For 2021 class, NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony worth the wait

Members of the 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame class anticipated their induction for more than a year, but the wait didn’t make Friday night’s ceremony any less special. It only elevated the moment.

“It was better than I imagined,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt headlined the class of inductees, which included accomplished racers Red Farmer and the late Mike Stefanik. The ceremony was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so when the blue jackets and shiny rings were finally bestowed in Uptown Charlotte, and the event was completed Friday, what was long-known became official: The NASCAR greats, including one of the sport’s most well-known and well-liked figures, were Hall of Famers. They celebrated with a crowd.

“That was really important to me,” said Earnhardt, who made a point to thank Jr. Nation during his speech. “That people that could be, be there, could be present. It was awesome also that we were also able to hear some of the fans cheering.”

Earnhardt is more than a 26-time Cup winner, a two-time Xfinity Series champion and the son of famed Dale Earnhardt Sr., who died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. He said in June, when the 2021 class was announced, that he felt like his selection was based on factors beyond his racing stats. Voted “Most Popular Driver” 15 consecutive times, Dale Jr. has long leaned into a role as an unofficial ambassador for the sport, a venture that has grown in the media sphere since he stepped away from full-time driving in 2017.

He’s a NASCAR analyst for race broadcasts on NBC, a host of a popular motorsports podcast and streamed television series, as well as co-owner of a top Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports, which he runs with his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and former NASCAR president Mike Helton joined Earnhardt on stage ahead of the official ceremony for a conversation about his career.

“I think most people know that Dale’s got an incredible heart,” Hendrick said before sharing a less well-known story about Dale Jr.

He said his former driver once requested that a million dollars be deducted from his own salary while racing for the team to be given to the crew members during an economic recession. His requests upon signing a contract with the powerhouse Cup operation were relatively meager, Hendrick said. Earnhardt wanted the side skirts of his cars painted because he thought it looked better.

“If there’s anybody that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, Dale Jr. does,” Hendrick said.

As Hall induction approaches, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wonders what his father would think

Besides Earnhardt, 47, Farmer was the only other living individual honored Friday.

At age 89, Farmer still competes in his Ford at his local Talladega short track. A member of the original Alabama Gang, his racing career spans more than seven decades and he has achieved more than 700 wins. He’s entering his 75th year of racing with an upcoming event in March.

“As far as my plans, I’m gonna wear out, not rust out,” Farmer said.

Farmer is a member of nine other Hall of Fame classes for his achievements, but he said he considers the NASCAR honor his most prestigious, calling it “the gold star.” He previously told The Observer that he wasn’t sure whether he’d still be alive for the induction ceremony after nearly losing a battle with COVID-19 in 2020.

“You never know what it’s gonna be like when you get something like this NASCAR Hall of Fame (award),” Farmer said. “It really was quite spectacular.”

Hall of Fame member Tony Stewart, who was inducted in the 2020 class, presented Farmer with the ring. Amy Earnhardt, Earnhardt’s wife, presented her husband with his hardware.

The third and final member of the 2021 class, Mike Stefanik, died in 2019 in an aviation accident at 61 years old. He won nine NASCAR championships across the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and K&N Pro Series East. His wife, Julie Stefanik, was his longtime racing spotter, calling them “a team.” She accepted the honor on his behalf and highlighted his deep roots in the Modified Tour.

“He was more than just a racer to us,” Stefanik said during her speech, which the Hall of Fame allowed this year after a rule reversal that Earnhardt helped lobby for. (The Hall previously did not allow spouses of inductees no longer living to speak at the ceremony.) Earnhardt said he teared up during Stefanik’s speech.

“He was a beloved husband, father, son, brother and friend, and will be missed forever,” she said.

The late Ralph Seagraves, a tobacco executive who helped bring R.J. Reynolds’ Winston cigarettes brand to NASCAR as a sponsor, was honored as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. The late Bob Jenkins was honored with the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. Jenkins, a longtime IndyCar and NASCAR broadcaster, died in August at age 73 after a battle with brain cancer. Seagraves died in 1998.

In addition to a 2021 class that included three members, a shift from five inductees in prior years, there were format changes within the ceremony, such as a conversational “fireside chat” portion moderated by Kyle Petty in which attendees heard stories from the inductees and those closest to them.

Another difference from previous iterations of the ceremony was the timing. The buildup was longer than anticipated, delayed by a pandemic, but by Friday, the awards were complete.

They were well worth the wait.