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Former drivers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip are two of the 25 nominees for the first NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class.

NASCAR released the two names Tuesday ahead of the announcement of all nominees Thursday night.

The first class will consist of five members. They'll be inducted in conjunction with the opening of the Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte next May.

Allison and Waltrip were longtime rivals and are tied for third with 84 victories in NASCAR's top series. Waltrip won three Cup championships and Allison one.

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

UNCERTAIN FUTURE: The Milwaukee Mile's past includes more than a century's worth of auto racing's biggest names, from A.J. Foyt to the Unsers and the Andrettis. Now the track's promoters are behind on payments to NASCAR and the Indy Racing League, leaving its future uncertain.

The Milwaukee Mile hosted its two biggest events of the year over the past month: An IndyCar series race May 31 and NASCAR's Nationwide and Camping World Trucks series races June 20. While the IndyCar and Nationwide dates drew decent crowds, the track's promoters still are struggling to meet their financial obligations.

Promoters have paid prize money to teams but they have not fully paid sanctioning fees owed to NASCAR and the IRL, according to reports in the Charlotte Observer and Indianapolis Star. Both leagues confirmed those reports to The Associated Press.

Wisconsin Motorsports was announced as the track's new promoter in February, replacing Milwaukee Mile Holdings LLC. The track trumpeted the move as one that "ensures the near-term and long-term future of auto racing at America's Legendary Oval."

Yet the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported that promoters owe NASCAR nearly $1.9 million. A track spokesman said officials had no comment beyond what Claude Napier, president and CEO of Wisconsin Motorsports, told the Journal Sentinel over the weekend: That some advance ticket revenue for this year's races was collected by Milwaukee Mile Holdings.

Napier also told the paper that NASCAR's decision to clamp down on racing teams' midweek test sessions has hurt financially.