The Class of 2010 will officially be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina during the induction ceremony on Sunday, May 23rd.

The nominees included many of the sport’s most legendary names, but just 5 were chosen for the inaugural class.

Bill France Sr.	Bill France Jr.
Richard Petty	Junior Johnson
Dale Earnhardt

51 votes were cast by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel as well as the top fan vote submitted on the nascar.com website. More than 670,000 fans submitted their picks online. The Hall of Fame Voting Panel includes the Nominating Committee, race track owners, retired drivers, car owners, crew chiefs and media representatives.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame officially opened the doors on May 11th.

The Hall is located in Uptown Charlotte and will be open seven days a week throughout the year excluding Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fans wishing to visit can get more details online at www.nascarhall.com (or click this link).

* all photos and graphics courtesy of NASCAR