Kurt Busch amongst these chosen for 2026 NASCAR Corridor of Fame class

The voting panel had to decide on two names from the Trendy Period Poll and one from the Pioneer Poll on Tuesday, in the end deciding on the next people: Kurt Busch (Trendy), Harry Gant (Trendy), and Ray Hendrick (Pioneer).

Busch and Gant each obtained 61% of the Trendy Period poll votes. Jeff Burton completed third, adopted by Harry Hyde and Randy Dorton. Hendrick obtained 31% of the Pioneer poll votes with Bob Welborn ending second.

Humpy Wheeler was additionally honored with the Landmark Achievement Award, which acknowledges those that have made important and impactful contributions to the world of NASCAR.

Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Photograph by: Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures

It is no shock that Busch, a first-ballot nominee, has been voted into the Corridor of Fame in his first 12 months of eligibility. He’s the one NASCAR Cup Sequence champion among the many Trendy Period Poll nominees this 12 months, and nobody can argue in opposition to his ability behind the wheel of a inventory automotive.

Busch gained 34 Cup races, doing so with 5 totally different organizations and 4 totally different producers (the one driver to take action). Busch nonetheless had extra races to win as properly, if not for a career-ending crash at Pocono in 2022. A multi-time race winner within the Xfinity and Truck Sequence, his Cup triumphs additionally embody the 2017 Daytona 500, the 2010 Coke 600, and the 2010 All-Star Race. 

Harry Gant

Harry Gant

Photograph by: ISC Archives – Getty Pictures for NASCAR

Gant holds the distinction of being the oldest winner in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past, profitable 52 years and eight months in 1992. His profession included 18 Cup wins, all achieved whereas driving the long-lasting No. 33 Skoal Bandit automotive. He was the 1984 NASCAR Cup Sequence championship runner-up and earned the nickname ‘Mr. September’ for profitable so many races throughout that point of 12 months. The truth is, Gant is without doubt one of the few drivers within the trendy period to have efficiently gained 4 consecutive Cup races. Gant’s exceptional profession additionally contains two victories within the prestigious Southern 500, profitable the long-lasting Darlington occasion in each 1984 and 1991.

Ray Hendrick

Ray Hendrick

The unique “Mr Modified,” Hendrick and his winged No. 11 dominated the quick observe scene for a few years, profitable over 700 Modified and Late Mannequin races all through his profession. This included 20 Modified races on the historic Martinsville Speedway. His achievements have already gotten him acknowledged as certainly one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and once more as certainly one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

The Class of 2026 Induction Ceremony is about to happen on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 on the NASCAR Corridor of Fame and Charlotte Conference Heart in Charlotte, North Carolina.