Breaking down the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees

The wait is over.

After five months of hype, NASCAR finally unveiled the list of inductees for the 2013 Hall of Fame class.

Headlined by 1989 Cup Series Champion Rusty Wallace and Wendell Scott - the only black driver to win a race in NASCAR’s premier series NASCAR released their list of 25 inductees on Wednesday.

That list will eventually be trimmed-down to five by May 23, deciding the 2013 class, by a panel of industry insiders, journalists, former competitors and a fan vote.

The 21-person committee is comprised of NASCAR Hall of Fame officials (executive director Winston Kelley and historian Buz McKim); NASCAR officials (Chairman/CEO Brian France; vice chairman Jim France; senior vice president Paul Brooks; president Mike Helton; vice president of competition Robin Pemberton; senior vice president of racing operations Steve O’Donnell; competition administrator Jerry Cook; former vice president Ken Clapp) and track owners and operators (International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; former Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway board of director member Looie McNally; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Riverhead Raceway operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1 vote); former Toyota Speedway at Irwindale operator Jim Williams; Rockford Speedway owner Jody Deery).

This year’s nominees can easily be grouped into two categories - pioneers and the sport’s modern heroes.

At this stage of the game, every nominee’s accomplishments deserve ultimate induction. Each of the individuals changed the game in more ways than one. It’s just a matter of who gets in first. Induction easily comes down to what one values more - the level of success or when that success was achieved.

There’s been a lot of debate over Rusty Wallace’s inclusion, because despite his championship season and 55 wins, many feel that Wallace’s accomplishments still require time to simmer, especially while many of the pioneers are still alive.

The Sanctioning Body is clearly trying to avoid as many posthumous inductions as possible. Nominating Wallace was just their way of recognizing Wallace for what was undeniably a Hall-worthy career.

And then there’s Anne Bledsoe France, NASCAR’s first treasurer and secretary and the wife of founder Bill France. She’s drawn the ire of many fans for being neither a pioneer (in the traditional sense) nor an accomplished champion. Her confusion doesn’t bother me, especially when R.J. Reynolds executives Ralph Seagraves and T. Wayne Robertson are also on the list.

My exception comes from the lack of media representation.

The Sanctioning Body has discussed a media wing at the Hall of Fame’s Concord location but is reluctant to include media in the same branch as Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip. And yet they are seemingly content including wives, executives and promoters.

I don’t understand why the media doesn’t warrant inclusion under this precedent, especially pioneers like Chris Economaki and Ken Squires. But that’s another debate entirely.

We have our nominees and now we must select five from it. My final five are as follows:

Wendell Scott: At a time when the Drive for Diversity is spawning future stars like Darrell Wallace and Sergio Pena, Wendell Scott’s contributions are the perfect parallel.

The Jackie Robinson of NASCAR is also the first black driver to win (Jacksonville on Dec. 6, 1963), despite not being recognized for it until decades later. It’s high time that the Scott family is given the opportunity to celebrate that victory and the Hall of Fame is the perfect venue.

Scott also managed four consecutive top-10 championship rankings from 1966-69.

Leonard Wood: The Wood Brothers are synonymous with NASCAR history. Simply put, if Glen Wood was deemed induction-worthy than so too is his brother - the founding father of the modern crew chief.

Fred Lorenzen: Lorenzen won 48 times in 228 starts, equating to a NASCAR-record winning percentage of 21.05 percent. He’s the winner of the 1965 Daytona 500

Fireball Roberts: Fred Lorenzen’s toughest challenger in the 1960’s and perhaps the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a Grand National championship, Fireball Robert’s was named one of the sport’s 50 greatest drivers in a poll conducted in 1998.

Roberts was NASCAR’s first national star and without him, the sport may have never branched out of the Deep South.

Curtis Turner: Considered the Babe Ruth of NASCAR, Curtis Turner is a Hall of Famer for his exploits both on and off the track. Turner won 17 times in 183 starts and could have won more if not for a five-year suspension from 1960-1965.

Concerned with driver’s rights, Turner was banned from the sport after attempting to organize a Union in 1960 and continued to compete with other sanctioning bodies until his ban was lifted in 1965.

So there’s my take on the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame. What’s yours? Tell us in the comments section below!