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NASCAR HoF inducts its inaugural class

The maiden five-member class of the NASCAR
Hall of Fame was inducted in a special ceremony Sunday at the Charlotte
Convention Center, located next to the new $195 million HoF. Bill France Sr.,
Richard Petty, Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Dale Earnhardt were voted
into the inaugural class last October.
Many of NASCAR's dignitaries, as well as active and former drivers, crew
chiefs and team owners were among those in attendance for the 2 1/2 hour
ceremony.

Bill France Sr. was the first person to be enshrined. Nicknamed "Big Bill," he
founded NASCAR in the late 1940's and directed it to its present status as one
of the world's most popular motorsports circuits.

France was inducted by John Cassidy, a long-time friend and legal counsel for
NASCAR in its early days.

"Bill frequently was described as a visionary," Cassidy said. "I don't dispute
that, but it might be because of his Irish heritage, I prefer to call him a
dreamer who was a man of action. He was someone who turned dreams into
reality."

Jim France, the son of France Sr. and current vice chairman/executive vice
president of NASCAR, donated his father's Hall of Fame commemorative ring to
the Hall before making an acceptance speech on behalf of his family.

"Let me begin by saying my family is so proud on this memorable afternoon,"
Jim France said. "With the induction of my father and my brother, Bill [Jr.],
we would like to thank the Hall of Fame voting panel for including them in
this inaugural class, with Junior [Johnson], Richard [Petty] and Dale
[Earnhardt], who were truly the iconic heroes of NASCAR."

Seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty was the second inductee honored. His
son and former driver Kyle Petty, as well as cousin and retired crew chief
Dale Inman, who guided "The King" to his seven titles, spoke of Petty's
accomplishments.

"I'll let you in on the biggest secret in the world that probably no one knows
is this, he is the biggest fan of the sport that ever lived," Kyle Petty said.

Petty, who holds numerous records in NASCAR's top national series, including
200 wins, seven of which were in the Daytona 500, and 1,185 starts, donned
his trademark black cowboy hat and dark sunglasses at the ceremony.

"I guess I'm going to be like Gomer Pyle and just say,'Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you'," Petty quipped.

Bill France Jr., who took over the chief responsibilities of NASCAR from his
father in 1972, and then guided the sport into its modern era, was inducted
next. NASCAR multi-team owner Rick Hendrick presented France Jr. with the
honor.

"Bill lived an astonishing life, and he didn't have anything handed to him,"
Hendrick said. "If you know the France family, you've got to work for what you
get."

Son Brian France, the chairman and CEO of NASCAR, and daughter Lesa France
Kennedy, a top executive at NASCAR and sister company International Speedway
Corp., accepted their father's induction.

"You know of all the people who worked for him, I've got one distinction
beside being his son that no one else has, I was fired by my father," Brian
France jokingly said. "He was very tough on me from that respect. I always
knew with my dad that he was my greatest champion."

Junior Johnson won 50 races as a driver and six Cup championships as a team
owner. Darrell Waltrip gave Johnson three titles, and Cale Yarborough provided
him with another three.

Prior to Johnson's journey into NASCAR, he was convicted of moonshining and
served time in jail during the mid 1950's. Johnson was nicknamed "The Last
American Hero," and famed writer Tom Wolfe wrote an article in the mid 1960's
about Johnson's life.

Waltrip and NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley inducted
Johnson.

"Junior was a simple man, but he had an amazing mind," Waltrip said. "He was a
genius. He could look at something and take something and feel it and watch
it work, and then make it better. Junior could improvise. He created the
'bootleg turn'."

Johnson's son, Robert Glenn Johnson III, also introduced his father before he
made his acceptance speech.

"Being inducted into this Hall of Fame, it could never be anything that I
appreciate any more," Johnson said.

Dale Earnhardt was the final inductee honored. Earnhardt was perhaps NASCAR's
most popular figure of all-time. Known by fellow competitors and fans as "The
Intimidator," he matched Petty's record with seven championships and won 76
races in the sport's premier series. In 1998, he won his most coveted race --
the Daytona 500 -- in his 20th attempt. Earnhardt was killed during a last-lap
accident in the 2001 Daytona 500.

NASCAR president Mike Helton and Earnhardt's longtime team owner Richard
Childress enshrined Earnhardt.

"Dale Earnhardt was a champion's champion," Childress said. "Dale was
determined to win. He was the most competitive person in or out of the race
car, and he could do more with a race car than anyone I've ever seen."

Accepting on Earnhardt's behalf were members of his family, including his
widow, Teresa, and son, Dale Jr., a NASCAR fan favorite.

"Dale Earnhardt was a man who personified the American dream," Teresa
Earnhardt said in an emotional speech. "He worked hard, and he earned
everything he had, and he enjoyed it. This is an achievement of a lifetime,
and to be able to celebrate it, for me this a moment of pride for Dale that I
just can't put into words."

The NASCAR HoF, which honors the history and heritage of the sport, opened on
May 11.

The process to choose the second five-member class to the hall will begin in
July when the 25 nominees will be announced. The class of 2011 will be
revealed in October.

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