Wallace leads candidates for '09 NMPA HOF ballot

Five candidates have been announced for the National Motorsports Press Association's 2009 Hall of Fame ballot, including 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace:

Roger Penske
A former elite driver himself, Roger Penske has distinguished himself as one of the greatest car owners in motorsports history. While more known for his 15 Indianapolis 500 titles and 12 IndyCar championships, Penske also has a long NASCAR history.

He fielded cars in the mid-1970s, then returned full-time in 1991 with driver Rusty Wallace. Overall, Penske has won a championship and 60 races in the Cup Series, which places him among the top 10 owners of all time.

Jack Roush
Car owner Jack Roush has fielded cars in NASCAR since 1988, collecting two Cup championships 115 Cup victories along the way -- putting his organization behind only Petty Enterprises, Hendrick Motorsports and Junior Johnson as the winningest teams of all time.

Roush has also been a longtime owner in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series, amassing a total of 260 wins across NASCAR's top three divisions.

Rusty Wallace
The 1989 Cup champion has 55 career victories, which is eighth on the all-time wins list. Known for his short-track prowess, Wallace won nine times at Bristol (tied for the second-most), seven times at Martinsville (tied for third) and six times at Richmond (tied for third).

In 1998, Wallace was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He retired after the 2005 season following 706 career starts in the Cup Series.

Waddell Wilson
Waddell Wilson was the premier engine builder for Holman-Moody during the 1960's and early 70's. During his long career, his engines powered 109 wins, 123 poles and three Cup championships -- David Pearson in 1968-69 and Benny Parsons in 1973.

Wilson built the engine that was the first to exceed 200 miles per hour with Parsons behind the wheel, and he also won three Daytona 500s in four-year period.

Robert Yates
After making a name for himself as a top engine builder (he built the motors for Bobby Allison's 1983 championship team), Robert Yates fielded cars as a team owner of Robert Yates Racing from 1989-2007, collecting 57 victories along the way (11th on the all-time list).

His engine program continued to produce some of the top horsepower on the circuit throughout his career, and he won the 1999 Cup title with driver Dale Jarrett.

All candidates who receive votes on at least 65 percent of the ballots cast will be elected. In the event that no candidate receives 65 percent of the required votes, the leading candidate (or candidates, in the event of a tie) will be elected.

For more information on the NMPA, go to www.nmpaonline.com.