Who should be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026?

NASCAR released its full list of nominees, but the decision regarding who gets to be part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class has yet to be decided. And although I am not part of the voting panel in May, this Motorsport.com writer thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts on who should get the nod.

The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 featured racers Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd from its Modern Era Ballot and team owner Ralph Moody from the Pioneer Ballot. The format demands that the panel select two from the Modern Ballot and one from the list of Pioneers. It’s going to be a difficult decision, as you can see by the the 15 names below:

Modern Era: Kurt Busch, Randy LaJoie, Randy Dorton, Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Jeff Burton, Harry Hyde, Jack Sprague, Harry Gant.

Pioneer Era: Jake Elder, Banjo Matthews, Larry Phillips, Ray Hendrick, Bob Welborn.

It’s quite the list and in truth, all of them deserve to be in the Hall some day, but who should join now? Here are my thoughts…

Kurt Busch – Modern Era Ballot

Busch is an obvious choice despite joining the ballot for the first time this year. He is the only NASCAR Cup Series champion on the list and no one can argue against his skill behind the wheel of a stock car. Busch won an impressive 34 Cup races, and that’s not the whole story. The true testament of his skill is the fact that he won all those races with five different organizations and four different manufacturers. Busch still had more races to win too, but a crash at Pocono in 2022 ended his career prematurely. A multi-time race winner in the Xfinity and Truck Series, his Cup triumphs also include the 2017 Daytona 500, the 2010 Coke 600, and the 2010 All-Star Race. Picking Busch might just be the easiest part of this entire process.

Randy Dorton – Modern Era Ballot

Visit of Hendrick Motorsports: Hendrick Engines building

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

This is where decisions get a lot harder. There are several names on that list that seem like perfect choices to join Busch in this hypothetical 2026 class, but I tried not to pick another driver. And when looking at people who worked behind the scenes, Dorton’s name continually stands out. Hendrick Motorsports is the most successful team in NASCAR history, partly thanks to the genius of Chad Knaus and Ray Evernham. But before both of those individuals — who are already in the NASCAR Hall — there was Randy Dorton. When Hendrick started his team in 1984, Dorton was hired as the team’s engine builder. He built an engine shop that has won hundreds of races and earned Mr. Hendrick five Cup titles. And like many in this sport’s history, he paid the ultimate price for his love of this sport. He was among the ten people killed in the tragic Hendrick plane crash en route to Martinsville late in the 2004 season.

Bob Welborn – Pioneer Ballot

Bob Welborn

Photo by: Getty Images

Some may question this choice, but I think I have a good argument in placing Welborn ahead of some of the others on this list. Welborn only won nine Cup races, but that included the first-ever NASCAR Cup race on the high banks of Daytona. And no, it wasn’t the 500, but the qualifying race that preceded it, which was a points-paying event at the time. But what made Welborn worthy to me was what he did in a long-forgotten NASCAR division.

As if the Cup Series wasn’t perilous enough, NASCAR created an all-convertible division that ran from 1956 through 1959. Welborn won three consecutive titles in that division and 19 of the 111 races he entered. And these were not light fields. In winning these championships, Welborn bested Hall of Famers like Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly, and Glen Wood. NASCAR has recognized the ‘kings’ of their lower divisions in previous Hall of Fame classes, and it’s time to recognize the King of the Convertibles — Bob Welborn.

But, who do you the fans think should get the nod? Let us know in the comments below!