Kurt Busch among those selected for 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame class

The voting panel had to decide on two names from the Trendy Period Poll and one from the Pioneer Poll on Tuesday, in the end deciding on the next people: Kurt Busch (Trendy), Harry Gant (Trendy), and Ray Hendrick (Pioneer).

Busch and Gant each obtained 61% of the Trendy Period poll votes. Jeff Burton completed third, adopted by Harry Hyde and Randy Dorton. Hendrick obtained 31% of the Pioneer poll votes with Bob Welborn ending second.

Humpy Wheeler was additionally honored with the Landmark Achievement Award, which acknowledges those that have made vital and impactful contributions to the world of NASCAR.

Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Photograph by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos

It is no shock that Busch, a first-ballot nominee, has been voted into the Corridor of Fame in his first 12 months of eligibility. He’s the one NASCAR Cup Sequence champion among the many Trendy Period Poll nominees this 12 months, and nobody can argue in opposition to his talent behind the wheel of a inventory automotive.

Busch gained 34 Cup races, doing so with 5 totally different organizations and 4 totally different producers (the one driver to take action). Busch nonetheless had extra races to win as effectively, if not for a career-ending crash at Pocono in 2022. A multi-time race winner within the Xfinity and Truck Sequence, his Cup triumphs additionally embody the 2017 Daytona 500, the 2010 Coke 600, and the 2010 All-Star Race. 

Harry Gant

Harry Gant

Photograph by: ISC Archives – Getty Photos for NASCAR

Gant holds the respect of being the oldest winner in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past, successful 52 years and eight months in 1992. His profession included 18 Cup wins, all achieved whereas driving the enduring No. 33 Skoal Bandit automotive. He was the 1984 NASCAR Cup Sequence championship runner-up and earned the nickname ‘Mr. September’ for successful so many races throughout that point of 12 months. In truth, Gant is likely one of the few drivers within the fashionable period to have efficiently gained 4 consecutive Cup races. Gant’s outstanding profession additionally consists of two victories within the prestigious Southern 500, successful the enduring Darlington occasion in each 1984 and 1991.

Ray Hendrick

Ray Hendrick

The unique “Mr Modified,” Hendrick and his winged No. 11 dominated the brief observe scene for a few years, successful over 700 Modified and Late Mannequin races all through his profession. This included 20 Modified races on the historic Martinsville Speedway. His achievements have already gotten him acknowledged as certainly one of NASCAR’s 50 Finest Drivers in 1998 and once more as certainly one of NASCAR’s 75 Finest Drivers in 2023.

The Class of 2026 Induction Ceremony is ready to happen on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 on the NASCAR Corridor of Fame and Charlotte Conference Middle in Charlotte, North Carolina.