Motorsports

NASCAR announces 2026 Hall of Fame Class

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR announced the new inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, including one North Carolina native. The Hall of Fame Class for 2026 will include three new inductees, it is their 16th since the start of the Hall of Fame in 2010. The class will also include this year’s […]

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR announced the new inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, including one North Carolina native.

The Hall of Fame Class for 2026 will include three new inductees, it is their 16th since the start of the Hall of Fame in 2010. The class will also include this year’s Landmark Award winner

The Class of 2026 includes Kurt Busch, Harry Gant, and Ray Hendrick. In addition to those three Humpy Wheeler was named the Landmark Award recipient.

Gant and Wheeler are both natives of North Carolina. Gant is from Taylorsville, North Carolina won 18 premier series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991.

Gant also had 21 wins in the Xfinity Series. In the five seasons from 1981 through 1985, Gant finished in the top five in points four times, including a runner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.

Wheeler is a native of Belmont, North Carolina and was the President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway for 33-years. Wheeler also lead the construction of the iconic Turn 4 grandstands and introduced the “NASCAR Experience,” which brought fans even closer to the action.

Kurt Busch’s first win came at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway, he finished third in points. And after that his career took off.

In 2004, Busch captured the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, becoming the first driver to win the title under NASCAR’s playoff system. Busch earned 34 Cup Series wins in 776 starts, including a thrilling victory in the 2017 Daytona 500.

Ray Hendrick is one of the winningest drivers of all time and amassed over 700 modified and late model sportsman wins between 1950-88.

Hendrick won five track championships at South Boston Speedway – four modified and one late model sportsman.

He was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers and one of NASCAR’s Modified’s All-Time Top 10 Drivers.

The Class of 2026 Induction Ceremony is set for Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte.



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