- Harvick bags the Hall of Fame spot in his first year of eligibility.
- Jeff Burton is also in the list of three Hall of Famers selected.
- Greg Biffle’s name was also in the Hall of Fame picture.
NASCAR has unveiled the newest additions to the NASCAR Hall of Fame family, and in his first year of eligibility, Kevin Harvick hit his ticket without wasting time. He will enter the Hall as part of the Class of 2027 on January 22 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
NASCAR rolled out a 15-name shortlist in March, with two selections from the Modern Era Ballot and one from the Pioneer Ballot to form the three-member class for next year.
Members of the 17th class were voted in by the panel on May 19. Since the Hall opened its doors in 2010, 70 members have received induction, and now the torch passes again.
Jeff Burton is among the three Hall of Fame inductees, along with Kevin Harvick
The three-member group, the 17th class since the Hall of Fame began in 2010, consists of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Larry Phillips. In addition, Lesa France Kennedy received the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
Harvick won the 2014 Cup Series title and two Busch Series championships in 2001 and 2006, while stacking up 60 wins at NASCAR’s top level. Those wins included the 2007 Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 wins in 2011 and 2013, Southern 500 victories in 2014 and 2020, and Brickyard 400 wins in 2003, 2019, and 2020.
He first climbed into the Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing under circumstances no driver would wish upon another, stepping into the seat left behind after the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. during the Daytona 500. Harvick later moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, where he won a Cup championship in the debut year itself, becoming one of the sport’s benchmark drivers through 2023 alongside crew chief Rodney Childers.
Burton won 21 Cup Series races and added 27 wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series during stints with Roush Racing and Richard Childress Racing. Since stepping away from Cup competition in 2013, Burton has worked behind the curtain as a bridge between drivers and NASCAR while also serving as an analyst for NBC Sports.
Phillips, meanwhile, amassed more than 1,000 NASCAR-sanctioned wins and more than 2,000 victories overall across short tracks and dirt tracks. He bagged five NASCAR Weekly Series national championships and became the first of only two drivers to pull off that feat. Over 11 years, from his first title in 1989 through 1996, the Springfield racer won 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned starts, while collecting 13 track championships across three states.
How the 2027 Hall of Fame inductees were selected
Members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met in a closed in-person session at the Charlotte Convention Center to debate and vote on the 15 nominees for the Class of 2027, along with the five nominees for the Landmark Award.
The Class of 2027 was determined through votes cast by the Voting Panel, which included representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, owners from major tracks and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturers, competitors, including drivers, owners, and crew chiefs, industry leaders, the nationwide fan vote through NASCAR.com, and reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. In total, 50 votes were cast. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers oversaw the vote tabulation process.
Harvick received 92 percent of the Modern Era Ballot vote, while Burton received 32 percent. Neil Bonnett finished third, followed by Randy Dorton and Greg Biffle. Phillips earned 38 percent of the Pioneer Ballot vote.
Modern Era inductees…
Results from the NASCAR.com Fan Vote saw Harry Hyde represent the Pioneer category, while Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick were selected from the Modern Era side.
The two Modern Era inductees came from a pool of 10 nominees, including Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Jeff Burton, Randy Dorton, Ray Elder, Ernie Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Randy LaJoie, and Jack Sprague.
Nominees for the Pioneer Ballot included Ray Fox, Harry Hyde, Banjo Matthews, Herb Nab, and Larry Phillips. Landmark Award nominees included Alvin Hawkins, Lesa France Kennedy, Dr Joseph Mattioli, Les Richter, and T. Wayne Robertson.
Ten nominees appeared on the Modern Era Ballot, selected by the traditional Nominating Committee. That same committee also selected the five Landmark Award nominees. The Pioneer Ballot, consisting of five nominees whose careers began in 1966 or earlier, was assembled by the Honors Committee.
