CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For most of his profession, Kurt Busch had a tough-guy persona on and off the racetrack.
But Busch, 47, confirmed a softer facet throughout his NASCAR Hall of Fame acceptance speech Friday night time, as he paused to honor his former Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle, who died in a airplane crash alongside together with his spouse, two kids and three others Dec. 18.
“I can’t put the words together, but you and I were like peanut butter and jelly when we raced Cup together,” Busch stated, addressing Biffle. “And you were instrumental in helping me win a [Cup] championship.
“You will at all times be the Biff. Everyone be like Biff.”
Busch was inducted along with fellow drivers Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick.
Busch, who won the first Cup Chase in 2004, was selected in his first year of eligibility by the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel last May.
Kurt Busch on entering the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with fellow drivers Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick: “It’s been an incredible journey.(*3*)It’s an incredible feeling,” Busch said. “It’s a journey that this blue-collar child from [Las] Vegas by no means anticipated. All of those journeys down reminiscence lane, speaking with everybody and the totally different groups I used to be with, all the good racers that I raced towards. It’s been an incredible journey.”
His younger brother Kyle Busch presented him for the Hall, saying he was immensely proud.
“This award is about resilience and coronary heart, and Kurt earned each little bit of it,” Kyle Busch said.
Nicknamed “The Outlaw,” Busch was known for his fiery temper and often found himself at the center of controversy.
He won his only Cup Series championship at 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 loose from his No. 97 Roush Racing Ford and rolled to the right of the pit wall as he steered to the left of the barrier. He finished fifth and secured the title.
“There was this bizarre vibration occurring with the precise entrance,” Busch said in a video he posted on social media before his induction. “So, I used to be coming down on the entry street, and it is beginning to vibrate dangerous prefer it’s coming aside. Something’s happening.
“It broke right there. I know I’m wrecking, and I’m like, ‘My day’s done.’ Something took my left foot off the brake pedal to allow that left front tire just to gain a little bit of turn and to stay away from the barrels and the embarrassment of running into the end of the pit wall.”
Busch received 43 races throughout NASCAR’s three nationwide sequence, together with 34 on the Cup degree. He received the 2017 Daytona 500 and retired in 2023 after sustaining a concussion following a crash at Pocono.
Gant, 86, referred to as “The Bandit,” joined Busch as a Modern Era choice in his seventh yr of eligibility.
“I was hoping to get in here sooner or later,” Gant stated jokingly.
Gant raced late into his profession. The Taylorsville, North Carolina, native had 18 victories, with 5 of them — together with 4 straight wins at Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville — coming after he turned 51.
“I have been able to take a car and make it win,” Gant stated. “I have had several cars. To make a car that becomes a winner, it’s like a person — it becomes your best friend then. Not your wife, but your best friend.”
Gant additionally received 21 races within the O’Reilly Series, captured the IROC Series title in 1985 and completed second to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip within the inaugural All-Star Race.
Hendrick, referred to as “Mr. Modified,” gathered greater than 700 victories in modified and late mannequin sportsman racing from 1950 by means of 1988. He was chosen from a bunch of 5 Pioneer Ballot nominees.
Although he by no means received a modified championship, Hendrick completed within the prime 10 9 occasions from 1960 to 1969.
“He was almost unbeatable on short tracks,” stated Hendrick Motorsports proprietor Rick Hendrick, who is just not associated to Ray Hendrick however labored on Ray’s automobiles as a young person.
Hendrick’s son Ronnie accepted the award for his father, who died in 1990.
“If my dad was here tonight, he would be so honored to be recognized with so many other great drivers,” Ronnie Hendrick stated.
Track promoter H.A. Wheeler was honored with the Landmark Award for contributions to the game.
The longtime president and normal supervisor of Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler turned recognized for his over-the-top promotional occasions, together with a staged battle within the infield with big “Robosaurus” respiratory fireplace and devouring automobiles throughout prerace ceremonies.
Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith referred to as him “the P.T. Barnum of motorsports.”
Wheeler died final August at age 86.
NASCAR offered crew proprietor and motorsports innovator Jack Roush with the Bill France Award of Excellence this week, making him the primary two-time winner of what is thought-about the game’s most prestigious award. He was acknowledged for his decades-long affect on the game and his dedication to competitors, innovation and management.
He additionally received the award in 2001.
“For decades, Jack Roush has helped move NASCAR forward while staying true to what makes the sport special,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France stated. “He has built championship-caliber teams and developed generations of drivers and leaders.”
