Makar took the most daring step by leaving Penske in 1991 to help build Joe Gibbs Racing<\/a> from the ground up, one of the earliest and longest tenured members of the organization, and served as a crew chief for Dale Jarrett from 1992 to 1994, guiding the team to its first win at the 1993 Daytona 500.<\/p>\n And later helped Bobby LeBonte capture the 2000 Cup Series championship. But according to Jarrett, Makar\u2019s impact extended far beyond race strategy.<\/p>\n From there, Makar transitioned into a leadership role as senior vice president of racing operations at JGR in 2002 and quickly became a key figure in the team\u2019s overall competitiveness, contributing to victories and championships across the NASCAR top series<\/a> as the team continued to grow.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Across his crew chief career, Makar\u2019s teams amassed 22 Cup Series victories with three different drivers.<\/p>\n A Daytona 500<\/a>-winning, championship-caliber crew chief with decades of leadership at the highest level, Makar retired at the end of the 2022 season. His resume alone, compared with his longevity, makes a compelling Hall of Fame case.<\/p>\n Additionally, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace could not agree more.<\/p>\n \u201cDale Jarrett just said something that I totally agree with,\u201d he said. \u201cHe said. We\u2019re gonna have to start putting people in the Hall of Fame. And had done more than winning. And they are not superstars. Dale Jarrett said I want to see Jimmy Makar. Jimmy Makar was on brother Rusty\u2019s team, the Blue Max team, the number 27 Kodiak car. Jimmy Mark Makar was a great crew chief, but he started Joe Gibbs Racing.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Whether Makar ultimately earns a spot among NASCAR\u2019s legends remains to be seen. But with respected voices like Dale Jarrett and Kenny Wallace advocating for Makar, the 69-year-old\u2019s name is now firmly part of the conversation.<\/p>\n However, with prospects in place, Jarrett couldn\u2019t help but point to other pioneers of the sport, one of whom has long been awaited for induction this year. <\/a><\/p>\n Harry Gant receives a nod from Jarrett<\/p>\n Harry Gant<\/a> turned 86 two weeks ago and was honored Friday night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, celebrating a stock car career that ended nearly 3 decades ago. Still, his appearance suggested he could climb back into a race car without missing a beat.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI tell people that the first time I saw him was around 1970,\u201d Dale Jarrett said. \u201cWhen I saw him [Thursday] night, I hadn\u2019t seen him in a couple of years, but I was just amazed at how he still looks the same.\u2026 It just looks like he could jump in and go.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd at the Hall marveled once again at Handsome Harry, who joined Kurt Busch and Ray Hendrick as members of the class of 2026.<\/p>\n January 22, 2026, Charlotte, Nc, USA: NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series driver, HARRY GANT, is presented his exclusive blue jacket as he\u00c3\u00e2\u00e2 s inducted into the prestigious NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte, NC. A jacket unlike any other for legacies unlike any other. Handcrafted with precision, the NASCAR Hall of Fame blue jacket represents a permanent place among the \u00e2\u00e2 s greatest. Charlotte USA \u2013 ZUMAa161 20260122_aaa_a161_004 Copyright: xWalterxG.xArcexSr.x<\/p>\n Gant\u2019s induction came in the seventh year of eligibility, fitting for a driver whose career followed an unconventional timeline. A short track standout, Gant didn\u2019t reach the Cup Series until 39, an age when many drivers today are already thinking about retirement.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n His rise was an unlikely blend of blue-collar roots and Hollywood polish. Discovered by Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, Gant became the face of the No.33. With a movie star smile and a reputation for racing hard but fair, his ascent to NASCAR stardom was finally underway.<\/p>\n Moreover, he was a rare driver whose best moments came later in life. Some of the most iconic wins among his 18 Cup Series victories arrived after he turned 50, including a remarkable four-race winning streak in 1991 that earned the 51-year-old the nickname Mr. September.<\/p>\n He followed that run with the final victory at Michigan International Speedway in 1992, becoming the oldest winner in series history, a record that still stands.<\/p>\n And while the HoF induction took a while, the NASCAR community is glad that Gant\u2019s achievements have officially been acknowledged.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The post Unsung JGR Hero Gets Fierce Hall of Fame Push as NASCAR Veterans Break Silence on Overlooked Legacy<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dale Jarrett knows Joe Gibbs Racing better than most, and this time he isn\u2019t playing about. As NASCAR…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,3140,136881,7412,174670,179630,179629,12101,41526,634,7410,179145,82],"class_list":["post-431319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cup-series","tag-dale-jarrett","tag-hall-of-fame","tag-harry-gant","tag-jgr","tag-jimmy-makar","tag-joe-gibbs-racing","tag-kurt-busch","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-hall-of-fame","tag-ray-hendrick","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"January](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2b569764bb1b767073a0786591ecb13e.jpeg\"\/)
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