Active owners, recently retired driver prepare for NASCAR Hall of Fame

Mark Martin won 40 races at NASCAR’s highest level. Rick Hendrick has won 12 championships as a car owner; Richard Childress has won six. They are NASCAR legends, and will be recognized as such when they are inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network), along with the late Benny Parsons and Raymond Parks.

Thanks to Martin, Hendrick and Childress, this year’s Hall class is the most relevant yet to today’s racing — a bridge from the past to the present. Martin raced as recently as 2013, while Hendrick (who won the Cup title with Jimmie Johnson last year) and Childress still are active.

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Their average age is 65, which means there’s much more to do in their lives. And yet, each will have the experience of a living tribute for everything they’ve accomplished.

What must it be like to live that moment? Every bit of success will culminate in a single instant in front of a packed ballroom in Charlotte and a national television audience.

There will be a flood of emotions — perhaps an overwhelming one. A wave of immense gratitude will wash over them, as the natural tendency is to want to embrace every person who helped along the way.

Martin, Hendrick and Childress are prepared for that; they’re just not sure how they will respond when their chance to say “Thank you” arrives.

Of the three, Martin seems the most nervous. And that’s not surprising. During his career, Martin appeared to be miserable at times when someone in his shoes should have been on top of the world — largely because of self-induced pressure that made him battle himself as much as the competition.

PHOTOS: Mark Martin through the years

That’s why his goal for Friday is to relax; if he tries to give the perfect thank-you speech, he won't be able to soak it all in.

“It’s really important for me to enjoy it, because that was one of the shortfalls in my career,” he said. “I never let myself enjoy much of my success. I was too concerned about how we were going to win the race.”

Then there’s Hendrick, who doesn’t have time to thank everyone who contributed to his success because that would take a day and a half, he said, and he only has six minutes.

So Hendrick’s challenge in his speech — one he plans to give from the heart and not off a teleprompter — is to express his gratitude without naming names.

The feeling is similar to 1995, he said, when he sat in his New York hotel room and felt the urge to call everyone he knew and thank them for helping him win his first title.

PHOTOS: Memorable moments of NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick

But this speech will be more difficult, since it will force him to reflect on his entire life in racing.

“It’s going to be the toughest one I’ve ever done, because I feel such emotion about thanking so many people,” he said.

As for Childress, a man’s man with a tough exterior, his fear is getting too emotional. The 71-year-old isn’t about to get up there and start with the waterworks (“We’re not going to do that,” he said), but he might get choked up.

He has no intention of tearing up. But if he did, could anyone blame him?

“I was watching Brett Favre when he got inducted into the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame, and he got a little emotional,” Childress said. “So I guess if I do, it would be OK because he did, too.”

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

PHOTOS: 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame class