Twenty years after winning a Cup Series championship, driver Matt Kenseth will be inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame. Along with Kenseth, Kirk Shelmerdine and Hershel McGriff will comprise NASCAR’s 2023 class.
Shelmerdine, a four-time Cup championship crew chief with Dale Earnhardt, and Kenseth were selected by a voting committee Wednesday from among 10 nominees on the Modern Era ballot. Longtime former driver McGriff, who is 94 years old, was selected among five nominees on the Pioneer Era ballot, which honors individuals in the sport whose careers began more than 60 years ago.
Mike Helton, a senior adviser to NASCAR, was selected as the Landmark Award recipient. The award honors those who have made an “outstanding contribution to the sport.” Helton was the first person outside the France family to take over NASCAR’s day-to-day operations and he was the third president in NASCAR’s history.
