“I’m honored by the nomination and humbled by the thought of my name being mentioned at the same time as this legendary group of nominees. My NASCAR career spans almost 40 years and just the opportunity to compete has been a blessing. I sincerely thank the committee for their consideration.”
Ray Evernham Career Statistics
- Three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Championship winning crew chief for No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997-1998)
- Voted the Greatest Crew Chief of All Time by media in 2006, as well as NASCAR Winston Cup Scene Crew Chief of the Decade (1990s)
- Named 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated Person of the Year
- During his eight years with Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports, Evernham earned 47 wins and three championships—-leading the “Rainbow Warriors” and establishing the “Refuse to Lose” slogan for the team
- Gordon and Evernham’s first win came in 1994 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- In 1999, Evernham ventured into team ownership by forming Evernham Motorsports and leading Dodge back into NASCAR in 2001
- NASCAR highlights include:
- Three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion as crew chief for Jeff Gordon (’95, ’97-98)
- Two-time Daytona 500 champion as a crew chief for Jeff Gordon (’97, ’99)
- Five-time winner of Coca-Cola 600 (’94, ’97, ’98 Crew Chief; ’06, ’08 Car Owner)
- Three-time winner of NASCAR All-Star race (’95, ’97 Crew Chief; ’08 Car Owner)
- Three-time Brickyard 400 winner (’94, ’98 Crew Chief; ’02 Car Owner)
- Three-time World Pit Crew Champion (’94 Crew Chief; ’03, ’05 Car Owner)
- Winner of the Southern 500, a record four times in a row (’95-’98 Crew Chief)
- 62 career Cup wins (47 Crew Chief; 15 Car Owner)
- 55 career Cup poles (30 Crew Chief; 25 Car Owner)
