Osterlund to be the crew chief for 1980 champion Dale Earnhardt. That June, Osterlund sold the team to J. D. Stacy and Earnhardt quit Stacy's team in August. He stayed with the team and was the crew chief for Joe Ruttman and Tim Richmond, winning two races with Richmond in 1982. For 1983 and 1984, he was hired by Billy Hagan to join Terry Labonte's team. They combined to win three races and the 1984 championship. He returned to Petty Enterprises in 1986 to oversee the business side. In an interview, he said, "This is my homecoming and this is where I belong. Damn, I am happy." He served as Petty’s crew chief for three more seasons (1986–1988) and continued in his role helping Richard Petty until Petty retired in 1992. After his retirement, Inman helped Petty Enterprises drivers Rick Wilson, John Andretti, and Bobby Hamilton. Inman retired from NASCAR in 1998, having won 193 races and eight championships. He continued as a consultant for Petty Enterprises for a while afterward. Away from racing, Inman has helped the Victory Junction Gang Camp get started. In 2008, he helped unveil the first artifact at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which was the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967. Awards In 2006, a national motorsports media group poll named Ray Evernham as the top NASCAR crew chief of all-time and Inman placed a close second even though he had more first place votes than Evernham. When asked, Inman said "I'm not even sure I should be ranked. I think I was second [in the poll], and I'm honored at that." He said that the best crew chief that he ever saw was Leonard Wood from the Wood Brothers and Waddell Wilson was also good. His contributions to racing led to him receiving the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame's first Golden Wrench award on May 25, 2000. In 2008, he was received the Smokey Yunick Award. On June 14, 2011, he was selected to the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Personal life As of 2000, Inman was married to his wife Mary for over 40 years. They had two children, Tina Dale Hussey and Jeffrey Inman, and four grandchildren, Taylor and Logan Hussey, and Peyton and Addison Inman. References External links 1936 births Living people NASCAR crew chiefs People from Randolph County, North Carolina