Which Current Drivers Are Hall-of-Fame Worthy?

Back in January, Matt Kenseth, Hershel McGriff, and Kirk Shelmerdine were officially enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, bringing the number of inductees to date to 61.

This list includes drivers, owners, crew chiefs and broadcasters spanning the gamut of 75 years of stock car racing history.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened on May 11, 2010, in NASCAR’s spiritual home of Charlotte, North Carolina, with an inaugural class of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr. and Junior Johnson – a veritable Mount Rushmore of NASCAR legends.

The goal of the Hall, according to the official website, is “to honor NASCAR icons and create an enduring tribute to the drivers, crew members, team owners and others that have impacted the sport in the past, present and future.” And as each year has passed, and more greats are added to the ranks, this has certainly been the case.

NASCAR is, in fact, relatively late to the Hall of Fame party when compared to the other major sports. Baseball’s Hall of Fame opened in 1939 in Cooperstown, New York, with the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario following just four years later in 1943. The NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio was established in 1963 while the NBA inducted their first class in 1959, but didn’t open a physical venue in Springfield, Massachusetts, until 1968.

But as my dear old Dad would say, better late than never.

So, it got me thinking: Who amongst active drivers (not named Jimmie Johnson) will one day, in both the near and distant future, make the Hall of Fame? Let’s begin with the locks, the first ballot Hall of Famers whether they turn another lap in anger or not. I would say there are four.

I’ll start with a man who ultimately replaced a member of the inaugural class behind the wheel: Kevin Harvick.

To go along with his 2014 title, Harvick has 60 wins across 799 races in addition to another 47 wins and two championships at the NASCAR Xfinity Series level and another 14 wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Harvick’s credentials are undoubted – the sort of driver for whom the Hall was built.

Another wheelman in this rarified air is Kyle Busch, who has one more top echelon win (61) and one more championship than Harvick. Then you have his quite frankly ridiculous 102 wins and championship at the Xfinity level and 63 wins in the Trucks. And while Harvick will finally hang up his driving gloves at the conclusion of the 2023…