Through the Gears: NASCAR Hall of Fame finally grows and guess which track could be back?

Welcome to the Hall, fellas!

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Red Farmer and Mike Stefanik were all inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during a ceremony last Friday that was delayed nearly a year due to something called COVID.

It was worth the wait, a teary-eyed (no, seriously) Junior said during his acceptance speech.

“My eyes are already watering,” he added (see, told you!). “To join dad in the Hall of Fame is probably as good as it’s going to get ... I was a mechanic at a dealership. That was my destiny, or so I thought. I changed the oil in thousands of cars.”

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. top races

Well, Dale, I think you made the right career move.

Junior won 26 races over a 19-year Cup career, including a pair of Daytona 500s. And yes, for those of you wondering, here's the definitive list of his best wins, compiled by yours truly:

5. 2008 at Michigan, where he broke a 76-race winless streak and won his first race with Hendrick Motorsports.

4. 2000 at Texas — his first career win.

3. Sept. 23, 2001. NASCAR's first race back after Sept. 11 where Junior won at Dover.

2. The 2004 Daytona 500. This one is obvious.

1. The 2001 Pepsi 400. This one is really obvious.

And yes, I know. The 2000 Winston could probably make this list. Feel free to slide that into the No. 5 slot.

Red Farmer still racing at Talladega

Those are Junior's accolades. As for those other two legends ...

Stefanik, who died in 2019 at age 61 from injuries sustained in a private plane crash, drove modifieds to seven Whelen Modified Tour titles. He also won two championships in the Busch North Series.

Farmer won hundreds upon hundreds of events at short tracks located primarily in the Deep South. He's not done, either!

At age 89, Farmer still competes on the one-third-mile dirt oval at the Talladega Short Track.

Yep. The Talladega Short Track. Who knew?

Could North Wilkesboro host a NASCAR Truck race?

Now, let's make the seamless transition to ... North Wilkesboro?

Yep. Everyone's favorite track that hasn't been used in decades!

If you remember, tucked in the North Carolina state budget that was passed last November was $18 million toward infrastructure improvements at the 0.625-mile facility.

Well, Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said back then he'd like to get the track race-ready and he doubled down on those thoughts last week during the Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce 75th Membership Celebration.

"It’s almost like Fenway Park is to baseball," he said of the historic venue. "I think, with this money from the state and the American Rescue Plan, we can make some dreams a reality at North Wilkesboro Speedway.”

One of those dreams, Smith said, is hosting a NASCAR Truck Series race — something he called a "real possibility."

And yes, I know what you're thinking ... when was the last truck race at North Wilkesboro? And who won?

Take a minute.

Tony Stewart returns to Daytona 500 ... sort of

Smoke is back!

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the FOX Sports booth for next month's Busch Light Clash and the season-opening Daytona 500.

Stewart won championships as a driver in 2002, 2005 and 2011, and is currently the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. He last competed in the Cup Series in 2016, but did help form the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) last summer, where he ran all six races.

Stewart replaces Jeff Gordon, at least for the first two races, while FOX has not yet announced a full-time replacement for Gordon.

Quite frankly, one less guy in the booth gives Bowyer more time to talk. Nothing against Gordon, but, um, giving Bowyer more time to talk is probably a good thing. Mixing in Tony Stewart — he's somewhat unfiltered, right? — will only help.

Win-win!

Oh yeah, your answer ... it was Mark Martin, who won the second, and final, truck race at North Wilkesboro back in 1996.

There, we did it — Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, North Wilkesboro and Mark Martin all mentioned in a NASCAR column in the year 2022.

On a totally unrelated note, thank goodness the offseason is almost over.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR Hall of Fame grows while Red Farmer is still turning laps