Harvick, Burton, Phillips elected to NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027
The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced its three newest members Tuesday, with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips elected to the Class of 2027.
The three honorees were selected by the Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which met Tuesday afternoon at the Charlotte Convention Center. The voting results were presented by NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell in the Hall of Fame’s Great Hall, where Lesa France Kennedy was also announced as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
Harvick and Burton were chosen from a list of 10 candidates on the Modern Era Ballot, and Phillips was voted in from the five nominees on the Pioneer Ballot. Harvick received 92% of the Modern Era ballot votes and Burton received 32%. Neil Bonnett finished third, followed by Randy Dorton and Greg Biffle. Larry Phillips received 38% of the Pioneer ballot votes.
Harvick’s election to the Class of 2027 came in his first year of eligibility. The 50-year-old California native retired from a full-time driving career after the 2023 season, finishing with 60 Cup Series victories — 11th on the all-time list — and championships in Cup (2014) and what’s now known as the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2001, 2006).
Among Harvick’s accomplishments were several prestigious triumphs — the Daytona 500 (2007), Southern 500 (2014, 2020), Coca-Cola 600 (2011, 2013) and Brickyard 400 (2003, 2019, 2020). He has remained active in the sport as an analyst for FOX Sports’ NASCAR coverage since 2024.
Like Harvick, Burton was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, and he earned election in his sixth year on the ballot with a resume that included 21 Cup Series victories and 27 O’Reilly Series wins. In the years since his driving days ended, the 58-year-old Virginian has been a trusted voice as a broadcaster with NBC Sports and an advisor for the sport’s drivers’ council.
Crew chief James Ince once estimated Phillips — another of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers — won 1,000 times; maybe 2,000. What is a hardened fact is that Phillips 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 — the Springfield, Missouri, competitor won 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned starts, including 13 track championships in three states.
France Kennedy is Executive Vice Chair of NASCAR and one of the most influential women in sports. Over a 30-plus-year career with International Speedway Corporation, Kennedy rose through a series of executive leadership roles, including secretary, treasurer, executive vice president and CEO. She led the revitalization of Phoenix Raceway, oversaw the Daytona Rising redevelopment of Daytona International Speedway and helped establish NASCAR’s footprint in the Midwest through the development of Kansas Speedway. Kennedy has been recognized by Forbes, Adweek, Sports Business Journal and the National Women’s History Museum, and is a member of the Cynopsis Sports Hall of Fame.
In all, 50 votes were cast by this year’s members of the Hall of Fame Voting Panel. A final ballot was cast from the cumulative results of fan voting, which ran from April 14 to May 17. Results for the Fan Vote were Harry Hyde (Pioneer Era), Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick (Modern Era).
The Class of 2027 Induction Ceremony is set for Friday, Jan. 22, 2027, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center.
