CHARLOTTE, N.C.—For Kurt Busch, waiting for the announcement of the 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class felt like race day.
That was before his name was called as a member of the class, joining Harry Gant as a Modern Era choice.
Modified superstar Ray Hendrick earned election to the 2026 class on the Pioneer Ballot, and promoter extraordinaire H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler was recognized as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
The induction ceremony for the new members is scheduled for January 23, 2026.
Busch’s career was characterized by remarkable consistency. The 46-year-old from Las Vegas won at least one NASCAR Cup Series race in 19 of his 21 full-time seasons.
NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2004 at age 26, Busch pushed Ryan Newman to victory in the 2008 Daytona 500 when both drove for Team Penske. Nine years later, Busch won the Great American Race in a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
“I felt like it was race mode,” Busch said of his nervousness in waiting to hear his name called. “I had to put the emotional blinders on… Everyone that’s on the ballot is someone who can go into the Hall because of the impact they made on the sport.
“For me, just a blue-collar kid out of Vegas, I never would have imagined this. We were a family where it was just a hobby to race. It was just fun to go to the track as father/son. Dad (Tom Busch) had his car, and I had mine…
“I’m running a Legend Car in 1999 at the (Las Vegas) Bull Ring, September of 1999. In September of 2000, I’m in Jack Roush’s Cup car, qualifying at Dover. Jeff Gordon’s next to me. Dale (Earnhardt) Sr.’s behind me. That’s how fast things happened for me. I don’t know how. I don’t know why.”
Busch blossomed early in his NASCAR career, winning a pole position at Darlington Raceway in his 2001 rookie season and following that with four victories in 2002.
It’s appropriate that Busch’s first career NASCAR Cup victory would come at Bristol, a track he came to dominate with six victories spread over a span of 17 years—and where he added to Bristol lore by making a “Snow Angel” after winning in uncharacteristically cold and snowy conditions in 2006.
From 2002 through 2022, Busch amassed 34 Cup wins. In 2004, he won the first championship under NASCAR’s Playoff format, then known as the Chase.
Driving the No. 97 Ford for Jack Roush, Busch weathered a bizarre accident when the right-front wheel separated from his car as he was approaching pit road. Busch continued onto pit road while the tire rolled onto the racing surface.
But a quick fix in the pits propelled Busch to a fifth-place finish in the race and his only Cup championship, by eight points over Jimmie Johnson.
Through the first decade of his career, Busch fought to find a balance between his elite talent and the mercurial temperament that cost him rides with Roush and Roger Penske. Ultimately, he won Cup races with five different owners—Roush, Penske, Stewart-Haas, Chip Ganassi and finally at Kansas Speedway in 2022 with 23XI Racing.
“The late Jim Hunter (NASCAR executive) said it best to me once when I was in some trouble,” Busch recalled. “He said, ‘Son, you can get in as much trouble as you want, because you have that much talent to dig yourself out of these holes you’re putting yourself in.
“But wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t dig those holes, and you could just stay on top, riding with your talent?’ It took a lot of lessons, but this was a fun announcement, and I can’t wait to tell more stories.”
Kurt and Kyle Busch hold the record for most Cup victories accumulated by brothers with 97.
The only driver to win a Cup race in cars of four different manufacturers—Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota—Busch was named on 61 percent of ballots during a closed session on Voting Day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the same percentage Gant received.
In stark contrast to Busch, Gant was a late bloomer who didn’t race in NASCAR’s top division until age 33. It wasn’t until age 40 that Gant ran his first full season the Cup Series in 1980.
Dubbed “Handsome Harry” for his striking good looks, Gant won 18 times in 474 starts on NASCAR’s top tour with a versatility that spoke volumes about his talent.
Gant, now 85, was a standout on such big tracks as Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Charlotte, Talladega, Pocono and Michigan—with victories at each of those venues—but he also conquered the venues of a mile of less at Richmond, Rockingham, Bristol, North Wilkesboro, Dover, Martinsville and Phoenix.
Gant also triumphed on the road courses of Watkins Glen and Sonoma, proving he could wheel a stock car at any sort of venue.
Gant will be remembered most prominently for the feat that earned him another moniker — “Mr. September.”
From Sept. 1 through Sept. 22 of 1991, Gant drove the iconic Leo Jackson-owned Skoal Bandit to four straight wins, at Darlington (the second of his two Southern 500s), Richmond, Dover and Martinsville, tying the Modern Era record for consecutive victories.
Gant wasn’t finished. In 1992 he won twice, with his victory at Michigan in August making him the oldest driver to win a Cup race, at age 52.
Two years later, at 54, he was the top qualifier at Bristol, becoming the oldest driver ever to win a Cup pole.
Ray Hendrick led the Pioneer ballot with 31 percent of the vote. Early NASCAR Cup Series driver Bob Welborn was second in the balloting.
Nicknamed “Mr. Modified,” Hendrick won more than 700 Modified and Late Model Sportsman races in a career that spanned 38 years (1950-1988). Driving the iconic red No. 11, Hendrick won five track championships at South Boston Speedway in his native Virginia.
Though he never won a Modified championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 in the standings nine times from 1960 through 1969. He is credited with 20 combined Modified and Sportsman victories at Martinsville Speedway alone.
Hendrick was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers and one of NASCAR Modified’s All-Time Top 10 Drivers.
Born in 1928 in Denton, North Carolina, Welborn passed away in 1997 at age 69.
Wheeler, 86, is a man of many and varied talents. He was a boxer, a scholarship football player at the University of South Carolina and a sportswriter for the Columbia (S.C.) Record before joining the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s public relations staff.
But Wheeler is best known for his 33-year tenure as President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, where his innovative—sometimes outrageous—ideas brought a new vision to the promotion of stock car racing.
Wheeler’s legendary stunts included school buses jumping over (and crashing into) lines of cars and full-scale Memorial Day weekend “battles” in the speedway’s infield grass, complete with startling pyrotechnics.

