The following Hall of Famers were ineligible for my "Who Hung On Too Long?" series:
Dale Earnhardt Sr.
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: “The Intimidator”. Seven-time Cup Series champion (tied for most all-time). 76 Cup Series race wins. 1998 Daytona 500 champion. 1995 Brickyard 400 Champion. Won every “Crown Jewel” race in Cup (Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, World 600, Southern 500).
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Dale tragically passed away at the finish of the 2001 Daytona 500. Considering he finished second in the final point standings the year before (something attributed to neck and shoulder surgery the previous year) he could’ve gone on to continue his career renaissance into the new millennium.
Bobby Allison
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1983 Cup Series champion. 84 Cup Series wins. Three-time Daytona 500 champion. Four-time Southern 500 winner. Leader of “The Alabama Gang”.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Bobby raced and won into a relatively advanced age until a horrible wreck at Pocono ended his driving career in 1988. He’d won that year’s Daytona 500 and finished in the top-ten in points the previous two years, so the question of how long he’d remained a contender will remain a mystery.
Lee Petty
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Three-time Nascar Cup champion. 54 Cup Series wins. Inaugural Daytona 500 champion. Founder of Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering).
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Lee was involved in a vicious wreck in a qualifying race for the 1961 Daytona 500. Other than a handful of appearances over the next three years, Lee chose to enter a quiet retirement, despite having won the race before his wreck.
Herb Thomas
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Two-time Nascar Cup champion—the first to win multiple Cup championships. 48 Cup Series wins. Highest winning percentage in Cup (minimum 100 starts). Three-time Southern 500 winner. Three-time season wins leader.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Thomas was injured in a crash late in the 1956 season (a year in which he’d already clinched second-place in the season-ending points standings). He’d made two starts the following year and make a one-race comeback in 1962 but otherwise was completely retired after his wreck.
Tim Flock
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Two-time Cup Series champion. 39 Cup Series wins. Leader of the Flock family of racers. Two-time season-long race wins leader. Highest winning percentage of any full-time driver.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Flock departed team owner Carl Kiekhaefer due to stomach ulcers (believed to be caused by internal team strife) early in the 1956 season—just one year after he won his second championship. He would then run a very limited schedule until being banned from the sport in 1961 for his support of a drivers’ union.
Fireball Roberts
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: One of Nascar’s first “superstar” drivers. 33 Cup Series wins. 1962 Daytona 500 champion. Two-time Southern 500 winner.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Roberts was still competitive when he was killed due to complications from a fiery wreck at the 1964 World 600 (it should be noted that this was an ironic coincidence—“Fireball” had been his nickname since his youth as a baseball pitcher).
Wendell Scott
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: First African-American to drive in Nascar. One-time Cup Series winner. Finished a best of sixth in season-long points.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Although he was no doubt primarily inducted for his trailblazing accomplishments as an African-American in a deeply southern sport, Scott was a talented driver in his own right, racing primarily in his own equipment as an independent (owner-drivers with little-to-no factory backing). Scott was seriously injured in a 1973 wreck at Talladega and only ran one more race later that year before retiring.
Joe Weatherly
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Two-time Nascar Cup Series champion. 25 Cup Series wins. Led the Cup Series in wins for two seasons. Considered the “Clown Prince of Racing” with his outsized personality and penchant for pranks.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Weatherly, as the sport’s reigning champion, was killed in a crash at Riverside Raceway early in the 1964 season.
Red Byron
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Inaugural Cup Series champion. Two Cup Series wins. Inaugural Daytona Beach Course winner.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Health issues stemming from his service in World War II forced Byron out of driving after the 1951 season, a year in which he only ran five Cup races. After a run developing teams in sports car racing Byron would die in 1960 of a heart attack.
Davey Allison
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 19 Cup Series wins. 1992 Daytona 500 champion. Leader of the second generation of “The Alabama Gang”.
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: One year after narrowly losing the 1992 championship to Alan Kulwicki, Allison was fifth in points when he was tragically killed in a helicopter crash. Cut down in the prime of his life and racing career, who knows how many more wins Allison could have accomplished.
Alan Kulwicki
DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1992 Cup Series champion. Five Cup Series wins. Last true owner-driver to win a championship (without outside investment or partners).
WHY HE’S INELIGIBLE FOR THIS: Kulwicki had posted two top-five finishes six races into the 1993 season when he was killed in a plane crash near Bristol Motor Speedway, cutting short his championship defense.