Halls of Fame and New Rules For Qualifying: What You Need To Know For March 14, 2019

Nominees for the 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame class have been announced

• The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced the 20 nominees for the 2020 class on Wednesday evening
• New nominees this year include three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver champion and current co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, Tony Stewart; “Alabama Gang” member Neil Bonnett; two-time XFINITY Series champion Sam Ard; Daytona 500 champion Marvin Panch; short track ace Jim Paschal; and master mechanic Red Vogt
• Four-time championship winning crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine was a nominee in last year’s class but was not included amongst the 2020 nominees
• Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle would have been newly NASCAR HOF eligible drivers but were not nominated
• The five Landmark Award nominees were also announced, including newcomers Edsel Ford II, Mike Helton, and Dr. Joe Mattioli
• Janet Guthrie was among the Landmark Award nominees for the 2019 class but was not included in this year’s

Additional info: Full list of nominees … The NASCAR Hall of Fame induction process explained … The Landmark Award explained

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NASCAR will enforce pit road speed limits during qualifying

• As part of the current group/knockout qualifying format, NASCAR will begin enforcing pit road speed limits during qualifying
• The pit road speeds enforced during qualifying will be the same speeds enforced during the race
• If a driver exceeds the allowed pit-road speed upon exiting pit road, they will be called back to the pits before being allowed to post a qualifying time
• If a driver speeds when returning to the pits, their previous qualifying lap(s) will be disallowed
• NASCAR’s new aero package this season has increased the importance of drafting which has at times led to some chaotic scenes on pit road during qualifying

Additonal info: Full story on NASCAR.com … Story from Motorsport.com’s Jim Utter … Qualifying rules for 2019

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Martinsville Speedway will host another FanFest as part of STP 500 weekend

• Martinsville Speedway’s March race weekend will include a free FanFest on Saturday, March 23rd following Virginia Lottery Pole Qualifying
• The event will take place in the Drivers’ Meeting Tent outside of Turn 4
• FanFest will include music, prizes, and appearances by NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Preece, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace, and Paul Menard
• The race weekend includes Truck Series practice and an autograph session on Friday, March 22nd; the Truck Series race and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday; and the STP 500 on Sunday, March 24

Additional info: Full story from Martinsville Speedway … Full weekend schedule … Maps of Martinsville Speedway

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First two practice sessions at Auto Club Speedway will not be televised, can be streamed on NASCAR.com

• The opening practice sessions for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series on Friday afternoon will not be televised
• NASCAR.com will air a live stream of the practice sessions at
  https://www.nascar.com/live — 1:00PM ET for MENCS and 2:05PM ET for NXS
• Remaining on-track activity — including final NXS practice early Friday evening — will all be televised on FS1 or FOX

Additional info: Full story from NASCAR.com … Weekend schedule for Auto Club Speedway … At-track schedule

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Familiar names inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

• NASCAR champion and team owner Tony Stewart was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Daytona Beach, Florida on on Tuesday night
• The other six members of the 2019 class were Dario Franchitti, Kevin Schwantz, Augie Duesenberg, Phil Remington, Don Schumacher, and Linda Vaughn
• Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson attended the event in order to introduce Stewart for his induction
• NHRA legend Don Prudhomme introduced Vaughn for her induction; Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles presented Duesenberg for his induction

Additional info: Full story from NASCAR Wire Service’s Holly Cain … Some stories from the ceremony via Autoweek.com … Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s website

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