Over the past 2 seasons at Stafford Speedway, when it comes to extra distance racing in the SK Light division, Brian Sullivan and the #46 Monaco Ford team have been the combination to beat.  Sullivan swept a pair of 40-lap feature events during the 2023 season and he is the defending champion of the Monaco Ford Double Down.  With Monaco Ford sponsoring this Friday night’s 40-lap feature event as well as sponsoring his #46 car, Sullivan has some extra motivation to take home yet another extra distance checkered flag.

“I definitely look forward to the extra distance races and these are the races that I circle on my schedule since I’m running part-time this year,” said Sullivan.  “Especially with this race being the Monaco Ford 40-lapper, this is a race that we wanted to hit from the beginning of the year.  There’s some extra motivation with Monaco being my sponsor and sponsoring the race.  They’re going to have some extra guests at the track this Friday night, so these are the races that we want to win.”

In the last 5 extra distance SK Light feature events at Stafford, Sullivan has 3 wins, a third, and a fourth place finish.  Sullivan has also recorded three top-10 finishes in 6 starts during his time racing in Stafford’s SK Modified® division from 2011-2016.  Sullivan’s background shows he knows what it takes to be successful around the Connecticut half-mile facility when it comes to extra distance racing.

“I think with the extra laps you can pace yourself to get to the front,” said Sullivan.  “I wouldn’t say I’m a cautious racer, but the extra distance suits me and I have more laps to get to the front and keep the wheels on the car.  I’ve ran a few extra distance races in the SK Light division and 100-lap races in the SK Modified® division and the longer races really fit my driving style.”

With the Monaco Ford 40-lap race directly following a 30-lap extra distance event, Sullivan and his team have an excellent idea of where they need to be with their car setup versus a normal 20-lap weekly feature.

