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LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 15: (L-R) NASCAR RACEDAY host Kevin Harvick broadcasts pre-race coverage in the Neon Garage before the start of the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on March 15, 2026, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Chris Williams/LVMS/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If you were tuned in to the pre-race coverage ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, you got to see something rather rare: driver-turned-broadcaster Kevin Harvick caught off guard. And, for a brief moment, even blushing. NASCAR chairman Mike Helton joined the broadcast and revealed that, back in February, the NASCAR Hall of Fame nominating committee had met—and in his first year of eligibility, “in a surprise to no one,” Harvick had been nominated for the Class of 2027.
It may have surprised no one in the room, but it clearly caught Harvick by surprise. Smiling, he kept it simple: “It means a lot… you know I love this sport.”
Harvick now joins 14 other nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2027, along with five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Among the other first-timers on the Modern Era ballot are six-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Ray Elder and 1988 NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief Ernie Elliott.
On the Pioneer Era ballot, the newcomers include Ray Fox, the 1956 NASCAR Mechanic of the Year and a 14-time NASCAR Cup Series winning car owner, and Herb Nab, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief.
The Modern Era ballot and Landmark Award nominees were selected by a nominating committee made up of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, along with at-large industry voices. The Honors Committee—largely comprised of NASCAR Hall of Famers, Landmark Award winners, and Squier-Hall Award recipients—handled the Pioneer ballot.
Harvick is part of the 10 nominees on the Modern Era ballot, alongside five on the Pioneer ballot—a category reserved for those whose careers began more than 60 years ago, back when the cars were wilder and the rulebook was more of a suggestion.
Also on the Modern Era ballot is Greg Biffle, a popular former driver who earned widespread respect for his philanthropic efforts following devastating floods in Western North Carolina. Biffle was tragically killed along with members of his family in a plane crash last year.
The remainder of the Modern Era ballot includes Neil Bonnett, an 18-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner; two-time championship-winning crew chief Tim Brewer; Jeff Burton, a 21-time Cup Series race winner who, like Harvick, transitioned seamlessly into broadcasting; Randy Dorton, a renowned Hendrick Motorsports engine builder who died in a plane crash in 2004; six-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Ray Elder; Ernie Elliott, 1988 NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief; Randy LaJoie, a two-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and 1985 NASCAR North Tour champion; and Jack Sprague, a three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
Joining Fox and Nab on the Pioneer ballot are Banjo Matthews, a car builder whose machines won more than 250 NASCAR Cup Series races and three championships; Harry Hyde, a championship-winning crew chief immortalized as Harry Hogge, portrayed by Robert Duvall in Days of Thunder; and Larry Phillips, a five-time NASCAR Weekly Series national champion.
The Landmark Award, meanwhile, recognizes those who helped shape NASCAR’s growth beyond the racetrack. T. Wayne Robertson, former senior vice president at R.J. Reynolds and president of its Sports Marketing Enterprises division, joins the list after previously appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot before the award’s creation in 2015.
Robertson is joined by Lesa France Kennedy, granddaughter of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and now the sport’s executive vice chair; Dr. Joseph Mattioli, founder of Pocono Raceway; Les Richter, a longtime NASCAR executive who played a key role in expanding the sport on the West Coast; and Alvin Hawkins, NASCAR’s first flagman, there at the very beginning when NASCAR was little more than fast cars and big ideas.
Two Modern Era candidates and one Pioneer candidate will ultimately be elected to the Class of 2027.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel will gather in person on Tuesday, May 19, to debate, deliberate, and ultimately decide the Class of 2027 and this year’s Landmark Award—never a quiet affair when racing legacies are on the line.
Fans, as always, aren’t just along for the ride. The NASCAR.com Fan Vote (www.nascar.com/halloffame) returns, opening Tuesday, April 14, and running through Sunday, May 17, giving the grandstands their say in who gets the sport’s ultimate nod.
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