Kurt Busch, Ray Hendrick and Harry Gant voted into NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Given his resume, Kurt Busch knew it was a matter of when, not if, he would be selected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Still, getting voted in on the first ballot on Tuesday was a huge relief for Busch, who let out an emotional sigh of relief after hearing his named called at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
'I'm very grateful and thankful that it happened this first time,' Busch said. 'You want to have that answer as fast as you can.'
Ray Hendrick and Harry Gant were also voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, while executive Humpy Wheeler was named the Landmark Award winner for his contribution to the sport. A ceremony will be held to officially induct the Class of 2026 into the Hall of Fame in March.
The 46-year-old Busch held off Jimmie Johnson to win the 2004 Cup Series championship and went on to win 34 Cup races, including at least one victory in 19 of his 21 full-time seasons on the premier circuit before he retired in 2023.
His journey to NASCAR stardom began in 2000 with a Truck Series rookie season that foreshadowed greatness. His big breakthrough came in 2004, when he became the first driver to win the title under NASCAR's 'playoff' system – a feat that proved both his excellence and adaptability.
The consistent Busch finished in the top 10 in the Cup Series standings 10 times.
'Things happened fast for me in this sport and I don't know how or why,' Busch said. 'There was no template, there wasn't the ladder that these days you see the kids that have a system where it is going to be this or that. For me it was being in the right place at the right time and the universe smiled down on me.'
Hendrick, who died in 1990 at age 61, was the original 'Mr. Modified."
He is one of the winningest drivers of all time, with than 700 modified and late model sportsman wins between 1950-88. His success started in his home state of Virginia, where his No. 11 was well know. He won five track championships at South Boston Speedway — four modified and one late model sportsman.
He was known as a driver that was willing to race 'anywhere and everywhere,' and did just that. He filled his schedule with modified and late model sportsman races across the East coast. Hendrick was known best for his wins on short tracks, but also produced victories at Talladega, Charlotte and Dover.
Despite never winning a Modified Division championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 in the standings nine times from 1960-69.
The 85-year-old Gant, known as the 'Bandit' for his long-time sponsorship with Skoal Bandits, won 18 Cup Series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991. In the five seasons from 1981 through 1985, he finished in the top five in points four times, including a runner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.
He also won 21 Xfinity Series races.
Members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met Tuesday in an in-person closed session at the Charlotte Convention Center to debate and vote on the 15 nominees for the induction class of 2026 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award.
The 49-person voting panel included representatives from NASCAR, the Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion (Joey Logano).
Busch and Gant both received 61% of the "modern era" ballot votes. Jeff Burton finished third, followed by Harry Hyde and Randy Dorton.
Hendrick received 31% of the 'pioneer' ballot votes. Bob Welborn finished second.
Gant raced into his 50s, and still holds premier series records for oldest driver to win a race (52 years old) and a pole (54). He drove the first race car with a telemetry system installed in it at Talladega in 1985 and relayed the data to CBS during its coverage of the event.
This was the Gant's seventh time on the ballot. He did not attend the announcement ceremony on Tuesday and was not available for comment.
All three were among NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers and one of NASCAR Modified's All-Time Top 10 Drivers.
Wheeler became synonymous with promotion and innovation.
He spent 33 years as the president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway and played a pivotal role in transforming the venue into a world-class facility.
Wheeler added a new dynamic to the sport, a visionary whose leadership and creativity helped shape today's fan experience with the introduction of dramatic prerace ceremonies and the development of night racing at superspeedways.
He was known for his innovative promotions and stunts.
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Lou Trivino delivers a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Sauer follows through on a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Sauer, left, is relieved from a baseball game by manager Dave Roberts (30) as Dalton Rushing looks on in the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Sauer, left, is relieved from a baseball game by manager Dave Roberts (30) as Dalton Rushing looks on in the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) Los Angeles Dodgers' Lou Trivino delivers a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Sauer follows through on a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Sauer, left, is relieved from a baseball game by manager Dave Roberts (30) as Dalton Rushing looks on in the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan) SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have 14 pitchers making more than $100 million combined this season on their injured list, They've been signing, promoting, playing and releasing pitchers almost daily as they engage in a perpetual scramble to assemble enough healthy arms to compete. When the Dodgers fell behind in the third inning Tuesday night while desperately short of options on the mound, the defending World Series champions essentially decided to punt a game away to the San Diego Padres. Advertisement Matt Sauer, a 26-year-old minor leaguer getting his fourth callup already this season, threw 111 pitches while giving up 13 hits, three walks and nine runs and facing 30 batters in the Padres' 11-1 victory. The Dodgers allowed Sauer to pitch 4 2/3 innings with nothing close to his best stuff, and the Padres' loaded lineup feasted on him while turning a much-anticipated rivalry game into a laugher. Utilityman Kiké Hernández then took the mound during the sixth and pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while throwing 36 pitches — none faster than 57 mph. Manager Dave Roberts grimly acknowledged that the Dodgers essentially had to give up on trying to win this game after falling behind 3-0 in the third inning. Advertisement 'You've just got to look at where our 'pen is at, and appreciate what we have the next couple of days,' Roberts said. 'I felt it just wasn't smart to chase and red-line guys. I've got to give credit to Matt. That was as much as he's ever pitched, and (he) essentially took it for the team to try and stay away from other guys and give us a chance to win a series. That's what we came in here to do, and we're in position to do that.' Indeed, the Dodgers used four high-leverage relievers for five total innings while hanging on for their 8-7 victory over the Padres in 10 innings on Monday night. That left the bullpen weary behind Lou Trivino, who went out as the opener Tuesday and threw one hitless inning. The Dodgers' rotation is profoundly patchwork. 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Sauer accepted his bizarre fate, realizing the Dodgers needed his arm to fill innings while they regrouped. 'I've just got to be better with locating the ball,' said Sauer, who signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers last winter. 'I wouldn't necessarily say (it's) a pride thing. I know my role is to eat up innings, and I feel like I've got the frame and the repertoire to do that, and I'm going to go out there and compete every time.' Everyone recognizes that the deep-pocketed Dodgers' success over the past several years has happened despite a jaw-dropping slew of major pitching injuries. Last season was similar to this campaign, with practically every pitcher on the roster missing large chunks of the season and postseason. Advertisement Los Angeles won the World Series last season with an October starting rotation of late-season acquisition Jack Flaherty, Yamamoto (who missed three months of the regular season) and Walker Buehler (who also missed three months) supported by multiple bullpen games. Flaherty and Buehler then left in free agency. Roberts disagreed with the notion that the Dodgers' unlikely success with bullpen games last season — particularly in the NLDS against the Padres — could have given them false confidence in their ability to solve these major pitching woes with that strategy. 'Today wasn't really a bullpen day,' Roberts said. 'If you look at last year, certain games, you have nine guys that you have available, and we certainly didn't have that today. Somebody was going to have to take three to five innings. We weren't in that situation last year, so I don't think that's a fair comparison. When you get behind, you've got to kind of just ride it out.' ___ AP MLB:
