Ray Evernham, an accomplished crew-chief with Jeff Gordon for 3 of Gordon’s 4 championships (1995, 97, and 98) will be welcomed into the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.
In just seven NASCAR seasons, Evernham amassed 47 premier series wins with Jeff Gordon and the N0.24 Rainbow Warriors team.
Ray Evernham spoke with NASCAR.com’s Holly Cain on how his coaching experties led him to being a successful crew-chief.
“You know, there’s a big difference in what I call ‘coaching’ and ‘managing,'” Evernham said. “I don’t like to be a manager. I don’t like to be a business-type manager where you’re just directing people. But I really enjoyed the coaching, working with people together, solving problems, being part of a team, that kind of environment.
“Whether I should try to think I deserve to be even mentioned in a Lombardi style or not, that’s kind of who I patterned after. Tough on people, drive them hard, but cared about them. You’ve got to be able to have that compassion along with determination.
“That part I enjoyed. I loved working down on the floor with the guys. I loved being at the race track.’’
Evernham left Hendrick Motorsports in 2001 to pursue a new venture in the sport as an owner. Opening Evernham Motorsports in 2001, Ray Evernham compiled 15 premier series wins as an owner.
Evernham says he’s “blown away” with the fact that he’s getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Entering the Hall of Fame after a 20 plus year run in the sport, Evernham can now call himself a Hall of Famer.
About Me: Hi, my name is Matthew I'm 17 from Charlotte, NC. Racing has been something that has interested me my whole life. As a kid my dad would always take me to each of the Charlotte races and the adrenaline you get watching NASCAR's best drivers go around is one like no other. My goal as a writer is to give you the best information possible.
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