Bill Elliott, a former Cup Series champion, and Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win a race in NASCAR's premier racing circuit, were among those selected into the 2015 class of inductees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Joe Weatherly, a two-time Cup champion, Fred Lorenzen, who won 26 races in the sport's top series, including the Daytona 500 and World 600 (Charlotte) in 1965, and Rex White, a former premier series champion as well, will join Elliott and Scott in the NASCAR HofF's sixth class.
Anne Bledsoe France, the wife of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., was named as the inaugural winner of the Landmark Award, which honors outstanding contributions to NASCAR. She first served as secretary and treasure of NASCAR, and when Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, took over the same roles for the track's parent company, International Speedway Corp.
The hall's voting panel met on Wednesday in Charlotte to vote on next year's induction class as well as the Landmark Award. For the first time this year, the panel included the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion -- Jimmie Johnson. A national fan vote made up the panel's 54th and final ballot. NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France announced the new inductees. The 2015 Induction Day at the NASCAR HoF is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Elliott garnered 87 percent of the vote, followed by Scott (58 percent), Weatherly (53 percent), White (43 percent) and Lorenzen (30 percent).
The five inductees came from a group of 20 nominees. Recent changes were made to the selection of nominees, including the list being trimmed from 25 to 20. Any driver who is over the age of 55 and has competed for a minimum of 10 years or any person with at least 30 years in the sport is eligible for induction into the HofF. Elliott was added to the nominee list earlier this year.
[SportsNetwork.com]
