Late Missouri racing great joins Harvick, Burton as NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees
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- Induction ceremony is Jan. 22, 2027, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were named as the two modern-era inductees.
- Larry Phillips of Springfield, Missouri, was posthumously selected for the Hall of Fame.
NASCAR on Tuesday unveiled its three-member Hall of Fame class for induction in 2027 — two modern-era heavyweights and a man from Missouri many considered an auto racing mentor.
Joining Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton in the class is the late Larry Phillips, who hailed from Springfield and set a course for scores of drivers who came after him.
Phillips, who died in 2004 at the age of 62, had a massive impact on motorsports — not just in the Show Me State or around Kansas City, but well beyond. He was known to race hard and fast anywhere there was a track, be it asphalt or dirt (where so many of today’s racers got their start).
One crew chief, James Ince, estimated Phillips won 1,000 races, according to NASCAR — maybe even 2,000. Phillips’ No. 75 car was a familiar and fearsome sight around the country for years. He 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 through 1996 — Phillips won a staggering 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned starts. He also captured 13 track championships in three states.
Harvick, who won multiple times at Kansas Speedway, was the 2001 Cup Series rookie of the year. He went on to become known as “The Closer;” once NASCAR moved to elimination-style playoff races in 2014, he mastered them. He won a total of 60 races in 826 starts and is now a FOX Sports analyst.
Burton’s nickname was/is “The Mayor.” He, too, started with a bang as the top rookie in 1994. He spent the first half of his career — and found his most success — driving for Roush Fenway. He retired with 21 Cup victories and 27 more in O’Reilly Series events. Like Harvick, he’s now a racing analyst on TV, with NBC Sports.
Rounding out the short list of honorees announced this week, NASCAR executive vice chair Lesa France Kennedy will receive the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Most notably locally, she “helped cement NASCAR’s presence in the Midwest with the building of Kansas Speedway,” as noted in a NASCAR news release about this week’s awards.
A total of 15 nominees were considered for NASCAR Hall of Fame induction. Per NASCAR, there were five nominees for the Landmark Award.
Voters for the honors included representatives from NASCAR and its Hall of Fame, track owners, media, manufacturer reps, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote and the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson.
The two modern-era inductees came from a group of 10 nominees that, along with Burton and Harvick, also included: Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Randy Dorton, Ray Elder, Ernie Elliott, Randy LaJoie and Jack Sprague. Nominees for the Pioneer Ballot included Phillips, Ray Fox, Harry Hyde, Banjo Matthews and Herb Nab.
NASCAR’s class of 2027 induction ceremony will be Jan. 22, 2027, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:54 PM.