Which icons have been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026?

NASCAR announced this year's Hall of Fame, naming Kurt Busch, Ray Hendrick, and Harry Gant. In addition, it named Humpy Wheeler as the Landmark Award's receipient.

Every year, NASCAR inducts several individuals into its Hall of Fame, especially those who have shown incredible skills in the sport - drivers, crew chiefs, owners, broadcasters, and other major contributors to the sport.

After rigorous voting by the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel, they are selected. Similar to every year, the sanctioning body announced the names of Busch, Hendrick, and Gant.

The three aforementioned individuals were voted by the Voting Panel, including the representatives from the sanctioning body, the Hall of Fame, media members, manufacturer representatives, track owners, recognized leaders within the sport, and defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano.

The votes were divided into two categories - Modern Era and Pioneer- and the renowned accounting firm EY tabulated the votes. In the first one, Kurt Busch and Harry Gant received 61 percent of the votes, while Jeb Burton, Harry Hyderabad, and Randy Dorton finished in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

Hendrick received 31 percent in the Pioneer votes and defeated Bob Welborn, who finished second. Notably, Wheeler, set to receive the Landmark Award, has made an outstanding contribution to the sport.

The Hall of Fame class of 2026 is set to take place on January 23, 2026, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina.

---

Kurt Busch makes his feelings known as he was selected for NASCAR Hall of Fame

Kurt Busch speaks onstage at the 2023 NASCAR Awards Banquet at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 - Source: Imagn

When NASCAR named him as one of the inductees for the 2026 Hall of Fame, Kurt Busch shared his reactions and made his feelings known on a unique achievement.

“I had to go like into racer mode. I had to kind of stay focused on the emotions of it, but also you're listening to all of the statistics and all of the heroes that I looked up to and raced against and the ones that are on the ballot with me, he said.

"Everyone's deserving, and I was fingers crossed hoping that it would happen. But either way, I would still be here to celebrate our past, our present, and our future," Busch added.

Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion, has 34 race wins, 28 pole positions, and 339 top 10s to his name. He also raced in the Xfinity and Truck Series and has five and four wins, respectively.