Kenseth, McGriff & Shelmerdine To NASCAR Hall Of Fame

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drivers Matt Kenseth and Hershel McGriff were elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday, along with crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine.

The voting was held earlier in the day at the Charlotte Convention Center, with NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell making the announcement at 5 p.m.

The Hall of Famers will be recognized along with longtime NASCAR executive Mike Helton, who was named the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Kenseth and Shelmerdine were elected from the Modern Era ballot, while McGriff was selected from the Pioneer ballot.

Kenseth received 69 percent of the Modern Era ballot votes, Shelmerdine received 52 percent. Harry Hyde finished third, followed by Neil Bonnett and Harry Gant. 

The two inductees came from a group of 10 nominees that included Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Gant, Hyde, Kenseth, Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd and Shelmerdine.

McGriff received 31 percent of the Pioneer ballot votes. A.J. Foyt finished second.

Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote were: A.J. Foyt (Pioneer); Matt Kenseth and Harry Gant (Modern Era).

Nominees for the Pioneer Ballot included Sam Ard, Foyt, Banjo Matthews, McGriff and Ralph Moody.

Over 18 full-time seasons Matt Kenseth quietly filled his trophy cases, conquering every major milestone on the Cup Series schedule including two Daytona 500s, the Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star Race. 

His 39 Cup Series wins tie for 21st on the all-time list and include wins at 19 of the 23 tracks at which he competed more than once. His crowning achievement was his 2003 Cup Series championship, a thoroughly impressive season in which he led the points standings for the final 32 weeks of the season. 

McGriff’s first race was the 1950 Southern 500, in the NASCAR Cup Series’ sophomore season, at the age of 22. His final NASCAR race was at Tucson Speedway in the NASCAR Pro Series West – in 2018 at the age of 90. 

McGriff started 85 races in parts of 28 NASCAR Cup Series seasons, capturing four wins – all in 1954, when he finished sixth in championship points. 

McGriff was one of the best drivers in what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series West. Competing in parts of 35 seasons, McGriff won 37 races, good for third on the all-time West Series wins list. In 1998, McGriff was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

Not many reach the pinnacle of their professions as quickly as Kirk Shelmerdine. At age 25 in 1983, Shelmerdine guided Ricky Rudd to victory at Riverside, the first of two wins during that season. 

A scant three years later, he directed Dale Earnhardt to the 1986 Cup Series championship. Shelmerdine won four Cup Series championships with Earnhardt (1986, ’87, ’90, ’91).

 Over his 16-year crew chief career with Earnhardt, Rudd, James Hylton and Richard Childress, he won 46 races and posted top-10 finishes in more than half his starts. 

As a driver, Shelmerdine made 41 starts across all three NASCAR national series.

Nominees for the Landmark Award included Janet Guthrie, Alvin Hawkins, Helton, Lesa France Kennedy and Dr. Joseph Mattioli.

Helton is easily one of the most familiar faces and names in the NASCAR community. The first person outside the France family to be named NASCAR President (in 2000), he started his leadership career with the sport back in 1980 and now serves as vice chairman of NASCAR. 

His nearly five-decade long career in the sport has been spent working in a wide variety of jobs. After working briefly as a radio sports director he earned his first big job in racing as the public relations director at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Five years later he was promoted to general manager of the facility and almost immediately was hired away to work at the famed Daytona Int’l Speedway, which led to his career with NASCAR. 

The class of 2023 Induction Ceremony is set for Friday, Jan. 20, 2023 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center.

The voting panel included representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and the last two NASCAR Cup Series champions (Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson). 

In all, 61 votes were cast, with two additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd).