Kurt Busch, Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick inducted into NASCAR Hall of Fame

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — For most of his career, Kurt Busch had a tough-guy persona on and off the racetrack.

But the 47-year-old Busch showed a softer side during his NASCAR Hall of Fame acceptance speech on Friday night as he paused to honor his former Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle, who died in a plane crash along with his wife, two children and three others on Dec. 18.

“I can’t put the words together, but you and I were like peanut butter and jelly when we raced Cup together,” Busch said, addressing Biffle. “And you were instrumental in helping me win a (Cup) championship.

“You will always be the Biff. Everyone be like Biff.”

Busch was inducted along with fellow drivers Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick.

Busch, who won the first Cup Chase in 2004, was selected in his first year of eligibility by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel last May.

Busch got his start driving dwarf cars in his home state of Nevada and made the fast acceleration to the Cup Series after bypassing what was then known as the Busch Series because of his talent as a driver.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Busch said. “It’s a journey that this blue-collar kid from (Las) Vegas never expected. All of these trips down memory lane talking with everyone and the different teams I was with, all the great racers that I raced against. It’s been an amazing journey.”

His younger brother Kyle Busch presented him for the Hall, saying he was immensely proud.

“This award is about resilience and heart and Kurt earned every bit of it,” Kyle Busch said.

Nicknamed “The Outlaw,” Busch was known for his fiery temper and often found himself at the center of controversy.

He won his only Cup Series championship at age 26 in his fourth year on the circuit. It was the first championship contested under the 10-race Chase format, and it came in dramatic fashion.

Busch’s right front tire broke loose from his No. 97 Roush Racing Ford and rolled to the right of the pit wall as he steered to the left of the barrier. He managed to finish fifth and secured the title.

“There was this weird vibration happening with the right front,” Busch said in a video he posted on social media before his induction. “So, I was coming down on the access road, and it’s starting to vibrate bad like it’s coming apart. Something’s going down.

“It broke right there. I know I’m wrecking, and I’m like, ‘My day’s done.’ Something took my left foot off the brake pedal to allow that left front tire just to gain a little bit of turn and to stay away from the barrels and the embarrassment of running into the end of the pit wall.”

Busch won 43 races across NASCAR’s three national series, including 34 at the Cup level. He won the 2017 Daytona 500 and retired in 2023 after sustaining a concussion following a crash at Pocono.

Gant, 86, known as “The Bandit,” joined Busch as a Modern Era selection in his seventh year of eligibility.

“I was hoping to get in here sooner or later,” Gant joked.

Gant raced late into his career. The Taylorsville, North Carolina, native, had 18 victories, with five of them — including four straight wins at Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville — coming after he turned 51.

“I have been able to take a car and make it win,” Gant said. “I have had several cars. To make a car that becomes a winner, it’s like a person — it becomes your best friend then. Not your wife, but your best friend.”

Gant also won 21 races in the O’Reilly Series, captured the IROC Series title in 1985 and finished second to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip in the inaugural All-Star Race.

Hendrick, known as “Mr. Modified,” accumulated more than 700 victories in modified and late model sportsman racing from 1950 through 1988. He was chosen from a group of five Pioneer Ballot nominees.

Although he never won a modified championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 nine times from 1960-69.

“He was almost unbeatable on short tracks,” said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who is unrelated to Ray Hendrick but worked on Ray’s cars as a teenager.

Hendrick’s son Ronnie accepted the award for his father, who died in 1990.

“If my dad was here tonight he would be so honored to be recognized with so many other great drivers,” Ronnie Hendrick said.

Track promoter H.A. Wheeler was honored with the Landmark Award for contributions to the sport.

The longtime president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler became know for his over-the-top promotional events, including a staged battle in the infield with giant “Robosaurus” breathing fire and devouring cars during pre-race ceremonies.

Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith called him “the P.T. Barnum of motorsports.”

Wheeler died last August at age 86.

Roush honored again

NASCAR presented team owner and motorsports innovator Jack Roush with the Bill France Award of Excellence this week, making him the first two-time winner of what’s considered the sport’s most prestigious award. He was recognized for his decades-long impact on the sport and his commitment to competition, innovation and leadership.

He also won the award in 2001.

“For decades, Jack Roush has helped move NASCAR forward while staying true to what makes the sport special,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said. “He has built championship-caliber teams and developed generations of drivers and leaders.”

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