Charlotte, NC – For most of his career, kurt busch His personality on and off the racetrack was that of a tough guy.
But Busch, 47, showed a softer side during his NASCAR Hall of Fame acceptance speech Friday night, when he paused to honor his former Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle, who died in a plane crash Along with his wife, two children and three others on December 18.
Busch addressed Biffle, saying, “I can’t put the words together, but you and I were like peanut butter and jelly when we had Cup races together.” “And you played an important role in helping me win [Cup] Championship.
“You’ll always be Biff. Everyone will be like Biff.”
Busch was inducted along with fellow drivers Harry Gant and Ray Hendricks.
Busch, who won the first Cup Chase in 2004, was elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel in his first year of eligibility. last may.
Busch got his start racing midget cars in his home state of Nevada and quickly moved up to the Cup Series, moving up to what was then known as the Busch Series due to his talent as a driver.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Bush Said. “It’s a journey that this blue collar kid went through [Las] Vegas never expected. All these trips down memory lane, talking to everyone I met and the different teams I was with, all the great racers I raced against. It’s been an amazing journey.”
his younger brother kyle busch He presented them to the hall, saying that he was extremely proud.
“This award is about resilience and heart and Kurt has earned every bit of it,” said Kyle Busch.
Nicknamed “The Outlaw”, Bush was known for his fiery temper and often found himself at the center of controversy.
He won his only Cup Series championship at the age of 26, in his fourth year on the circuit. It was the first championship contested under the 10-race chase format, and it came in dramatic fashion.
Busch’s right front tire broke off his No. 97 Roush Racing Ford and rolled to the right of the pit wall as he went over the left side of the barrier. He finished fifth and clinched the title.
“There was this weird vibration coming from the right side,” Bush said in a video posted on social media before his induction. “So, I was coming down the access road, and it started vibrating badly like it was falling apart. Something was going down.
“It broke right there. I know I’m getting wasted, and I’m like, ‘My day is done.’ Something took my left foot off the brake pedal, allowing the left front tire to turn a bit and stay away from the barrel and avoid the embarrassment of running into the end of the pit wall.”
Busch won 43 races in NASCAR’s three national series, including 34 races at the Cup level. He won the 2017 Daytona 500 and retired in 2023 after suffering injuries following a crash at Pocono.
Gantt, 86, known as “The Bandit”, joins Bush as a Modern Era selection in his seventh year of eligibility.
“I was expecting to get here sooner than later,” Gantt joked.
Gant took up racing late in his career. The Taylorsville, North Carolina native scored 18 victories, five of which – including four in a row at Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville – came after age 51.
“I’m able to take a car and make it win,” Gant said. “I have many cars. Building a car that becomes a winner is like building a person – it then becomes your best friend. Not your wife, but your best friend.”
Gant also won 21 races in the O’Reilly Series, captured the IROC Series title in 1985 and finished second to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip in the inaugural All-Star Race.
Hendrick, known as “Mr. Modified”, scored over 700 victories in modified and late model Sportsman racing from 1950 to 1988. He was selected from a group of five Pioneer Ballot nominees.
Although he never won a Modified championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 nine times from 1960 to 1969.
“He was almost unbeatable on the short tracks,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, who is not related to Ray Hendrick but worked on Ray’s cars as a teenager.
Hendricks’ son Ronnie accepted the award for his father, who died in 1990.
Ronnie Hendrick said, “If my father were here tonight, he would be very honored to be recognized along with so many other great drivers.”
Track promoter HA Wheeler was honored with a Landmark Award for his contributions to the sport.
The longtime president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler is known for his over-the-top promotional events, including battles with a giant “Robosaurus” setting the infield on fire and incinerating cars during prerace ceremonies.
Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith called him “the PT Barnum of motorsports”.
Wheeler died last August at the age of 86.
NASCAR honored team owner and motorsports innovator Jack Roush with the Bill France Excellence Award this week, making him the first two-time winner of what is considered the sport’s most prestigious award. He was recognized for his decades-long impact on the sport and his commitment to competition, innovation and leadership.
He also won the award in 2001.
“For decades, Jack Roush has helped move NASCAR forward while staying true to what makes the sport special,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France. “They have built championship-caliber teams and developed generations of drivers and leaders.”
