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NASCAR Hall of Fame 2026 Inductees Harry Gant and Kurt Busch meet with media<\/p>\n
The NASCAR<\/a> industry gathered in Charlotte, NC on Friday night, January 23 to honor the three inductees into its Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n Kurt Busch, Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick (posthumously), headlined the Class of 2026. All were outstanding drivers in their respective divisions in different eras. Also honored was pioneer journalist Deb Williams, who received the coveted Squire Hall Award<\/a> for NASCAR Media Excellence.<\/p>\n The festivities started on Thursday with a Jacket Ceremony where Busch and Gant received their logoed-blue NASCAR Hall of Fame blazers. Hendrick\u2019s family was given his in a glass enclosed frame. Also attending the event were past NHoF inductees wearing the jackets they received at their respective inductions.<\/p>\n Busch Took a Winding Way to Hall<\/p>\n Kurt Busch raced his fellow drivers\u2019 side-by-side, tough as nails and took no guff no matter how experienced the other competitor may have been. He\u2019d make news racing his way to Victory Lane to pointing at his butt on the hallowed grounds of Michigan<\/a>\u00a0Speedway to holding Daytona 500 and NCS Championship trophies.<\/p>\n He did it with rarely an apology. But, as the years and laps ticked on the Bad Boy Busch became Big Brother Busch. Winning his final race for 23XI at Kansas Speedway in 2022, a team he was brought on board to help mentor its younger drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was young, I was taking things for granted,\u201d Busch reflected. \u201cWinning like I did in my second NCS season with Jimmy Fenning (Roush Racing) and earning 11 races in three seasons. I was winning too often and I was getting in trouble. But, I would get in trouble and then back it up with a win.<\/p>\n \u201cI get in that deal with Jimmy Spencer at Michigan, then I go and win the Bristol night race. I never heard so many fans booing in my life. It was like, \u2018damn, I\u2019ve done something wrong.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat 2004 season, I put the blinders on and was pretty rough to a lot of reporters and photographers. But, I did my thing and won a championship.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Team Penske, I thought I needed to be a white collar guy. But, all during my speech you can tell I\u2019m really a blue collar guy. Racing with James Finch was my kind of peeps. Racing with Barney Visser, then Stewart Haas was what I needed.<\/p>\n \u201cI needed to find myself. On the way, I wanted to give back to people because people gave so much helping me in the beginning. Life changes and you learn things, you learn compassion and you learn respect.\u201d<\/p>\n Busch now finds himself in the NHoF with 34 NCS wins, the 2014 Championship, 2017 Daytona 500 Champion, 2003 IROC Champion and 2014 Indianapolis Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. In addition, he was named one of NASCAR\u2019s 75 Greatest Drivers.<\/p>\n Handsome Harry No More<\/p>\n Gant got a late start in his NASCAR career in 1973 at the age of 33 racing for Junie Donlavey. From there, the native of Taylorsville, NC would compete part time until going full time in 1979. His first of 18 victories took place in 1982 for the Hollywood connected owner Hal Needham.<\/p>\n He was known as \u201cMr. September\u201d and \u201cHandsome Harry\u201d and even \u201cThe Bandit\u201d because of his long-time sponsorship with Skoal Tobacco products driving the No 33 car. The one achievement remembered best was his record-setting streak of four-consecutive wins in September of 1991.<\/p>\n \u201cI raced with a lot of great people in my career and was able to win a lot of races,\u201d Gant said after the ceremony. \u201cThis has been great being voted into the Hall of Fame. I\u2019ve gotten a lot of calls from people congratulating me and others telling they voted me into the Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, he can add \u201cHall of Fame Harry\u201d to his list of monikers.<\/p>\n Ray Raced his Way in as Mr. Modified<\/p>\n Hendrick set the short track world on its ear traveling the East Coast and Southern tracks in his famous red Flying No. 11 with a fireball around the numbers. He raced like he lived, determined.<\/p>\n Credited with \u201c700 victories\u201d<\/a> at all sizes of tracks, Hendrick said \u201csecond was the first loser\u201d when he didn\u2019t win. He competed 17 times in the NCS without earning a win. None the less, it was his prowess on the short tracks that left his competitors in awe of his winning ability.<\/p>\n Passing away in 1990, Hendrick\u2019s son and grandsons represented him at the induction.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTim Packman<\/a> Tim Packman is a journalist for Heavy.com covering NASCAR. He grew up around the short tracks of Western New York watching his dad, stepdad and step brother race. His uncle was the head starter at many area tracks and member of the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.
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\nTim’s passion for racing took him to the announcer’s tower and writing program stories for multiple tracks in the area, namely Lancaster National Speedway. In 2000, he moved to Mooresville, NC to become an award-winning journalist for NASCAR.com. He took a job with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as the team’s Communications Director and was part of two Daytona 500 wins and two NASCAR Championships.
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\nThe announcing experience led to becoming a Pit Reporter and News Director for MRN Radio. A return to the team side at Richard Childress Racing as the Director of Corporate Communications took place, which also included another Championship.
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\nFrom 2015 to 2018, Tim returned to where his career began in 1994 – Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway – as the Track President. He earned Short Track Promoter of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.
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\nUpon returning to NC, he joined The Garage Shop as Communications Director and host of it’s Podcast and MAV-TV docuseries “Legacy of Speed” talking about Land Speed Racing at Bonneville, and other places.
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\nTim has hosted two other Podcasts, namely “Pub Table Racers,” and wrote three books. One was with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison titled, “Bobby Allison, a Racer’s Racer” and two Children’s books, “Funny Dan the Race Car Man” and “Petey the Pace Car.”
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\nHe also served in the US Navy. More about Tim Packman<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n