NASCAR Hall of Fame 2026 class headlined by Kurt Busch, Harry Gant

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be headlined by 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, NASCAR announced on May 20.

Harry Gant, modified driver Ray Hendrick (from the pioneer ballot) and former Charlotte Motor Speedway track promoter Humpy Wheeler (Landmark Award winner) will also be honored next winter as part of the full class of inductees.

Busch is another one of the famed early-2000s Young Guns to be inducted into the Hall of Fame following a spectacular career that included a Cup Series title and 34 wins, including his last victory at Kansas in 2022. Busch had a 10-year stretch (2002-11) and a nine-year stretch (2014-22) of seasons with at least one Cup victory.

Busch’s last race was in that 2022 season, as lingering concussion symptoms after a practice crash at Pocono forced him out of the car.

Gant was an 18-time Cup Series winner and added 21 more wins in the Xfinity Series. He remains the oldest Cup Series race winner (52 years when he won at Michigan in 1992) and recorded six top-5 Cup Series points finishes in his career. Any fan from that era certainly remembers the iconic Skoal Bandit car that Gant made famous through the 1980s and early 1990s.

Hendrick was named as one of the top 75 drivers in NASCAR history in 2023 and amassed over 700 wins across modified and Late Model Sportsman Series races.

Wheeler was one of the most creative track promoters across four decades, and his legacy remains across much of the sport’s tracks today including his work with promoting the All-Star Race and usage of lights for a track the size of the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway.