January 21, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

NASCAR fetes 2021 Hall of Fame Class

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Despite a delay due to the pandemic, for NASCAR’s latest Hall of Fame inductees—Mike Stefanik, Red Farmer and Dale Earnhardt Jr.—Friday’s celebration was well worth the wait.

The evening began with a change in format as Kyle Petty introduced the Class of 2021 along with a few influencers from each of the drivers’ careers. The informal chats offered insights to each of the Hall of Famer’s paths to NASCAR’s highest honor.

Following a brief intermission, the program resumed with the late Bob Jenkins receiving the 2021 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. Jenkins called races for ESPN and ABC from 1981-2000 and hosted both ESPN SpeedWeek and Thursday Night Thunder. The Indiana native also lent his voice to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the public address announcer and on the IMS Radio Network.

Hall of Famer Ray Evernham had the honor of introducing Julie Stefanik, who accepted on behalf of her husband, who died following an aviation accident in 2019 at age 61. In addition to tying his mentor Richie Evans with a record nine national NASCAR titles, Stefanik amassed 74 wins on the Whelen Modified Tour and 12 victories in Busch North, now the ARCA Menards East division. In 1997 and 1998, Stefanik scored consecutive championships in both series. Although the New Englander hailed from Coventry, Rhode Island, Stefanik moved south at the end of the ’98 season to try his hand at the Camping World Truck Series. Although he won rookie honors, Stefanik returned to the Northeast and continued his short-track dominance.

Tony Stewart, Class of 2020, warmed up the microphone for his friend and fishing buddy Red Farmer—who started racing in South Florida in the 1940s and continues to race at the age of 89. In addition to winning NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award four times, Farmer won the NASCAR Modified title in 1956 along with three-straight Late Model Sportsman championships from 1969-1971. Over the last eight decades, Farmer has collected more than 700 wins and is the third driver from the Alabama Gang to be named to the Hall.

"I've been racing for 70 years, I started at the beach course," Farmer said. "Seventy years later, I'm in the Hall of Fame."

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed no introduction, his wife Amy ushered him up and presented his Hall of Fame ring.

“My eyes are already watering,” Earnhardt said after taking the stage.

The third-generation racer has contributed as much off the track as he did while competing full-time. After winning back-to-back Busch Series titles in 1998 and 1999, the driver known simply as “Junior” spent the next 18 seasons in Cup. When his father, Dale Sr., was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, all eyes turned to him. Two years later, Earnhardt started his own Xfinity Series operation which would evolve into JR Motorsports.

Earnhardt found the courage to climb out of his car following a rash of concussions in 2016 and finally hung up his helmet from full-time Cup competition after the 2017 season. In 631 Cup starts, Earnhardt won 26 races and was named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver 15-consecutive times. He continues to promote the sport of NASCAR as an analyst for NBC and through his Dirty Mo Radio Network.

Earnhardt, 47, acknowledged that he could not fully appreciate his accomplishments if he didn’t have Amy and his daughters to share in the moment.

“I don’t know even how to explain to you what Amy means to me,” Earnhardt said. “How do you explain to people something that makes every day or your life better? How do you put it into words?”

In closing, Earnhardt took the magnitude of the moment one step farther.

“To join Dad in the Hall of Fame is about as good as it’s ever going to get,” Earnhardt said.