Four drivers and track mogul Bruton Smith make list for seventh class

The NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel elected a varied, decorated Class of 2016 on Wednesday, tapping Jerry Cook, Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte, Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner for enshrinement.

The seventh five-member class was revealed in the Hall of Fame's Great Hall. The 57 voters, with two recused, weighted their ballots by selecting four drivers among the five inductees as well as track mogul Smith.

Harold Brasington, the visionary who carved Darlington Speedway out of the South Carolina sandhills to host NASCAR's first 500-mile race in 1950, was named the recipient of the Landmark Award.

Smith was listed as the top vote-getter from the pool of 20 nominees. He was followed in the balloting by Labonte, Cook, Turner and Isaac.

Smith, the always candid 88-year-old CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., built an empire of race tracks from his earliest days as builder and promoter of Charlotte Motor Speedway, putting on NASCAR's first 600-mile race in 1960. Today, his group controls eight tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Labonte, 56, made his mark with two championships, claimed 12 years apart (1984, 1996), and 22 victories in NASCAR's premier series. His calm, steady demeanor both inside and out of a race car earned him the nickname "The Iceman," and he ranks third on NASCAR's list of all-time starts with 890.

Cook, 71, found fame driving in the northern-based NASCAR Modified Tour, winning six championships, including four in a row from 1974-77. He follows fellow Modified standout Richie Evans into the Hall of Fame.

Curtis Turner, who died in a plane crash in 1970 at age 46, established himself as one of NASCAR's earliest stars with both his hard-nosed driving style and his ebullient personality. Turner was the winningest driver in NASCAR's Convertible Division and made 17 visits to Victory Lane in NASCAR's top series.

Isaac, who died at age 45 in 1977, assembled one of the most brilliant two-season hot streaks in NASCAR history, culminating with the 1970 premier-series championship. His run of success from 1969-70 totaled 28 victories and 33 pole positions.

Before the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel convened, Bryson Byrnes -- the 12-year-old son of FOX broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who died of cancer on April 21 -- cast his father's ballot in an emotional ceremony in the Charlotte Convention Center.(NASCAR.com)