Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, the indomitable driver and crew chief who paired up to win seven Cup Series championships, were elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame yesterday on their first appearance on the Modern Era ballot. They will be inducted as part of the Class of 2024 along with Donnie Allison, who was the top vote-getter on the Pioneer Ballot.
For the first time, all three Hall of Fame inductees are first-ballot choices. Johnson was selected on 93% of the ballots, and Knaus earned 81%. Allison drew 53% of the 57 ballots cast by the voting members after a meeting at the Charlotte Convention Center. One ballot was also cast from fan voting that ran through Sunday on NASCAR.com; the fan ballot also chose Johnson, Knaus and Allison.
Janet Guthrie was selected as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Guthrie will be recognized along with the Class of 2024 electees at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Jan. 19 in Charlotte.