Kyle Petty goes scorched earth on NASCAR Hall of Fame debate: If wins are key, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards shouldn’t be in

Earlier this week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. created quite a buzz within the motorsports world when he began opining on which drivers deserved to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Among Earnhardt’s more salacious takes was his belief that four-time Indianapolis 500 champion and occasional NASCAR driver A.J. Hoyt didn’t merit consideration in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

This was sparked by a conversation on last week’s Dale Jr. Download podcast, during which show producer Travis Rockhold reportedly declared O’Reilly Auto Parts driver Justin Allgaier unworthy of NASCAR Hall of Fame consideration due to having never won at the Cup level. Allgaier, who is the current driver of Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, has 31 career wins over 511 races on the O’Reilly Series circuit, but has just two Top 10 finishes and zero wins in 87 career Cup Series races so far.

Now another Hall of Famer who also happens to be the son of one of the NASCAR’s all-time greats has sounded off on sport’s hallowed Hall of Fame. And he took direct aim at Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards in the process, all while trying to make a point to the 51-year-old son of the late, great Dale Earnhardt Sr.

“This is where I’m going to burn the world down, … I’ve got a match, getting ready to light it,” Kyle Petty, son of Richard “The King” Petty, began on Sunday’s NASCAR Inside The Race podcast. “I’m picking on two guys, and start sending the hate right now. The two guys I’m picking on are Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards with 26 wins and 28 wins, respectively. That’s what they’ve won (at the Cup level).”

Petty’s point is effectively both Earnhardt and Edwards have roughly 1/3^rd of the total NASCAR wins as fellow Hall of Fame racer Bobby Allison’s 85 career wins. So if NASCAR wins are all that matter, neither should be in the same conversation as some of the sport’s all-time greats.

“Do those guys deserve to be in a Hall of Fame with Bobby Allison and Richard Petty and David Pearson and Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and, oh yeah, Dale (Earnhardt) Sr.?” Kyle Petty continued. “I’d say, no. No they don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Not off their numbers.

“But the Hall of Fame isn’t all about numbers, that’s what I’m saying. When we look at the Hall of Fame, it’s about commitment to the sport, it’s about ownership, it’s about what you do for TV,” Petty concluded. “… (Voters) don’t just look at the numbers. That’s why Dale Jr. and Carl Edwards are in there, not off the numbers alone. So if you’re looking at Justin Allegier’s numbers alone, then you’re looking at the wrong place. You have to look at the total package.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2021 while Edwards was voted in apart of the 2025 class. NASCAR unveiled the 15 nominees on its Class of 2027 ballot on Sunday, with Kevin Harvick, Ray Elder and Ernie Elliott joining a list of modern era drivers that includes Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Randy Lajoie and others. NASCAR Hall of Fame voting will take place May 19 in Charlotte.