NASCAR: France father-son headline 1st Hall of Fame class

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. headlined the five inductees into the first Hall of Fame class, a group that drew mixed reactions to the inclusion of France's son instead of driver David Pearson.

France, who formed the National Association of Stock Car Racing in 1947, was the first inductee announced Wednesday in a ceremony that followed a lengthy voting session at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Richard Petty, the seven-time Cup champion and NASCAR's all-time wins leader, was the second inductee revealed by current NASCAR chairman Brian France, who received the five envelopes one at a time from an independent accounting firm.

Next up was Bill France Jr., son of the NASCAR founder who spent nearly 30 years at the helm of America's top motorsports series.

"When I seen the two Frances was in, I knew I didn't have a chance," Pearson said moments after the ceremony ended.

The final two nods instead went to Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR's other seven-time champion, and Junior Johnson, a former driver and car owner whose early days of running moonshine through backroads of North Carolina stands as a symbol of NASCAR's start.

Pearson's exclusion surprised many, including Petty.

Ushered into the ballroom moments after the inductees were announced, the King had to be told who had been selected with him for next May's induction ceremony.

"That wouldn't have been my pick," he said.

Decided upon by a panel of 50 NASCAR executives, journalists, former participants and one combined fan vote from NASCAR's official Web site, the voters had a list of 25 nominees to consider. Petty, who was not on the panel, said he made his own list and had Pearson as his top pick.

"Anybody that won 105 races and didn't make the cut — somebody ain't adding right," Petty said of Pearson.

Known as the "Silver Fox," Pearson ranked second only to Petty's 200 victories on NASCAR's all-time win list. The three-time Cup champion had a winning percentage of 18.2 percent in a career that spanned 27 years — but never a complete season.

Had he ever run a full schedule, many believed he could have challenged Petty's marks.

It was hard to tell if Pearson felt snubbed. He spoke for less than a minute after the ceremony, citing the need to get fellow nominee Cotton Owens home to his ailing wife.