DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2015) – NASCAR today announced several revisions to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (NHOF) Voting Panel. The 58-member panel will vote for the NHOF Class of 2016 on Wednesday, May 20 in Charlotte, North Carolina, to be announced that afternoon in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Great Hall.
For the first time, new NASCAR broadcast partner NBC will be represented on the Voting Panel. Below are the eight new members of the NHOF Voting Panel.
· Ron Bennett, Holland (New York) Motorsports Complex
· Jeff Burton, NBC Sports Network
· Steve Byrnes, FOX Sports 1
· Brent Dewar, NASCAR
· Eli Gold, Motor Racing Network
· Kevin Harvick, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
· Marty Smith, ESPN
· Jim Utter, Charlotte Observer
A full list of the panel members can be found below.
“These eight new voters collectively hold a vast array of NASCAR knowledge from all disciplines of the industry,” said Brett Jewkes, NASCAR senior vice president and chief communications officer. “Each new member brings a unique background and passion for the history of NASCAR and will contribute greatly to the Hall of Fame voting process.”
The 22-member Nominating Committee – which includes the additions of Bennett and Dewar – will meet on Friday, Feb. 20 in Daytona Beach, Florida, to discuss, debate, and vote for the 20 NHOF Class of 2016 nominees and five nominees for the second Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. The results will be announced that afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
Additionally, Dr. Jerry Punch will move to the voting panel for the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. The fifth recipient of the award will be announced during the July race weekend at Daytona.
The NHOF Class of 2015, which includes Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White, will be officially inducted on Friday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. ET live on NBC Sports Network.