Kurt Busch headlines 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame class as first-ballot honoree

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kurt Busch earned a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection with stats that show him as one of the sport’s greats.

Busch, Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick — all three former NASCAR Cup drivers — will comprise the 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

"I've been through a lot, and to have this is a nice icing on the cake so to speak, from how my career finished in the car versus where we are today, it’s a nice feeling," said Busch, who has not raced in NASCAR since July 2022 when concussions sidelined him.

"It’s fun to reflect back on all the different moments now."

A panel of 48 voters plus one combined vote from fan online voting determined the 2026 Hall of Fame class. The two top vote-getters from the 10 Modern Era nominees and the one top vote-getter from the five Pioneer Era nominees earned spots in the 16th induction class.

Busch had far and away the most prolific career when it came to results: 34 Cup victories, one Cup title, a Daytona 500 win, finishing top-5 in more than 20 percent of his starts, winning in 19 different seasons at 18 different tracks.

But two suspensions — one race in 2012 for threatening a reporter (this reporter) and three races in 2015 after a civil no-contact order was issued against him for alleged domestic abuse — and several run-ins with media and competitors were considered a hurdle for Busch to get in on first ballot.

"The late [NASCAR public relations director] Jim Hunter, said it best to me once when I was in some trouble, and he said, ‘Son, you can get as much trouble as you want because you have that much talent to dig yourself out of these holes you keep putting yourself in. But wouldn't it be better if you didn't dig those holes, and you could just stay