CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wendell Scott earned a second NASCAR first on Wednesday: He became the first African-American driver to be elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The late driver from Virginia was among the latest group of five — all drivers, another first — voted in the hall on Wednesday. Scott joins popular NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, two-time series champ Joe Weatherly, 1960 champion Rex White and 26-time race winner Fred Lorenzen. Scott competed in NASCARs top series from 1961-73. He won his only race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1963, taking the checkered flag in the 100-mile feature after starting 15th. Scott started 495 Sprint Cup events and had a 147 top 10 finishes. "I just felt like that his time was coming and he would say that too, one day its going to happen," said Scotts son, Franklin. When Scotts name was called there were enthusiastic shouts and applause from fans, officials and family members gathered at the NASCAR Hall of Fame rotunda. He was the second-leading vote getter behind Elliott from a 54-member panel, including current Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Scott, who died in 1990, was the first African-American driver to race fulltime in NASCARs top series. He had won more than 100 races at local tracks before stepping up to race against NASCARs best. Among Scotts legacy to the sport is the sports Drive for Diversity initiative, one of the top youth development programs for multicultural and female drivers across the motorsports industry thats been in place since 2004. "The next inductee gives me additional pride," NASCAR chairman Brian France said in introducing Scott, "Because he undoubted scaled and climbed the highest mountain." Scotts story was loosely portrayed in the 1977 movie, "Greased Lightning," where Richard Pryor starred as Scott, the one-time taxi driver from Danville, Virginia. "He said one day they are going to write a book about me," Franklin Scott said of his father. "He had great determination. He was a great ambassador for the sport." Elliott was the 1988 Sprint Cup champion and his 44 race victories rank 16th in NASCAR history. The driver nicknamed "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville" was also the first to win the Winston Million bonus in 1985 for capturing three of NASCAR crown jewel races. When Elliotts name was called, racer son Chase patted him on the shoulder. "This is at the top of everything Ive ever done and accomplished," he said. "This is the pinnacle." Elliott said he was a bit surprised when he was called first and thanked those who helped him achieve what he had in racing. "You look at all of the people to be nominated and you try to put things into perspective. And bam, you are the first name announced and its like, holy mackerel what just happened," he said. Modified champion Jerry Cook was sixth, car owner Robert Yates seventh and the late driver and announcer Benny Parsons eighth. The five inductees will be enshrined at ceremonies on January 30th. Hall of Famer Richard Petty, among the voters, said there were few clear cut people on the list of 20. "I had my thoughts and others had theirs, but nobody said this is the guy that needs to get in," Petty said. "That was different than past years." Weatherly, who died in 1964, won 25 races in NASCARs premiere series including those back-to-back championships in 1962 and 1963. White raced from 1956-64, winning 28 times in 233 events including six races during his championship season in 1960. Lorenzen started as a mechanic in NASCAR in 1960, but became a driver by the end of the year. He won the first three of his 26 races the next season. In 1963, Lorenzen had a stretch of dominance like few others when he won eight of 16 races entered. At one point, he led 1,679 of the possible 1,953 laps run. Series matriarch Anne Bledsoe France was honoured with the inaugural Landmark Award. She was the wife of NASCAR founding father, Bill France, and grandmother of current CEO and chairman Brian France. Anne B. France served as secretary and treasurer of NASCAR. AP Sports Writer Steve Reed contributed to this report. Cheap College Jerseys .C. - Canadian ice dancing, it seems, is in good hands. Cheap NFL Jerseys .com) - Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Case Keenum sustained a sprained right thumb during Sundays 25-3 loss in Indianapolis. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/cheap-jerseys. Abduraimova had not won a tour-level match since 2009 but was a wild-card entry in Tashkent and broke her opponent twice in each set to reach the second round. Second-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania advanced easily by beating Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine 6-3, 6-1, while No. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- The Guelph Storm are moving on to the Western Conference final after defeating the London Knights 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action. Cheap NHL Jerseys . -- Felix Girard scored on the power play in the third period to lift the Baie-Comeau Drakkar past the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 4-3 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday. NEW YORK -- The Toronto Blue Jays placed left-handed reliever Brett Cecil on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained left groin and recalled right-hander Steve Delabar from Triple-A Buffalo. Delabar, just sent down Tuesday, and Cecil were both All-Stars last season. In other news, infielder Brett Lawrie was out of the lineup against the New York Yankees after getting hit on the back of his left hand by a pitch Wednesday night. X-rays were negative but manager John Gibbons said Lawries hand was swollen and he couldnt grip a bat. "He needs a day," Gibbons said. Juan Francisco played third base, with Steve Tolleson at second. Lawrie, hitting .237 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs, has been starting in both spots this season. Designated hitter Adam Lind remained out with a bruised right foot. Gibbons hopes Lawrie and Lind will be available this weekend in Cincinnati. Cecil left Fridays gaame in Baltimore with groin tightness and rested for a few days before returning to the mound Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.dddddddddddd He got two outs but walked in a run and gave up a bases-loaded triple to Brian McCann. Gibbons said Cecils groin didnt feel great during his outing. The reliever is 0-3 with a 3.76 ERA and three saves in 32 appearances. In addition, the Blue Jays announced that minor league lefty Ricky Romero had season-ending surgery on his left knee to clean out quadriceps tendon inflammation. The operation was performed Tuesday by Dr. Neal Attrache in Los Angeles, and Romero is expected to need about six months to recover. Drafted sixth overall in 2005, the 29-year-old Romero was a major league All-Star three years ago, when he went 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA for the Blue Jays. But he has struggled since then and spent this season at Triple-A, going 0-3 with a 5.50 ERA in nine starts. ' ' '