Dale Earnhardt Jr. admits NASCAR Hall of Fame shouldn’t have inducted him when they did

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is reserved for the best of the best in the history of the sport. Each year, only three members are inducted into the Hall of Fame, two from the Modern Era Ballot and one from the Pioneer Ballot.

As a result, some of the sport’s legends from the 20th century tend to get passed over as more accomplished members hit the ballot every year. It will likely happen with the Class of 2027, with Kevin Harvick hitting the ballot for the first time.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a member of the Class of 2021, was inducted in his first year of eligibility. Earnhardt said on the latest “Dale Jr. Download” that he shouldn’t have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He would have “preferred to have waited,” allowing for others such as Ray Elder and Randy Dorton to go instead.

“We were on the show the other day talking about how the new guys who come on the ballot jump right to the front of the line. It happened with me,” Earnhardt said. “… I tell you this, they shouldn’t have put me in when they did. I think they could have waited. I would have preferred to have waited, and the Ray Elders, the Randy Dorton’s — all those guys that we’re here a long time ago — they should get in.

“But a guy like me pops up on the damn ballot and goes right to the front of the line. It’s like when you’re checking in to get your flight, you gotta wait your turn.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a HOF career; should he have been first-ballot?

Earnhardt was seen as a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he retired from the sport after the 2017 season. A 26-time Cup Series winner and two-time Daytona 500 champion, Earnhardt also won back-to-back O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championships in 1998 and 1999. Earnhardt was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver 15 consecutive years from 2003-2017.

Earnhardt certainly had a Hall of Fame career. But when it comes to the first ballot, he believes that should be saved for more accomplished members of NASCAR.

“There are the Jimmie Johnsons, the Dale Earnhardts, and the Richard Petty‘s where you don’t make them wait, guys who have won multiple championships. Like Kyle Busch, right? When he’s eligible, he’s going in. We put him in right away,” Earnhardt said. “But there’s a few people, and I would say I’m comfortable saying I’m one of them that could have [waited].