying all along Wendell Scott needed to be at least in the nominations.

When it comes to getting my choices in the Hall, it's happening. Not as fast as I would like to see it, but it's happening.

I'll still vote for Tim Flock, but how about the other four I can cast ballots to include?

Leonard Wood? Absolutely. He's a really sweet man. After meeting him at this year's Daytona 500, my respect for the Wood Brothers increased. His brother Glen was inducted into the Hall in the last class.

Which will put me on the "family soapbox." There are families that need to be inducted together - Petty, Earnhardt, France, Jarrett. It's difficult to separate the Wood Brothers, don't you think? Yet that's exactly what happened in the last class.

Richard Childress and / or Rick Hendrick? I don't know abou that. Their biographies mention them as car owners and they have not retired from that. Retired as drivers, yes; owners, no.

Wendell Scott certainly has my vote. Being a black driver in the good-old-boys network in the South took not just skill, but guts.

So, do I include a vote for Rusty Wallace? He's deserving.

I think it's a shame to look at them alphabetically - by the time you get through the list, two among the most deserving are at the bottom of that list, in the W-section.

Well, decide for yourself. If you go to the Hall of Fame website, you can see the 25 and watch the biographies. Then, vote.

The nominees, listed alphabetically, are:

Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series titles (1956-57)

Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949

Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion

H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway

Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier series champion

Ray Fox, legendary engine builder and owner of cars driven by Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others

Anne Bledsoe France, helped build the sport with husband, Bill France Sr.; affectionately known as Annie B.

Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

Jack Ingram, two-time Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion and three-time Late Model Sportsman champion

Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier series champion

Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600

Cotton Owens, owner/driver, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson

Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner

Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion

Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway

Fireball Roberts, 33 NASCAR premier series wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500

T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. senior VP

Wendell Scott, first African-American NASCAR premier series race winner

Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier series champion, 1951 and '53

Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"

Rusty Wallace, 1989 NASCAR premier series champion

Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier series champion

Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers; revolutionized pit stops