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New York Times
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
NASCAR Hall of Fame 2026: Why I voted Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton over Harry Gant
CHARLOTTE — The 48-member NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel on Tuesday faced one of its most challenging choices for the Class of 2026, with a three-way split among the voting for two spots on the 'Modern Era' ballot. By the numbers, 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch seemed like a slam dunk. He won 34 Cup Series races (by far the most of anyone else on the ballot) and a Daytona 500. He was one of the elite talents of the 2000s and 2010s. Advertisement But Busch was also a volatile personality who burned some bridges, which was enough to make some voters wary of rewarding him for the times when they perceived him to be a detriment to the sport. Ultimately, though, Busch was elected and received the same percentage of ballots (61 percent) as his fellow Modern Era inductee, 'Handsome' Harry Gant, a beloved multi-nicknamed star also known as 'Mr. September.' Busch and Gant will be joined by modified racing legend Ray Hendrick from the 'Pioneer' ballot while famed Charlotte track promoter H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler was voted to be the recipient of the Hall's Landmark Award in recognition of his contributions to NASCAR. Jeff Burton finished third on the Modern Era ballot, followed by Harry Hyde and Randy Dorton. Hendrick, who received 31 percent of the vote, was followed by three-time Convertible Series champion Bob Welborn. The new class will be inducted Jan. 23. Below is how I voted and how I perceived the results unfolding. Entering the voting process, Busch was my one slam-dunk pick from which I would not be swayed. I was open to hearing arguments for the other Modern Era winner as well as the other categories, but Busch was a lock for me for one of the two selections each voter was allowed (the top two vote-getters, regardless of percentage, were elected). Busch had 13 more Cup wins than Burton and 16 more Cup wins than Gant, who were my other primary considerations. He won a championship while they did not; he also won a Daytona 500 while they did not. Busch was the top Hall-eligible driver in wins, top-fives and top-10s. His exceptional talent and abilities raised the level of every car he drove. Was he a jerk during many years of his career? Yes, he was. There's no getting around that. Though he mellowed in his later years, he had many clashes off the track. Advertisement But for me, this isn't the Hall of Good Guys. It's the Hall of Fame. And Busch, without question, is a Hall of Famer for what he accomplished on the track. He's not exactly the only driver who had prickly interactions with people in the garage during his career. The sentiment in the room was divided over whether others viewed him the same way, and it became obvious Busch had some hurdles to face. In the end, though, enough voters decided to check their boxes for him to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It was also obvious there was a lot of support for Burton and Gant, and I was extremely torn on which one to vote for. Even when representatives from the accounting firm passed out the ballots, I had to stare at it for a minute before making my second choice. Ultimately, I went with Burton over Gant. While 'Handsome Harry' was very popular and won his 18 races in far fewer starts than most, I personally feel 20 victories is the current baseline for getting a Hall vote. Burton has 21, so he met my criteria for on the track. That said, I also felt Burton met the standard for being a Hall of Famer off the track — contributions to the sport that cannot be discounted and are viewed favorably by voters. 'The Mayor' has long been a safety advocate on behalf of his fellow drivers, he has helped explain the driver's point of view through his extensive broadcasting appearances and has been working — for free — as the head of the Drivers Advisory Council, which acts as the key go-between for NASCAR and the drivers. Burton has undoubtedly made NASCAR a better place. Surely, there were voters who took Gant's age (85) into consideration, and I was almost swayed by that factor because I get the sentiment of wanting people to be inducted while they're still alive. But ultimately, I chose to vote for who I felt was more deserving. Based on the arguments for Burton in the room last year and even more this year, it feels like he has momentum. His time is coming soon, although the next two years could be tricky with Kevin Harvick (2027 class) and Martin Truex Jr. (2028) likely first-ballot Hall of Famers. There was a push in the room to recognize NASCAR's grassroots, and 'Mr. Modified' was the clear choice for me after hearing the various discussions. He won more than 700 races and mastered places like Martinsville Speedway like no other. Last year, it felt like the voters wanted to put Ralph Moody in before Banjo Matthews because Moody laid the groundwork for Matthews' car-building genius. So I was a bit surprised Matthews didn't have more support this year, but it felt like Hendrick's accomplishments simply could not be overlooked — and Hendrick got my vote as well. I know some Larry Phillips fans will be upset that he wasn't the one recognized in the grassroots way, and he clearly deserves to be in. But in some ways, Hendrick's inclusion may set the stage for a future Phillips induction. This was an easy choice with a very short conversation in the room. There was a massive wave of support for Wheeler, and I had no problem checking the box with his name next to it. I have fond memories of watching Wheeler's pre-race spectacles at Charlotte, but he was known for much more than being racing's P.T. Barnum. He is largely responsible for the first intermediate track night race after lights were installed at Charlotte, which had a significant impact on NASCAR. And he was a friend and mentor to many in the garage, including drivers. Advertisement This seemed to be a wildly simple vote, similar to when Dr. Dean Sicking (inventor of the SAFER Barrier) got the Landmark Award last year. (Top photo of Kurt Busch celebrating his 2021 win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his second-to-last Cup Series victory: David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
