Success at Talladega: New 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class Made Their Mark at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track

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All five of the 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020 that were announced Wednesday have incredible ties to NASCAR’s Most Competitive track – Talladega Superspeedway.

The five-person group – the 11th since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 – consists of Buddy Baker, Joe Gibbs, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Waddell Wilson. The distinguished group, which will be honored during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Jan. 31, 2020, made their mark at Talladega’s 2.66-mile venue, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Here’s a look at each:

Buddy Baker
At six feet, six inches tall, Buddy Baker was often called the “Gentle Giant,” but behind the wheel he had a lead foot and knew only wide open. On March 24, 1970, he became the first driver to officially eclipse the 200-mile per hour mark on a closed-course while testing at Talladega in a winged Dodge. His speed in his blue No. 88 machine was 200.447 mph was then a world record. Baker is also a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, located just outside Talladega Superspeedway’s Turn 4.

After sweeping both race victories in 1975 while driving for Bud Moore, he came back in spring of ’76 for his third straight triumph, a consecutive record he would hold until Dale Earnhardt Jr. reeled off four in-a-row from 2001-03. His fourth and final TSS win came in the spring of 1980, driving the familiar No. 28 “Gray Ghost” to Gatorade Victory Lane after claiming the season-opening Daytona 500 earlier that year. In a 33-year career, he won 19 races in NASCAR’s premier series. After retiring in 1992, Baker made a successful transition to the television booth as a commentator for The Nashville Network and CBS, and later as a radio co-host on Late Shift and Tradin’ Paint for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Joe Gibbs
Gibbs has won throughout his entire life. The three-time Super Bowl champion football coach started Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 1992 and has led the organization to four Cup Series championships and five Xfinity Series titles. Known as a master motivator, Gibbs’ 164 Cup Series owner wins (through May 22, 2019) rank third all-time. Four of those wins have come at Talladega’s 33-degree banked facility, and with four different drivers.

Fellow 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Labonte wheeled his No. 18 to the winner’s circle first in the summer of 1998 for JGR, and 10 years later, the duo of Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart made it a Gibbs’ sweep in 2008. Denny Hamlin was the last to take the checkers in spring of 2014. He also has five victories at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Referred to in NASCAR circles has simply “Coach,” Gibbs was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. 

Bobby Labonte
The ultimate grinder, Labonte raced any car he could get behind the wheel of before he got his first break as a full-time Cup Series driver at 28 years old in 1993. His persistence paid off with a career highlighted by 21 trips to Victory Lane and the 2000 Cup Series title. His ’98 Talladega triumph was a nail biter, and one of brotherly love. With just two laps to go, Labonte slipped past leader – and his brother – Terry, then held on for the win by a mere .167-second over Jimmy Spencer. Terry fell to fourth at the finish.

A success in all three of NASCAR’s national series, Bobby was the first of four drivers to win both a Cup and Xfinity Series championship. He is also one of 27 drivers to win a race in all three national series.

Tony Stewart
Known as “The People’s Champion” for his blue-collar, hard-nosed style of competition, Stewart actually claimed two first-place finishes at Talladega, both in 2008. He started the year with a victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event in April then came back in the fall with a controversial Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win after Regan Smith’s pass of leader Stewart coming through the tri-oval on the final lap was below the yellow line, which was against NASCAR rules.

Stewart immediately showed that he would be a force to be reckoned with in NASCAR – earning three victories in his Rookie of the Year season in 1999. The titles soon followed. Stewart won his first Cup championship in 2002 driving for Gibbs and answered that quickly in 2005. His versatility was on display throughout his 17-year NASCAR career. He tallied 49 wins in the Cup Series – winning on every style of track. He won 16 times as a driver/owner including one of the most memorable championship pursuits in history in 2011.

Waddell Wilson
A dual threat as an engine builder and crew chief, Wilson powered and guided cars to some of the biggest victories in NASCAR history. While building the engines and calling the shots atop the pit box, he guided three drivers to four wins at the world’s greatest track in Talladega. In addition to Baker’s win in 1980, he backed it up a year later with Bobby Allison in ’81, then went back-to-back again in 1984-85 with Cale Yarborough. In addition, in 1982, he built the engine that helped Benny Parsons to break the 200 mph barrier for the first time in official NASCAR qualifying at 200.176 mph.

As an engine builder, Wilson supplied the power that helped David Pearson (1968, ’69) and Parsons (1973) to Cup Series titles. Overall, Wilson’s engines helped some of the greatest drivers to ever wheel a car – including NASCAR Hall of Famers Pearson, Fireball Roberts, Allison, Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip – to 109 wins and 123 poles.

The Class of 2020 was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, including representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and, for the sixth year, the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion (Joey Logano). In all, 57 votes were cast, with two additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Ricky Rudd and Waddell Wilson). The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.

The five inductees came from a group of 20 nominees that included, in addition to the five inductees chosen: Sam Ard, Neil Bonnett, Original Alabama Gang member Red Farmer, Ray Fox, Harry Gant, John Holman, Harry Hyde, Hershel McGriff, Ralph Moody, Marvin Panch, Jim Paschal, Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd, Mike Stefanik and Red Vogt.

In addition, NASCAR announced that Edsel Ford II earned the 2020 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

For ticket information on the track’s NASCAR doubleheader playoff weekend, which will consist of the Sugarlands Shine 250 and the 1000Bulbs.com 500, and all things on Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project presented by Graybar and the all new Talladega Garage Experience where fans will be immersed into the sport unlike never before, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 855-518-7223 (RACE).

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