A Look at the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class

Richmond International Raceway takes a look at the storied careers of this year's NASCAR Hall of Fame class and their histories at RIR.

Premier Series Owner Stats: 2,736 Starts  |  105 Wins  |  48 Poles
Perhaps the brightest spot in the career of Richard Childress was his role in the success of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, who won six championships and 67 races while running for Richard Childress Racing between 1984-2000. But the story for this Hall of Famer goes far beyond the Dale chapter. Childress drivers have won 11 championships driving for RCR, and he was the first NASCAR team owner to win championships in all three of NASCAR's national series. Earnhardt's five wins at Richmond with RCR are sixth most all-time at the track, and current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competitors Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have earned victories at Richmond International Raceway during their time under Childress as well.

Premier Series Owner Stats: 3,699 Starts  |  245 Wins  |  210 Poles
Founder of the most successful team in motorsports, Rick Hendrick's organization has helped shape the NASCAR modern era. Hendrick Motorsports lays claim to 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championships and 15 NASCAR Championships in total (both all-time records), all of which have come in the last 22 years. Highlighted by current champion Jimmie Johnson's three RIR victories, Hendrick drivers have taken the checkered flag in NASCAR's premier series ten times at the Action Track. Current Hall of Famers Tim Richmond and Terry Labonte also collected wins at Richmond while racing for Hendrick. 

Premier Series Stats: 882 Starts  |  40 Wins  |  56 Poles
Calling him the "greatest driver to never win a championship," doesn't do justice to the storied career Mark Martin put together in his 31 years behind the wheel. A force from the onset, he finished second in the championship standings five times and no worse than sixth every year from 1989-1999. In 2009, Martin put together one of the best campaigns in his career, with five wins and 14 top-5 finishes while competing at 50 years old. His 96 wins across NASCAR's three national series put him seventh on the all-time list, and six of his wins (one in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, five in the NASCAR XFINITY Series) came at RIR.

Premier Series Owner Stats: 18 Starts  |  2 Wins  |  2 Poles
Raymond Parks was one of NASCAR's founding fathers and is one of the first "team" owners in it's history. Parks's collaboration with mechanic Red Vogt in the late 1940's and early 1950's set the standard for early stock-car racing, and projected driver Red Byron for the first NASCAR modified title in 1948 and the first premier series title in 1949.

Premier Series Stats: 526 Starts  |  21 Wins  |  20 Poles  |  1 Championship
"The Professor" earned a top-10 finish in an 283 of his 526 career starts, an incredible ratio of 54%. His Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in 1973 is also regarded as one of the most dramatic in series history. After a lap 13 crash forced his car to the garage early, Parsons managed to get back onto the track 136 laps later and work his way back to a 25th-place finish, staving off reigning champion Richard Petty for his sole championship. In 29 starts at RIR, the Hall of Famer collected two wins, three poles, and 11 top-5 finishes.

Congratulations to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017! For fans looking to join in the celebration at Fan Appreciation Day - be sure to stop by the RIR display this Saturday. 

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