Here are some career highlights of the latest additions to the NASCAR Hall of Fame:

Buck Baker was the first driver to claim consecutive NASCAR premier series championships, doing so in 1956 and 1957. He finished in the top-two in points four-straight years between 1955 and 1958. After a career that saw him claim 46 wins, along with those two championshiips, Baker was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. After retiring from driving in the mid-1970s, Baker formed the Buck Baker Driving School, teaching future NASCAR starts, including four-time champion Jeff Gordon, some of the tricks of the trade.

“Buck always made an impression, whether it was good or bad,” Baker’s widow, Susan Baker, said. “If you met him, you’d always remember him.

Cotton Owens made his mark on the sport as both an owner and a driver. He started his NASCAR career as a driver, and after dominating the modified ranks, Owens moved to NASCAR’s top level and claimed nine additional wins as a driver. For his accomplishments behind the wheel, he, like Baker, was named among NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers when NASCAR celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998.

As an owner, Owens found even more success at NASCAR’s premier level. With David Pearson behind the wheel, Owens became a championship car owner in 1966.

“He took great pride that he could build a winning race car from the ground up,” Owens’ grandson, Kyle Davis, said. Davis also mentioned his grandfather’s four principles — God, family, friends and the 426 Hemi, illustrating the late legend’s loyalty to Dodge.

Despite his death prior to the induction, Owens did know that he’d be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He died in July 2012, several weeks after the announcement of his 2013 induction into the Hall.

Herb Thomas was NASCAR’s first two-time premier-level champion, claiming titles in 1951 and 1953. He finished second during that year in-between, 1952. As a matter-of-fact, Thomas, like Baker, put together four-consecutive years of top-two points finishes, finishing out the 1952 and 1954 seasons second in the championship points standings. Even more impressive, Thomas finished first or second five times in six years, also finishing second in points in 1956. His one down year during that time resulted in a fifth-place finish in 1955.

Thomas has the highest winning percentage in NASCAR history, winning 48 times in only 228 starts. That stat played a huge part in Thomas being declared one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

“I truly believe this (Hall of Fame induction) is the greatest honor a driver could receive,” Thomas’ son, Joel Thompson, said. “My father would’ve been very honored and humbled to receive this recognition.”

Rusty Wallace embarked on a Cup level career in the early 1980s and turned in a second-place finish in his series debut. Things after that were bumpy for awhile until his career took off in the mid-1980s. He claimed a Winston Cup title in 1989 and didn’t look back.

Although Wallace didn’t win another championship, his stint with Penske Racing, beginning in 1991, is considered the most productive time of Wallace’s career. Wallace remained with the Penske organization until his retirement from driving in 2005. During that time, he posted 37 of his total 55-career wins. He won 10 races in 1993, alone.

Wallace was especially productive on the circuit’s short tracks, turning in 25 short-track victories throughout his Cup career, with nine of those coming at Bristol (Ten.) Motor Speedway.

Since climbing out of the race car, Wallace has embarked on a television career, working as a NASCAR analyst for ESPN. He also owns a NASCAR Nationwide Series team.

Leonard Wood didn’t make his mark on the sport from behind the wheel. Instead, he showed his mastery on pit road and in the race shop. Wood is even credited with the creation of the modern pit stop. Wood realized that there were positions to be gained on pit road, and his reputation for formulating a fast stop even took him to Indianapolis to pit Jim Clark’s car in the 1965 Indianapolis 500.

Wood was also a master in the shop. His engine program powered 94 race wins, including 43 of David Pearson’s 105. Other drivers who won in Wood Brothers Racing entries powered by Wood include Neil Bonnett, Cale Yarborough, A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney.

“It’s certainly a high honor to go in the Hall of Fame behind brother Glen and our former drivers Cale and David,” Wood said.

Wood’s brother, Glen Wood, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last year.

Earlier in the day, NASCAR broadcasting legends Barney Hall and Ken Squier became the first two recipients of an award named in their honor, the Squier Hall Award for Media Excellence.

– Photos courtesy of Getty Images for NASCAR

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Elzie Wylie “Buck” Baker became the first driver in NASCAR’s young history to repeat as champion at NASCAR’s top-level, claiming titles in 1956 and 1957. He sandwiched those championshp years with a couple of runner-up seasons in 1955 and 1958 to produce a four-year span of dominance in NASCAR’s premier division, now known as the Sprint Cup Series.

Baker posted double digits in the win column two-consecutive seasons in 1956 and 1957 for a total of 24 wins in a two-year span, visiting victory lane 14 times in 1956 and another 10 times the following season.

After a career as a bus driver, Baker raced somewhat sparingly at NASCAR’s top level for a few years, running a couple of races in 1949 and a few more each year until competing in most of the races on the schedule, beginning in 1953.

Baker was a mainstay on the top NASCAR circuit throughout the 1950s and 1960s, gradually scaling back his schedule, beginning in the late 1960s. He ran a race here and there, running only a handful of events a year until 1976, his last year of competition.

During his 26 years on the circuit, Baker compiled 46 race wins in 636 starts. He finished in the top-10 in more than half of those 636 races, bosting 372 total career top-10 finishes.

Baker was also successful in other NASCAR series, winning races in the Modified, Speedway and Grand American Series. Accolades followed Baker into his retirement. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 2008.

Baker passed away in 2002.

The class of 2013 is scheduled to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during a special ceremony at the Hall in Charlotte on Feb. 8. The induction ceremony will air live on SPEED.

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