darrell waltrip NASCAR Hall of Fame
Darrell Waltrip will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January. REUTERS/STR New

Driver Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 20, 2012, NASCAR announced yesterday.

Yarborough won the Daytona 500 four times, second on the all-time list only to Richard Petty's seven Daytona wins. He dominated NASCAR racing from 1976 to 1978, winning three consecutive championships and 28 races. In 31 years of racing, Yarborough won 83 races--sixth all time.

Darrell Waltrip was also a three-time NASCAR champion, in 1981, 1982, and 1985. He is tied with Bobby Allison and Jeff Gordon for most career victories at 84 wins.

Also voted into the Hall of Fame were Richard Petty crew chief Dale Inman, Modified racing champion Richie Evans and Glen Wood, part of the Wood Brothers racing team that has racked up 98 NASCAR victories.

Voting was done by a 55-person panel and through fan voting on NASCAR.com.

Fireball Roberts, Richard Childress and Benny Parsons were eligible for induction but failed to get sufficient votes. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young tabulated the votes. Five people are inducted into the Hall of Fame each year.

This is the third year of Hall of Fame voting. Previous inductees are Bill France, Sr., Bill France, Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett and Bud Moore.

I am happy it's over with, Yarborough told the Florence Morning News. For two years, I had people from all over the world telling me that I should have been in already. Now, I won't have to hear that.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is located in Charlotte, N.C.