“We started the season and the first race the car was really good,” said Sullivan.  “Last week the car was way too loose so we kind of know what not to do for this week.  Whatever we learned from last week we’re going to carry into this week and we’ll make sure we tighten the car up a little extra for the 40 laps.  Last week was the 30-lapper so there’s not a whole lot of difference.  We’ll just put a little more lead and a little more fuel in the car.  Other than that, it’s pretty much normal procedure for us with the car.  Thanks to Monaco Ford, Constantine Paving and Sealing, Competitive Edge Coatings, Sullivan Landscaping, and my car owners Mike and Nicole Royce.  We’re all excited for the race.”

In order for Sullivan to notch another extra distance feature victory, he will have to contend with Nickolas Hovey, who has come out of the gates strong with two victories in the first two races of the 2025 season.

“Nick has some momentum on his side and he and his team were really stepping things up towards the end of last season,” said Sullivan.  “With a couple guys like Tyler Chapman and Alex Pearl moving up to the SK Modified® division, you knew he was probably going to be the favorite going into the season and he’s our goal.  If we can go out and beat him on the track, we know we did our homework.”

The SK Lights will be joined this Friday, May 23rd by Stafford’s SK Modified, Late Model, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions for the Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down.  This Friday night is also Military Appreciation Night. Active or retired military personnel may purchase tickets for $10 with valid I.D. at the gate.  Tickets are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and can also be purchased at the admission gates. General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-14, and free for kids 5 & under. Reserved seating is priced at $25 in advance and $30 at the gate for all ages. Pit passes are $40 with a valid 2025 Stafford Competition License and $45 without one. If you can’t attend in person, don’t miss the action—tune in to the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.

For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.

Stafford Speedway PR

What’s Happening?

With the shocking announcement of Tim Cindric’s unceremonious departure from Team Penske, NASCAR fans are wondering if his absence could affect the career of his son, Austin Cindric, the driver of Team Penske’s iconic No. 2.

Tim Cindric Out at Penske

Very rarely does NASCAR news come from INDYCAR, let alone the Indianapolis 500. However, this story found its way to the NASCAR news cycle in a roundabout way.

Tim Cindric, a longtime staple of Team Penske, has left the team following a dramatic cheating scandal in Indianapolis. Alongside the now-former President of Penske’s IndyCar efforts, two other executives have also left the team.

Of course, this has raised questions about the future of his son, Austin Cindric, who has had a rather disappointing time behind the wheel of Penske‘s most iconic NASCAR Cup Series ride. However, this isn’t the first time this conversation has happened this year.

On Jan. 31, Team Penske announced Cindric was stepping away from his day-to-day role as the President of their multifaceted racing pursuits while retaining his role in INDYCAR. However, today’s announcement is unlike the decision from January, which had the tone of a personal decision. This time, it seems as if there could be tension in his departure.

As Roger Penske stated Wednesday morning:

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams. We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.” — Roger Penske

So, is there any real reason to think this departure will affect Austin Cindric’s NASCAR career?

What’s Happening?

On Wednesday Morning, Team Penske announced the “departure” of several executives, including Tim Cindric, a long-time staple of the…

Austin Cindric, The Prospect and The Cup Series Driver

Austin Cindric’s turnaround from NASCAR National Series rookie in 2017 to full-time Cup Series driver in 2022 was no easy feat. Despite his father’s role in the team, Cindric had to earn his spot at Team Penske; this included four full-time seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity series.

Over these four seasons, Cindric rose from winless to consistent to dominant. In his third season, 2020, Cindric had 26 top-10 finishes and walked out of Phoenix with the championship. While waiting for a Cup Series seat to open in 2022, he put together yet another championship-caliber season, ultimately falling short at Phoenix.

Though he made a splash immediately upon arrival, winning Penske’s second Daytona 500, Cindric quickly showed signs of regression. Despite a strong ability to race at superspeedways, Austin seemed to have lost his skill on the other tracks, including his acumen for road course racing.

These struggles are acceptable for any driver, especially when making the transition during the NASCAR Gen Seven era. However, Cindric yet again showed an overall statistical decrease in 2023, going with less in 2024. 

