The NASCAR Hall of Fame voted for and announced its Class of 2024 on Wednesday, introducing seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, seven-time Cup champion crew chief Chad Knaus and longtime driver Donnie Allison as its newest members. Johnson and Knaus were voted in by way of the Hall's Modern Era ballot, while Allison was voted in through the Pioneer ballot for those whose careers began prior to 1964.
Johnson led all Modern Era nominees with 93 percent of the vote, followed by Knaus with 81 percent over runner-ups Harry Gant, Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards. Donnie Allison received 53 percent of vote for the Pioneer ballot, enough to beat out runner-up Banjo Matthews.
The Class of 2024, as well as the 2024 winner of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR, will be formally inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 19, 2024 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C.
NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Jimmie Johnson -- After catching the eye of Jeff Gordon following a move from off-road racing to NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson was hired to drive for Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2002 and proceeded to have one of the greatest careers in the history of NASCAR. Johnson won a record five Cup Series championships in a row from 2006 to 2010, then added two more in 2013 and 2016 to become only the third driver in history to win seven Cup titles.
Johnson ranks sixth on NASCAR's all-time wins list with 83 career victories – including two Daytona 500s, four Coca-Cola 600s, four Brickyard 400s and two Southern 500s – to go with 232 top fives, 374 top 10s, and 36 career poles. Johnson is now the co-owner of Legacy Motor Club and returned to Cup Series competition as a part-time driver in 2023.
Chad Knaus -- After starting out as a member of Ray Evernham's Rainbow Warriors crew for Jeff Gordon in the 1990s, Chad Knaus would get his own opportunity to become one of the greatest crew chiefs in NASCAR history. After a year with Melling Racing and driver Stacy Compton – one that saw Knaus crew chief the car that won the outside pole for the 2001 Daytona 500 and two poles at Talladega – Knaus was paired with Jimmie Johnson as the crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports' newly-formed No. 48 team.
He proceeded to become essential to Johnson's success as a driver, with 81 of Johnson's 83 career wins coming with Knaus atop the pit box. After earning his 82nd and final win as a crew chief with William Byron in 2020, Knaus became the vice president of competition for Hendrick Motorsports.
Donnie Allison -- The younger brother of Bobby Allison and a member of the famed Alabama Gang, Donnie Allison enjoyed a career in NASCAR that held its own weight compared to his fellow racers out of Hueytown. After winning Grand National Rookie of the Year honors in 1967, Allison would earn 10 career victories in Cup -- including the 1970 World 600 at Charlotte -- and finish in the top 10 in nearly half of the 242 Cup starts he made.
Allison's most famous moment came in the 1979 Daytona 500, where he led at the white flag before playing a pivotal role in a thrilling finish to the first Daytona 500 ever to be televised live from start-to-finish on CBS. Allison becomes the third member of his family to be named to the Hall of Fame, joining brother Bobby and nephew Davey.
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR
Janet Guthrie -- Janet Guthrie was a trailblazer for women in racing as a whole, and her career included her making a mark on NASCAR. Originally an aerospace engineer, Guthrie would become the first woman to ever compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race on a major speedway when she finished 15th in the 1976 World 600 at Charlotte. One year later, Guthrie would become the first woman to ever compete in the Daytona 500, finishing 12th.
Guthrie would make a total of 33 career Cup Series starts with five top-10 finishes, including a career-best sixth-place run at Bristol in 1977. Guthrie's sixth-place finish remains the best ever for a woman in a Cup Series race, tied with Danica Patrick's sixth-place run at Atlanta in 2014. Guthrie is also a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
