In NASCAR, being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor in the sport. But what exactly makes one worthy of being inducted? For some, it’s the number of wins and championships, while others root for impact and influence over the sport. You can decide either way you want, but it looks like the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download has just stoked the Hall of Fame debate again.

“Is Justin Allgaier a Hall of Famer?” Dale Jr asked his co-host, Travis Rockhold. The entire panel was in discussion on whether the Busch Series (now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) and Truck Series drivers should be added to the HoF. And in response to Jr’s rather casual question, Travis shared his unapologetic, controversial stance.

“I have a controversial take that I don’t think Xfinity, O’Reilly, Busch, and Nationwide should count,” Travis shared. Hearing this take, Jr.’s knee-jerk reaction was like that of any NASCAR fan. “Are you f–king serious. It’s not the NASCAR Cup Hall of Fame. Wow, that’s a pretty sh-t take,” Dale Jr vented. And here’s some Hall of Fame history for you.

In the Class of 2018, Ron Hornaday Jr was inducted into the Hall of Fame. 4 Truck Series championships and being named in the Greatest 75 NASCAR Drivers were enough to stand tall alongside legends like Ray Evernham and Red Byron. The same can be said for Jack Ingram, the 2-time Xfinity Series champion, who received NASCAR’s highest honors in 2014.

So it’s not that NASCAR hasn’t honored the icons who have had success in tier-2 and tier-3 series. Imagine if Kyle Busch had never moved to Cup and gone on to be the winningest driver in the Truck Series. Would he not be a prime candidate to be honored by NASCAR?

Well, the blunt take by Rockhold didn’t just stay within the confines of the Dale Jr. Download podcast; it became the talk of the town among the NASCAR fans.

NASCAR fans make a case against the idea of HoF being Cup exclusive

Reacting to Travis Rockhold’s take on only Cup drivers being eligible to be inducted in the HoF, NASCAR fans were united in disagreement with it, and supported the ignored faction.

One fan echoed Dale Jr.’s take as they wrote, “If it’s the NASCAR Hall of fame, and not the Cup Series Hall of Fame, then yes because every discipline across the entire association has Hall of Fame worthy careers that tell the history of that series.”

Another fan gave the example of the basketball HoF as they wrote, “Same reason the Naismith basketball HOF inducts college and international basketball players and coaches who may have done little to nothing in the NBA.”

One fan cited the examples of two bona fide NASCAR legends. “Kyle Busch & Mark Martin (already in) could get in based on their GNBNXOAPS stats alone,” the fan wrote.

While Martin became a HoF despite his lack of a Cup title, Busch is considered to be a locked HoFer in the future. But as the fan said, even if one takes away their achievements at the Cup level, their careers are towering successes. Busch has won a total of 170 races across the O’Reilly and Truck Series, while Martin won 56. “So yes, lower level drivers from NASCAR sanctioned series should absolutely be eligible,” the fan concluded.

A fan argued that anyone who has played a role at a high level in NASCAR, irrespective of their role or the series, should be eligible.

“Anyone that is instrumental to the sport of nascar should be in from drivers to owners, pit crew, announcers, workers at the track and anyone else that tells the story,” the fan wrote. The examples of such inductions include Chad Knaus, Dale Inman, Ken Squier, and more.

With that said, what is your take on this subject? Do you think only Cup drivers should be eligible for the Hall of Fame or does it apply to everyone across the whole of NASCAR? Let us know in the comments below.