Austin Cindric’s 2025 Season

Despite all these factors, and to the surprise of nobody, he reportedly received an extension at Team Penske in late 2023. At the time, this could have been viewed as Penske giving their former top prospect, the son of a longtime executive, a longer leash to figure things out at the Cup Series level, though some viewed it as NASCAR nepotism in action.

But after another disappointing yet slightly better 2024, most viewed this as a foolish decision. With the announcement of his father’s departure from the NASCAR side of the team in January, fans quickly claimed that, in their opinion, Cindric had no choice but to pick up the pace in 2025. So, how has the 26-year-old performed this season?

The young 2025 season has been up and down for the No. 2 team. After a strong showing in the first two races, both at superspeedway-style tracks, he had led 106 laps and scored one top-ten finish. However, at Circuit of the Americas, Cindric received a major penalty for intentionally wrecking Ty Dillon.

Putting this 50-point penalty behind him, Cindric has had quite the rebound season. He has shown improvement on intermediate tracks, including consistent qualifying speed, and was the first in-house Team Penske driver to win a race. A quick look at his stats through the first 12 races of the season shows a driver who is improving on his past seasons but still struggles for consistency on race day.

What’s Happening?

NASCAR has fined and penalized Austin Cindric for intentionally wrecking Ty Dillon on the front stretch at Circuit of…

Does This Mean Cindric Is at Risk of Losing His Spot?

Factoring in his first three full-time seasons at the Cup Series level, and his partial 2025 season, is there any real need to worry for Austin Cindric?

As of right now, probably not.

Though some could point to his surface-level stats as a reason the No. 2 team is the worst car at Team Penske, a deeper look at the numbers shows that Cindric is by no means the team’s weak link.

For example, Cindric’s 17.3 average finish is the second-best of his career, just behind his rookie season, and his 11.3 average starting position is the best of his career and is the second-best among full-time Cup Series drivers. Cindric also has 226 laps led, good for fifth best in the Cup Series.

So, How Does His Performance Stack Up Against His Teammates?

Cindric currently has the second-most top-ten finishes at Team Penske, the second-most laps led by anyone at Team Penske, the best average starting position of anyone at Team Penske, but the worst average finish of the three drivers in the Penske stable.

If you want to look at his 13th-place point position, the worst on the team, here’s an interesting thought. Had Cindric not had the 50-point penalty after COTA, he would not currently be 13th in points. Rather, he would be a career-best ninth, with 323 points, one spot above his teammate and reigning Cup Series champion, Joey Logano.

While it’s easy to deduce that this could save his spot at Penske in the future, the case could be made that he is the most unstable driver at the team.

His inconsistency on race day, combined with job security supplied by the championship legacies of Ryan Blaney and Logano, could be enough to make Cindric the odd man out at the three-car team should a major name hit the free agent market.

Right now, Austin Cindric’s future looks secure, but that by no means confirms he is in a safe spot. He will have to keep up his solid pace in 2025 if he wants to secure his long-term future with the organization.

What’s Happening?

Like any other sport, Free Agency is a key part of NASCAR. However, driver-free agency is not covered like…

Let us know your thoughts on Austin Cindric’s NASCAR future! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. 

Team Penske dropped a bombshell days before the Indy 500, which could shake up NASCAR, too. High-ranking firings, rule-breaking revelations, and a Hall of Fame twist involving a current Cup driver with deep family ties to the scandal. This one hits every corner of the motorsports world.

• Why did Penske clean house just before the biggest race of the year?
• Could Austin Cindric’s future at Penske be in real trouble now that his father’s gone from Penske?
• Who are the current NASCAR drivers locked in as future Hall of Famers — and who’s on the bubble?
• And which surprising names might sneak onto the ballot someday?

This episode packs drama, history, and speculation from the fallout at Indy to the Class of 2026. Are we witnessing the start of a major shift at one of NASCAR’s top teams? And are the Hall of Fame standards changing in real time? Drop your thoughts in the comments — who would you put in the Hall today, and who still has something to prove?

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