If you believe the question of where a new NASCAR hall of fame should be built can get a lot of discussions started, just think about the other big question that follows along with it: Who should be inducted?

The National Motorsports Press Assn. has been electing members to its Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame since 1965, and so far has chosen more than 70 inductees for their contributions to and accomplishments in the sport for enshrinement in a museum at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame adjacent to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway also has a strong stock-car contingent, and various regional and state halls around the country have recognized racing’s pioneers and heroes.

No selection process has been officially announced for the proposed NASCAR hall for which Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Kansas City, Kan.; and Richmond, Va., submitted bids by the May 31 deadline. NASCAR plans to visit each of those cities this summer and, after reviewing the bids and the results of those visits, could choose a site for the hall by the end of the year.

While we’re all waiting, let us assume that NASCAR will start from scratch in choosing the people to be honored once the new hall is established.

How many people should make up the first year’s class of inductees? With more than 70 already in the NMPA hall, it’s clear that any number significantly smaller than that would create some tough calls for whatever group of voters is assembled to make those decisions.

What if you were on that panel and were asked to vote for the 10 most deserving people to be among the first to go into the new hall of fame? How many drivers would you choose, as opposed to men who helped guide the sport to the success it enjoys today?

Junior Johnson, shown here driving in a 1963 race, won 50 NASCAR races as a driver and six championships as a car owner.

We’d like to know how you’d vote.

We’ve provided a list of the 25 candidates we feel should be the list for anyone considering who to include in the first hall of fame class. That doesn’t mean these are the only legitimate candidates – the list could certainly be at least twice as long.

We’ve included all of the drivers who’re in the top 20 in all-time victories who are not still active in the sport. We’ve also got track owners and team owners.

Choose the 10 you think are the most deserving and e-mail your votes to dpoole@charlotteobserver.com by June 24. We’ll let you know who you voted for the weekend of the July race at Daytona.

That’s Racin’s nominees

Bobby Allison: Had 84 career victories as a driver, including three Daytona 500s. 1983 Cup champion.

Buck Baker: Winner of 46 races and three championships.

Clay Earles: A true pioneer in the sport who built Martinsville Speedway and ran it for more than 40 years.

Dale Earnhardt: Seven-time Cup champion with 76 career victories and one of the sport’s all-time most popular racers.

Tim Flock: Colorful champion of the sport’s early years who won 39 races, including 18 in one year in 1955.

Bill France Sr.: Founder of NASCAR who served as its chairman for its first quarter-century.

Bill France Jr.: Followed his father as the sport’s leader and led it through the remarkable growth of the past three decades.

John Holman-Ralph Moody: The men behind one of NASCAR’s all-time most formidable teams. Won back-to-back championships with David Pearson in 1968-69.

Bobby Isaac: Won 36 races in 207 starts between 1967 and 1972, and finished his career with 37 victories and the 1970 championship.

Ned Jarrett: Won 50 races and two Grand National titles in his driving career, then served the sport as a television announcer for nearly 30 years.

Junior Johnson: Won 50 races as a driver and then 139 more – along with six championships – as a car owner.

Carl Kiekhaefer: The sport’s first multicar owner, his teams dominated the sport in an unrivaled fashion in 1955 and 1956.

Bud Moore: A World War II veteran who landed on Utah Beach on D-Day, he won back-to-back titles as a car owner in 1962 and 1963 with driver Joe Weatherly.

David Pearson: Second on the all-time list with 105 career victories and a three-time Cup series champion.

Lee Petty: Patriarch of the sport’s most famous family, he won 54 career races and built one of the great professional sports teams of all time.

Richard Petty: Lee Petty’s son won an all-time record 200 races and seven championships to earn his nickname – The King.

Fireball Roberts: Won 32 races in a 15-year career before suffering burns in a crash at Charlotte that eventually ended his life.

Ralph Seagraves: The man who led R.J. Reynolds Tobacco’s sponsorship venture that began in 1971 and lasted more than 30 years, establishing NASCAR’s modern era.

Bruton Smith: A pioneer track owner and promoter whose facilities, including Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte and Bristol Motor Speedway, have set the sport’s standard.

Herb Thomas: The sport’s first two-time champion, he had three Southern 500 victories among his 48 career wins.

Curtis Turner: Although he only won 17 races in NASCAR’s top series, the hard-charging Turner is considered by many to be one of the greatest drivers in history.

Darrell Waltrip: A three-time champion with 84 career victories, he was also twice voted the sport’s most popular driver. Now an analyst for Fox Sports’ NASCAR coverage.

Glen and Leonard Wood: The men who made the Wood Brothers team into one of the sport’s greatest operations. Glen won 14 races as a driver, and he and Leonard have had 17 of the sport’s 50 greatest drivers in their cars.

Cale Yarborough: The only driver to ever win three straight championships, he won 83 races in his career.

Smokey Yunick: One of the most colorful and brilliant mechanics and car owners to ever ply his trade in NASCAR.