In a spirited discussion behind closed doors to elect the 2027 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees, three-time NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick, his former Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton, and short-track ace Larry Phillips were named to receive the honor.
Lesa France Kennedy was named the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Kennedy currently is NASCAR’s executive vice chair but began her career selling tickets alongside her grandmother Anne B. France. Others on the ballot were Alvin Hawkins, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, Les Richter, and T. Wayne Robertson.
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Harvick’s rise to NASCAR stardom came under extraordinary circumstances in 2001, when he replaced Dale Earnhardt at RCR following the seven-time NASCAR champion’s tragic passing in the 2001 Daytona 500. Just three races into his rookie season, Harvick delivered an emotional victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and went on to earn 2001 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors.
Known as “The Closer,” he proved capable of winning anywhere, including the 2007 Daytona 500. In 2014, Harvick mastered NASCAR’s new elimination-style playoff, answering every must-win moment to claim the Cup championship. In his career, Harvick amassed 60 victories, ranking him 11th on the all-time among Cup winners list. After retiring from full-time competition, he transitioned to broadcasting, joining FOX Sports as a NASCAR analyst for Cup races.
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Burton, known as “The Mayor” of the NASCAR garage, earned that nickname for his insightful perspectives on issues affecting the well-being and safety of the sport. On the track, he was the 1994 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, spending the first half of his career at Roush Fenway Racing where he experienced his most success. His first Cup win came at Texas Motor Speedway in the track’s inaugural race in 1997. During the next five years, Burton won 17 races and finished in the top five in the standings four times.
In 1999, he won a career high six races, including two of the sport’s crown jewel events—the Coca Cola 600 and Southern 500. Burton finished his career with 21 Cup wins, and 27 O’Reilly Series victories, one of 10 drivers to have at least 20 wins in each series. Since 2015, Burton has served as an analyst for NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage.
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Phillips cannot be measured in wins alone. That’s because nobody can say for sure how many victories he acquired. He raced everywhere on dirt and asphalt and in places where record keeping wasn’t always a priority. One crew chief, James Ince, estimated Phillips won 1,000 times; maybe 2,000. Rivals expressed frustration upon seeing Phillips’ No. 75 car come through the pit gate, admitting they were racing each other for second place.
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Larry Phillips.
Phillips was the first of two drivers to win five NASCAR Weekly Series national championships. During an 11-year span—from his first title in 1989-1996—the Springfield, Missouri, competitor won 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned starts. Phillips also won 13 track championships in three states.
Kennedy is one of the most influential women in sports. In her more than 30-year career with International Speedway Corporation, Kennedy advanced through several key executive positions with increasing responsibility, including secretary, treasurer, executive vice president and CEO.
Kennedy spearheaded the revitalization of Phoenix Raceway, and the state-of-the-art Daytona Rising project at Daytona International Speedway. She also helped cement NASCAR’s presence in the Midwest with the construction of Kansas Speedway. Kennedy has been honored by Forbes, Adweek, Sports Business Journal, the National Women’s History Museum and is enshrined in the Cynopsis Sports Hall of Fame.
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Lesa Kennedy France, with NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame 2027 Class was determined by votes cast by the voting panel during a meeting that consumed slightly more than two hours. The panel consisted of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. Fifty votes were cast with the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers presiding over the tabulation.
Harvick received 92 percent of the Modern Era ballot votes while Burton received 32 percent. Neil Bonnett finished third, followed by Randy Dorton and Greg Biffle. Larry Phillips received 38 percent of the Pioneer ballot votes.
Results of the NASCAR.com fan vote were Harry Hyde (Pioneer), Biffle and Harvick (Modern Era).
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Ten nominees were on the Modern Era ballot, which was selected by the traditional nominating committee, prior to Tuesday’s meeting at the Charlotte Convention Center. The same committee selected the five Landmark Award nominees. The Pioneer ballot, which included five nominees whose careers began in 1966 or earlier, was determined earlier this year by the honors committee.
The 2027 induction ceremony is scheduled for January 22, 2027.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.