If you happened to be watching the pre-race show on Sunday, you saw Kevin Harvick do something he rarely did in a race car: get caught out. NASCAR chairman Mike Helton dropped in and casually revealed that Harvick, in his first year of eligibility and “in a surprise to no one,” had been nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027.
Harvick blinked, smiled, and delivered the kind of line you’d expect from a man who’s spent a career letting the results do the talking. “It means a lot… you know I love this sport.” And that, really, was that.
Because while Harvick’s name at the top of the ballot feels inevitable, it’s not the most important story on it.
That distinction belongs, unquestionably, to Greg Biffle.
Biffle’s inclusion on the Modern Era ballot comes under circumstances that still don’t sit right. A driver who carved out a reputation as one of the sport’s toughest and most dependable competitors, he spent his post-driving years doing something arguably more important—showing up when people needed him. After devastating floods in Western North Carolina, Biffle didn’t just lend his name to the cause; he rolled up his sleeves and got involved, earning a level of respect that went well beyond what he did behind the wheel.
His life, and those of members of his family, were tragically cut short in a plane crash last year. It left a hole in the garage that statistics alone can’t measure.
And that’s why this ballot, stacked as it is, feels like it has one decision that shouldn’t require much debate.
Harvick joins 14 other nominees for the Class of 2027, along with five candidates for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Among the other first-time names on the Modern Era ballot are six-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Ray Elder and 1988 NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief Ernie Elliott.
On the Pioneer Era side, newcomers include Ray Fox, the 1956 NASCAR Mechanic of the Year and a 14-time Cup Series-winning car owner, and Herb Nab, a two-time championship-winning crew chief.
The Modern Era and Landmark Award nominees were selected by a nominating committee made up of NASCAR officials, Hall of Fame representatives, track owners, and a mix of industry voices. The Pioneer ballot was handled by the Honors Committee—a group largely composed of Hall of Famers, Landmark Award winners, and Squier-Hall Award recipients.
Harvick and Biffle are part of a 10-name Modern Era ballot, alongside five names on the Pioneer ballot—a category reserved for those whose careers began more than 60 years ago, back when the cars were equal parts bravery and bad decisions.
The remainder of the Modern Era ballot includes Neil Bonnett, an 18-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner; two-time championship-winning crew chief Tim Brewer; Jeff Burton, a 21-time Cup Series winner who now calls races instead of driving them; Randy Dorton, a legendary Hendrick Motorsports engine builder who was killed in a plane crash in 2004; six-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Ray Elder; Ernie Elliott; Randy LaJoie, a two-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and 1985 NASCAR North Tour champion; and Jack Sprague, a three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
Joining Fox and Nab on the Pioneer ballot are Banjo Matthews, whose cars won more than 250 Cup races and three championships; Harry Hyde, the championship-winning crew chief immortalized as Harry Hogge in Days of Thunder; and Larry Phillips, a five-time NASCAR Weekly Series national champion.
The Landmark Award, meanwhile, focuses on the people who helped build NASCAR into what it is today. T. Wayne Robertson, the former R.J. Reynolds executive who played a central role in the sport’s commercial rise, returns to the ballot in this category after previously appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot before the award was created.
He’s joined by Lesa France Kennedy, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, Les Richter, and Alvin Hawkins—names that, in different ways, helped shape everything from the boardroom to the flag stand.
In total, two Modern Era candidates and one Pioneer candidate will make up the Class of 2027.
The voting panel will meet in person on Tuesday, May 19, to debate, argue, and eventually decide who gets the nod.
Fans, meanwhile, still get their say. The NASCAR.com Fan Vote opens April 14 and runs through May 17, giving fandom a chance to weigh in.
But for all the names, numbers, and committee meetings, this ballot carries something heavier than usual.
Because sometimes, the choice isn’t just about who belongs.
It’s about who simply has to be there.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.