Tony Stewart leads a list of nominees for 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction consideration that was released by NASCAR on Wednesday. The nomination list contains 20 names, 14 carry-overs from last year's list and six new nominees, including Stewart. This year marks the first year Stewart is eligible for Hall of Fame consideration, following his retirement from full-time NASCAR competition as a driver at the end of the 2016 season.
Stewart is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion as a driver, winning titles in 2002, 2005 and 2011. He also is a two-time Cup Series championship car owner as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, with his driver championship of 2011 and Kevin Harvick's title in 2014.
Other first-time nominees include Sam Ard, Neil Bonnett, Marvin Panch, Jim Paschal and Red Vogt. They replace 2019 inductees Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Roger Penske and Jack Roush on the list of 20 nominees, as well as Kirk Shelmerdine, who was absent from the list of nominees after being nominated for the first time in 2018 for possible 2019 induction.
Remaining on the ballot from the last induction consideration include Buddy Baker, Red Farmer, Red Fox, Harry Gant, Joe Gibbs, John Holman, Harry Hyde, Bobby Labonte, Hershel McGriff, Ralph Moody, Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd, Mike Stefanik and Waddell Wilson. The five 2020 inductees will be selected from among the nominees on May 22 and will be officially inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in early 2020.
Five nominees for the 2020 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR also were announced. They include Ford Motor Company Board of Directors member Edsel Ford II, NASCAR’s first flagman Alvin Hawkins, former NASCAR President Mike Helton, Pocono Raceway founder Dr. Joseph Mattioli and former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company executive Ralph Seagraves.
Jim Hunter was the 2019 recipient of the award. Janet Guthrie, the first female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, and former NASCAR broadcaster Barney Hall also were among last year’s nominees but were dropped from the 2020 ballot.
Helton is on the Hall of Fame nominating committee, as is Mattioli’s daughter Looie Mattioli.
