NASCAR announced the 25 finalists Thursday night for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Five will be inducted into the inaugural class; the announcement will be in October.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is scheduled to open in May 2010 in Charlotte.
Among the nominees are seven-time Sprint Cup champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and three-time Cup champs Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip.
Representing owners are Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Bud Moore, Junior Johnson, Glen Wood and Raymond Parks. Johnson also won 50 Cup races as a driver.
NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. is a nominee, as is his son Bill France Jr., who succeeded his father as the head of NASCAR in 1972.
The 25 nominees are:
Bobby Allison: Winner of 84 Cup races and the 1983 championship. Tied with Darrell Waltrip for third on career victory list. Won Daytona 500 three times, the last (1988) with son Davey Allison running second.
Buck Baker: Winner of 46 Cup races and two championships (1956-57). First driver to win consecutive championships. Ranks 10th all time with 45 poles.
Red Byron: Despite suffering a serious leg injury in World War II, won NASCAR's first Cup championship in 1949. Also won the 1948 NASCAR Modified championship. Was a stock car star and big winner before formation of NASCAR.
Richard Childress: Formed Richard Childress Racing in 1972 as an owner/driver. Won six Cup championships as an owner with driver Dale Earnhardt. Also has three Nationwide and one Camping World Truck Series title. Has 89 Cup victories.
Dale Earnhardt: Seven-time champion, tied with Richard Petty for most ever. Seventh on all-time list with 76 wins. Known as the Intimidator because of aggressive, take-no-prisoners driving style.
Richie Evans: Driver with an estimated 475 Modified wins. NASCAR Modified champion in 1973 and 1978-84.
Tim Flock: Winner of 39 Cup races and two championships (1952, '55). Has second-highest winning percentage in Cup history (20.9 percent). Won 18 races in 1955. Made news by driving with a monkey, Jocko Flocko, in 1953, winning one race.
