Richard Petty, Waddell Wilson, Harry Gant,
Humpy Wheeler and Blake Shelton will induct the fifth class – Maurice Petty,
Fireball Roberts, Jack Ingram, Tim Flock and Dale Jarrett – on Wednesday, Jan.
29 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
The five legends, who account for 15 NASCAR
championships, will also be joined on stage by five current stars, combining
for 15 national series championships of their own. Aric Almirola, Jeff Gordon,
Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart will all take part in the
evening’s festivities.
The Induction Ceremony begins at 7 p.m. ET
and will air live on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR
Radio. Tickets start at $45 and are available at the NASCAR Hall of Fame box
office, as well www.nascarhall.com/inductees/induction-ceremony.
Jarrett has experience as an inductor,
joining his brother Glenn and sister Patti Makar to induct father Ned into the
NASCAR Hall of Fame’s second class.
“That was really a cool place to be and see
the pride on his face, and to be able to show him how proud we were of him,”
Jarrett said of inducting his father. “This time will be a little different as
I'm the one handing out the ‘thank-you’s’ and accolades to others. It’s going
to be an emotional time, it will be a tough seven or eight minutes to get
through with some of the things I have to say.”
As long lasting as they are varied, this
year’s inductee-inductor relationships are uniquely special – each with a story
all its own…
Maurice Petty built
the engines that propelled his brother Richard to seven NASCAR championships
and most of his 200 wins.
Fireball Roberts won
the 1963 Southern 500 with an engine built by Waddell Wilson.
Jack Ingram and Harry
Gant had a fierce rivalry that helped build the popularity of what is now the
NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Tim Flock worked with
Humpy Wheeler at Charlotte Motor Speedway for more than 30 years.
After an introduction
by former teammate Elliott Sadler nearly a decade ago, Dale Jarrett and country music star Blake Shelton have become
close friends.
“I couldn’t
have all four of my kids as inductors, and I couldn’t just ask one. I wanted my
dad to be able to enjoy the moment with my mom and the rest of my family.
So it just kind of opened up the opportunity,” said Jarrett.
“This sport brought a lot of really good
things to me. It gave me a chance to be a competitor, an opportunity to compete
at the highest level and win, but it also has allowed me to make some really
good friendships and Blake Shelton is one of those people.”
The NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
will kick off with a media red carpet entrance in the Great Hall at the NASCAR
Hall of Fame at 4:15 p.m. ET. The formal presentations begin during the
Induction Dinner, where the inductees will receive their NASCAR Hall of Fame
jackets. Chris Economaki will also be honored as the third recipient of the
Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.
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