by FOXSports.com

Petty and Yarborough were announced as nominees Thursday, a day after former drivers-turned-owners Wood and Childress were announced and two days after Waltrip and Allison's names were released.

The full list of 25 drivers will be unveiled on SPEED this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. A total of five drivers will be inducted at the opening of the Hall of Fame in Charlotte in May.

Waltrip, a NASCAR on FOX analyst and FOXSports.com columnist, is a three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion and won the 1989 Daytona 500.

Waltrip made his NASCAR debut in 1972 and made occasional appearances at NASCAR tracks while spending most of his time as a short-track racer. He became a full-time NASCAR driver in 1975.

"My whole career, I've always thought it was cool how other big league sports would refer to their guys as Hall of Famers," Waltrip said. "I hoped that one day someone would refer to me that way.

"It's the greatest honor a driver can receive, to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It means you must have been pretty good at what you do. I am humbled and excited that my name, Darrell Waltrip, would be under consideration for a spot in the Hall."

Waltrip retired in 2000 after driving in more than 800 races.

Allison, who won the Daytona 500 three times and won the Winston Cup championship in 1983. His 1988 win at Daytona at the age of 50 made him the oldest driver to win that race and by beating son Davey Allison, they were the first father and son to have a one-two finish at that race.

Allison began his NASCAR career in 1965 and was in more than 700 races before his retirement in 1988 due to injuries suffered in a crash at Pocono Raceway.

Waltrip and Allison are tied for third place on the all-time Winston Cup victories list with 84.

The late Petty was a three-time NASCAR champion in the 1950s. He was selected as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998, along with his son, Richard.

Yarborough won three straight NASCAR Sprint Cup titles from 1976-78.

Wood helped pioneer the modern-day pit stop, while Childress shares the record of 11 owner championships in NASCAR's three national series.

A 21-member committee selected the nominees from NASCAR drivers, owners and promoters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.