“We've got two who shouldn’t be on there”: When Richard Petty explained why Childress and Hendrick aren't Hall of Fame ready

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and legendary driver Richard Petty once shared his thoughts on why two of the most successful team owners in the sport’s history, Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, didn’t fit well in his NASCAR Hall of Fame criteria for the 2014 class. Childress is the owner of Richard Childress Racing, whereas Hendrick owned Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series.

Richard Petty, who was inducted in the inaugural class of 2010 and became a voter the following year, feels that active individuals should not yet be inducted into the Hall of Fame, even if they are deserving of the honor.

In 2013, during an interview with USA Today, Richard Petty argued that since Hendrick and Childress are still active and accumulating statistics as owners, their career achievements are not yet finalized. According to Petty, the timing of their induction into the 2014 Hall of Fame class was not right and should come after their careers are fully concluded.

“We've got two who shouldn't be on there for sure because they're still doing their thing. They're Hall of Fame people but not now, because you put them in, and every week they're going to have to change the (statistics) underneath their names,” Petty said.

Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick weren’t inducted into the 2014 class, but they were inducted into the 2017 Hall of Fame class, which also includes NASCAR’s first champion car owner, Raymond Parks, and two of the greatest NASCAR drivers, Mark Martin and Benny Parsons.

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Richard Petty reveals his NASCAR Hall of Fame criteria

Seven-time Daytona 500 winner Petty in the aforementioned interview set his specific Hall of Fame selection criteria. The 87-year-old Level Cross, Randolph County, native prioritized accomplishments like wins, championships, Daytona 500 victories, and long-term involvement in the sport, whether as a driver or in other roles, to earn the NASCAR Hall of Fame honor.

Petty said:

“There's probably not anyone on the list who eventually shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. My criteria (are) wins, championships, Daytona 500 winners and longevity, as far as still being involved in racing. Ned Jarrett done his deal in racing, but what put him (in the Hall of Fame) is what he done after that. Everybody looks at different criteria.”

Richard Petty is arguably the greatest NASCAR driver of all time, with a record 200 Cup wins, 555 top 5s, 712 top 10s, 123 poles, and seven titles, tying with Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt in the Cup Series. The majority of his career was spent competing in the #43 Plymouth/Pontiac for Petty Enterprises.