NASCAR to change Hall of Fame selection process

NASCAR to change Hall of Fame selection process and eligibility; Cup champ to get a vote: before the 2013 NASCAR Championship Contenders Press Conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Thursday, NASCAR's Brett Jewkes made a special announcement:
BRETT JEWKES: "At Champions Week in Las Vegas, NASCAR will announce a number of different significant changes to the Hall of Fame selection process and eligibility. There is one we want to announce today because it's relevant to the proceedings that we'll have on Sunday afternoon. As we meet to select the 2015 Hall of Fame class this May, NASCAR will become the first major sport to include a current competitor on the voting panel. Moving forward, the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion will have a vote for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. One of these gentlemen [Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick] will be invited into that closed-door meeting and cast one of those precious votes to seat the 2015 class.(NASCAR)(11-14-2013)