Daytona Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Five new members were added to the roster of nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday, including former Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki and driver Mark Martin.
Driver Hershel McGriff as well as crew chiefs Ray Evernham and Harry Hyde joined Kulwicki and Martin as newcomers on the list of 20 nominees.
Kulwicki won the championship in NASCAR's premier series in 1992, defeating Bill Elliott by 10 points in what was the slimmest margin of victory in series history at the time. Kulwicki was killed in a plane crash the following year.
Over the course of his 33-year history in NASCAR, Martin accumulated 40 race wins in the Cup Series, 49 in Xfinity and seven in trucks. He finished second in the Cup point standings five times (1990, '94, '98, 2002 and '09).
In what is now known as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, McGriff won 37 races during his career, good for third on the all-time West Series wins list. He claimed the championship in that racing circuit in 1986.
As the crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports' No. 24 team, Evernham guided Jeff Gordon to three championships in four seasons -- 1995, '97 and '98 -- and a series-leading 49 wins in the 1990's. Among their triumphs were two Daytona 500s (1997 and '99) and two Brickyard 400s (1994 and '98).
Hyde served as crew chief for numerous drivers, including Bobby Isaac, Neil Bonnett, Geoff Bodine and Tim Richmond. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Isaac.
The 15 returning nominees are: Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, Ray Fox, Rick Hendrick, Isaac, Terry Labonte, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Larry Phillips, Bruton Smith, Mike Stefanik, Curtis Turner and Robert Yates.
From the list of 20 nominees, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com. The 2016 class will be determined on May 21.
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