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NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the induction of three new names in the prestigious club of the sport's greatest athletes.
The 2023 class of nominees saw former driver Matt Kenseth and crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine get elected amongst ten Modern Era members. Hershel McGriff was elected amongst five other Pioneer Division nominees.
The Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR was also given out to long-time executive Mike Helton. The voting panel met in person for the first time since the onset of the Corona virus pandemic in 2019.
Matt Kenseth led the Modern Era vote with 69% votes in his name. The 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion has had an illustrious career with 39 career wins. Kenseth let people know of his feelings in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and said:
“It feels good. It’s obviously a huge honor just to be on a list or to be under consideration, but to be voted in really means a lot to me. It’s kind of like the bookend of your career. It’s not for anything you did today, but what you did throughout your career."
Kirk Shelmerdine got a chance to visit Victory Lane for the first time in 1983 while serving as Ricky Rudd's crew chief. Shelmerdine later went onto win championships at Richard Childress Racing with a certain Dale Earnhardt Sr. from 1986 to 1991.
Kirk ultimately retired from his duties at the age of 34 to pursue driving instead. He made a total of 41 NASCAR starts. He let emotions flow as he explained his Hall of Fame induction and said:
“I’m still kind of in shock, actually. I’ve been on the ballot before, and there’s a whole lot of pretty big names that should be there as well. I just kind of thought it would be a few years before it happened. But my phone started blowing up about 20 minutes ago, and here we are…"
94-year-old Hershel McGriff has four Cup Series victories to his name, however that is not the biggest highlight of his career. The Bridal Veil, Oregon native posted 37 victories on the West Coast, which is now called the ARCA Menards Series. He elaborated on his career and said:
“I always loved the sport, but I couldn’t go full-time because I had to raise a family. I started when they didn’t have go-karts, we just drove street cars. Right after World War II, September 16, 1945, I ran my first race (on a dirt track)."
John Hunter Nemecheck wins NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Darlington.
24-year-old John Hunter Nemechek posted his first victory of the 2022 season after taking the checkered flag in first place for the Dead On Tools 200. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver took the win at Darlington Raceway after battling late caution flags as well as Cup Series driver Ross Chastain at one point in the race.
Catch Nemechek next weekend at Kansas Speedway racing in the Heart of America 200.