A Champion, A Cult Hero, And NASCAR's P.T. Barnum Join Hall Of Fame
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Mike Forde, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Communications ... More speaks during the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day at NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 20, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by) NASCAR revealed its Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Tuesday, and as Hall of Fame classes go, this one has a little bit of everything—star power, overdue recognition, and a man who won more races than some drivers have had hot meals. Headlining the class is 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, joined by fan favorite Harry Gant and legendary short track racer Ray Hendrick. Longtime Charlotte Motor Speedway impresario H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler received the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR—a title that somehow still undersells what he did for the sport. DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - AUGUST 26: NASCAR Cup Series driver, Kurt Busch walks onstage during driver ... More intros after the announcement of his retirement prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 26, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by) Kurt Busch enters the Hall on his first ballot, a rare feat, and rightly so. He's a Daytona 500 winner, a Cup champion, and one of the few drivers to win in a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota. Early in his career, he was known for generating headlines—some of them unprintable—and a temper that could have started fights in an empty room. But over time, Kurt evolved into a calm, measured veteran—albeit one who could still rattle off lap times and expletives with equal ease. His career ended not with a farewell tour but with a crash at Pocono in 2022. Despite the abrupt exit, Busch walked away with 34 Cup wins in 776 starts. These days, he's a mentor at 23XI Racing, where he helps the next generation succeed—and likely teaches them some of his more inventive vocabulary along the way. Then there's Harry Gant. If NASCAR had a late bloomer's award, he'd have won it by a country mile. Gant finally gets the Hall call after six years on the Modern Era ballot—a delay many fans found baffling. After all, he was winning races at 51, an age when most drivers have long since swapped the race suit for a rocking chair. UNKNOWN — 1996: Harry Gant's final year of competition in NASCAR racing came in the NASCAR Truck ... More Series, as he entered 11 races during the season. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images) 'Mr. September' earned the nickname by winning four consecutive Cup races (and two in what's now the Xfinity Series) in September of 1991. He was also known as 'High Groove Harry' for his commitment to the outside line—a move that's either brave or crazy depending on the track and is carried on today by Kyle Larson. He racked up 18 Cup wins, including a pair of Southern 500s, and 21 Xfinity wins. Between 1981 and 1985, he was a fixture near the top of the standings, including a second-place finish in 1984. On the Pioneer Ballot, the nod went to Ray Hendrick—no relation to Rick—who was racking up wins when Richard Petty was still in short pants. Known as 'Mr. Modified,' Hendrick won more than 700 races between 1950 and 1988 in modifieds and late models. That's not a typo—seven hundred. He's one of those names that echoes through the sport's grassroots, even if he never ran full-time in NASCAR's top series. DAYTONA BEACH, FL — February 1967: Ray Hendrick of Richmond, VA, ran this 1961 Ford owned by Junie ... More Donlavey in the Permatex 300 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race at Daytona International Speedway, finishing 12th. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images) And then there's Humpy Wheeler—a man who made race promotion feel like a cross between pro wrestling and fireworks night at the county fair and who could have taught P.T. Barnum a thing or two had they shared the same era. As President and GM of Charlotte Motor Speedway for 33 years, Wheeler turned race weekends into must-see theater. There was Robosaurus, the car-eating robot that he had Dale Earnhardt Sr. use to crush six junked cars with to hype a race. And, of course, there was one press conference where Wheeler brought in a professional regurgitator to predict the winner by spitting up billiard balls. The 2026 inductees were chosen during a closed-door voting session at the Charlotte Convention Center, where a panel of NASCAR executives, track owners, media, team members, and past champions—plus fan input from down 15 nominees. EY handled the vote tabulation. (Photo by Jeff Goode/Toronto Star via Getty Images) Both Busch and Gant received 61% of the Modern Era ballot. Jeff Burton finished third, followed by Harry Hyde and Randy Dorton. Hendrick led the Pioneer ballot with 31%, ahead of Bob Welborn. The Fan Vote echoed the panel, favoring Hendrick, Gant, and Busch. The 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place Friday, January 23, 2026, in Charlotte. Expect speeches, stories, and probably a few mentions of the time Humpy Wheeler had a guy swallow and regurgitate race predictions. Because of course he did.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Kurt Busch, Ray Hendrick and Harry Gant voted into NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Drivers Kurt Busch, Ray Hendrick and Harry Gant were 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. The 46-year-old Busch, a first-ballot selection, held off Jimmie Johnson to win the 2004 Cup Series championship and went on to win 34 Cup races, including at least one in 19 of 21 of his full-time seasons on the premier circuit before retiring 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. 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. 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. 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. ___ AP auto racing:
