Jeff Gordon leads 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class
Jeff Gordon, a four-time champion in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, leads the five-member NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019.


Gordon, who now serves as a Fox Sports NASCAR TV analyst, won 93 races in the Cup series – third on the all-time wins list – and four series championships (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001).
Gordon, 46, started his career in what was then the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993.
Gordon took NASCAR by storm in the 1990s, becoming the youngest driver in the modern era to win a premier series title as a 24-year-old in 1995. In 1998, Gordon won a modern era-record 13 races.
This was his first year he was eligible to be nominated.
Also elected to the Class of 2019:
-
Jack Roush, owner of Roush Fenway Racing and five-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series. He has won a record 325 races across the three NASCAR’s three national series. Roush has displayed a prowess for discovering and developing talent. He helped Matt Kenseth (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) grow into premier series champions and also jumpstarted the careers of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.
-
Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske and winner of four car owner championships in the Cup and Xfinity series and a driver’s title with Brad Keselowski in 2012. Penske, who celebrated his 50th anniversary in racing in 2016, reached 100 wins in NASCAR’s premier series that year and capped off the season by receiving the Bill France Award of Excellence.
-
The late Davey Allison, who won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1992 Daytona 500, before his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1993. Allison honed his skills at local Alabama tracks, getting his big break in 1987, taking over for legendary driver Cale Yarborough in Ranier-Lundy’s Ford Thunderbird.
-
The late Alan Kulwicki, Wisconsin short track ace and 1992 champion of NASCAR’s premier series with a self-owned team. His signature season was his championship-winning 1992 campaign, where he overcame a 278-point deficit with six races remaining to win the Cup title. Kulwicki never got the chance to defend his title, dying in a plane crash in 1993.
Voting was as follows: Gordon (named to 96 percent of ballots), Roush (70%), Penske (68%), Allison (63%) and Kulwicki (46%). In all, 57 votes were cast, with two additional panel members recused from voting as they were potential nominees for induction (Ricky Rudd and Waddell Wilson).
The next top vote-getters were Buddy Baker, Hershel McGriff and Waddell Wilson.
Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, were Allison, Baker, Harry Gant, Gordon and Kulwicki.
In addition, Jim Hunter, longtime NASCAR executive and former president of Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, was elected the winner of the Landmark Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to NASCAR.
The 2019 Class will be officially inducted on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
Utter’s vote
Jim Utter, NASCAR Editor of Motorsport.com, is among the members of the voting panel which selects inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
This was his original five-member ballot:
-
Gordon
-
Roush
-
Baker
-
Penske
-
Joe Gibbs.
Utter also voted for Hunter for the Landmark Award.

Jeffrey Earnhardt to run Coca-Cola 600 with Premium Motorsports
Roger Penske's NASCAR drivers react to his Hall election

Latest news
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his teammate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major engine overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars.
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, but his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines...
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes