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NASCAR has just released its 2023, January Hall of Fame Modern Era ballot as well as Pioneer ballot nominees. The Pole position has turned out to be Matt Kenseth's ticket to enter the 2023 Hall of Fame.
During his stint on the tracks, the 2003 Cup Series Champion won 20 poles and managed to collect four wins. Following his successful career, they have added him to the Modern Era Ballot.
Prior to his retirement, Matt Kenseth collected 39 Cup Series victories out of 697 starts, winning two Daytona 500 races in 2009 and 2012. He has also garnered 29 wins in the Xfinity Series. He was not selected alone as crew chief, Tim Brewer, will be joining the Modern Era Ballot.
His 39 Cup Series wins are the most among this year’s Hall of Fame nominees, which is a plus for him but doesn’t necessarily guarantee his induction. In most cases, the nominating committee usually considers candidates who have been retired for two years or more.
In Kenseth's case, however, he made a comeback after his retirement to replace Kyle Larson after Chip Ganassi fired him in 2020. But according to Bob Pockrass, the situation with Kenseth was an explainable circumstance and didn't prevent him from being nominated.
As a result of the pandemic, the voting process of NASCAR’s Hall of Fame was delayed, with only three veterans being inducted over the past two years. They recently inducted Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Stefanik and Red Farmer.
NASCAR released a list of nominees for the Hall of Fame
Two years down the line, the process is now up and running after NASCAR released the list of nominees on April 4th, 2022. The Modern Era ballot will feature 10 candidates while the Pioneer ballot features five.
On Twitter, the NASCAR Hall of Fame highlighted the nominees.
According to them, two out of the ten candidates in the Modern Era ballot and one candidate from Pioneer ballot will be selected for the January 2023 induction.
In addition, the 62 voter ballot will account for the 63rd vote. Voters are expected to meet on May 4th, 2022, where they will have four names to put into consideration. Matt Kenseth and crew chief Tim Brewer are the only new faces.
Others include Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd, Kirk Shelmerdine, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Harry Hyde, Neill Bonnet and Harry Gant. Sam Ard and AJ Foyt will join the Pioneer Ballot, facing Banjo Matthews, Hershel McGriff and Ralph Moody.
