Will Kyle Busch go straight into NASCAR Hall of Fame? Officials keeping door open

CONCORD, N.C. — There is no question that Kyle Busch, winner of a NASCAR-record 234 national series races and two premier Cup Series championships, will one day be enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. By any statistical measure, Busch is not only a Hall of Famer, but a first-ballot inductee.

What is not known is when Busch will receive the honor.

Before the events of last week, when the 41-year-old Busch died unexpectedly after an illness, the answer would’ve been obvious: He’d be inducted into the Hall of Fame three years after he retired — per the parameters in place.

The question has now taken on a different scope in the days since Busch’s death, with another future Hall of Fame driver mentioning an idea that has gained traction in the NASCAR world.

“I’m not that great at those types of things, of understanding what’s the best way forward to honor him,” said Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Cup champion. “… Probably the best one that I know right now that I would like to see is something with effect to the Hall of Fame. It’s very clear that Kyle is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I don’t know why that needs to wait another year.”

Could NASCAR and the Hall of Fame decide to appoint Busch to the Hall of Fame early? Technically, yes, though it would be unprecedented and could set a new standard.

NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell was asked about this possibility last week and was noncommittal, preferring to examine the issue later.

“I don’t know,” O’Donnell said. “I know that we put that on the list of ideas that we want to look at. … Then we have a little bit more time to think about what we could do as well in the future. Who knows, that could be something we look at.”

Other sports have waived mandatory waiting periods due to special circumstances. The Baseball Hall of Fame has done so for Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission, and Lou Gehrig, who had his career cut short due to ALS. In both instances, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America held a special election and voted them in.

And after already-retired NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame waived its waiting period. Bryant went on the next ballot and was voted in.

NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley expressed sentiments similar to O’Donnell’s about Busch’s Hall of Fame status. He is not opposed to exploring the possibility, he said in an interview, but feels the time isn’t right to have the discussion.

“First and foremost, we’re concerned about Samantha (Busch’s wife), Brexton and Lennix (Busch’s two young children) and the family,” Kelley said. “NASCAR facilitates the process, and if NASCAR feels like that’s something that we should talk about, we’d certainly be glad to participate in that.

“I don’t think now is the time for that. If and when that is, we’re always open to discussion.”

There is precedent for NASCAR and the Hall of Fame to make exceptions about the eligibility of certain individuals. In the cases of Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison, neither driver had fulfilled the Hall of Fame’s criteria that someone had participated in the sport for 10 years before each was killed in separate aviation accidents during the 1993 season — Kulwicki in a plane crash, Allison in a helicopter crash.

But NASCAR and the Hall of Fame decided each was worthy of nomination, and their names were placed on the ballot. Both were later voted in as members of the Class of 2019. Kelley has not spoken to NASCAR about how to handle Busch’s candidacy.

“There is a process to evaluate the criteria and see if an exception or extenuating circumstances apply,” Kelley said. “There’s not a criteria for it, but my criteria would be what’s best for the family, what’s the best way to appropriately honor Kyle, and any other things that people would want to talk about. So when that time comes, if it comes, then we’ll be ready to talk.”

If Busch gets an expedited induction, it would also help with the logjam of talent not already in the Hall of Fame. NASCAR didn’t open its Hall until 2010 and has limited the number of inductees each year to keep worthy candidates on the ballot over time. Currently, only two Modern Era (for careers starting after 1966) drivers can get inducted each year. Any time a new sure-thing candidate enters the ballot — like Kevin Harvick did this year and Busch would in a few years — it takes a spot away from another person who would otherwise make it.

An early Busch entry might also spark a broader discussion about exemptions that could impact not just future Hall candidates but those currently waiting. Several candidates have cases that look increasingly better as the Hall of Fame grows, but they are still not in, and many of them have died. That includes Greg Biffle, who was killed in a December plane crash and has more wins across all of NASCAR’s national series than any other eligible driver not already in the Hall.

Whether it’s next year or sometime in the not-too-distant future, Kyle will one day join his older brother Kurt, the 2004 Cup champion and member of the Class of 2026, in the Hall of Fame.

To emphasize that, Kelley shared a conversation he had last Thursday morning — hours before Busch died — with Team Penske executive Walt Czarnecki regarding Penske driver Joey Logano’s status as a likely surefire Hall of Fame inductee.

“Joey was looking at another part of the exhibit, and (Czarnecki) nods at Joey and says, ‘I guess he’s a Hall of Famer?’” Kelley said. “I said, ‘Walt, here’s how I look at it: If a certain person retired today and they never raced again, would they be a Hall of Famer?’ And in Joey’s case, yes, and first ballot. And I said, ‘I hadn’t thought a lot about it, but there’s probably a few others that are racing now, if they retire today, that are first ballot Hall of Famers.’

“So, I would say, yeah, whenever Busch is eligible, whether that’s the current timeframe or if it’s accelerated, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. How can he not be?”