On May 20, 2025 the NASCAR has named the newest class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Landmark Award winner. Earlier in the day, the committee members met to determine who would become the newest members to The Hall.
Honouring his numerous Contributions to NASCAR, H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, who was on hand to hear the announcement, was known for his creativity when it came to “publicity stunts” to bring fans to the race tracks. Along with ushering in a new era in promotion, Humpy was instrumental in bringing night racing to NASCAR. Kyle Petty noted that if he charged $1 for a ticket, Humpy Wheeler would give them $1.50’s worth of entertainment. Humpy is a first ballot recipient of the award.
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The Pioneer Award goes to Modified legend Ray Hendrick. Known as Mr. Modified, he won over 700 races in Modified and Late Model cars between 1950 to 1988; but never won the championship. Kyle Petty noted that it is the NASCAR Hall of Fame, not the Cup Series Hall of Fame and modified drivers should also be a part of the Hall of Fame.
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The Skoal Bandit himself Harry Gant was known for riding up by the wall – the Harry Gant line. Gant holds the record for being the oldest driver to win a race when his final win came at Michigan International Speedway at the age of 52.
Outside of racing, Gant parlayed his driving skills into a Hollywood career appearing in the racing themed films “Stroker Ace” and Cannonball Run II” with Burt Reynolds and “Days of Thunder” with Tom Cruise.
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After having his career cut short due to a severe crash at Pocono, Las Vegas native Kurt Busch found his way to the Hall of Fame ballot and one of the newest class of Hall of Famers on his first ballot. Calling himself just a blue collar kid from Las Vegas, Busch noted that in 1999 he was racing legends on the Bull Ring and in 2000 was driving in the Cup Series for Jack Roush. He won the Cup Series championship in 2004, the first year of the playoffs. In his 23 year of racing, Kurt Busch is the only person to have driven in all four of NASCAR’s manufacturers – Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet, and Toyota. Kyle Petty noted that Kurt Busch had the ability to elevate a team. During his career, Busch drove for a number of teams including Roush Racing, Team Penske, Phoenix Racing, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and 23XI Racing.
In the NFL, the members of the Hall of Fame receive a gold jacket; in NASCAR, they receive a blue one and on January 23, 2026, the newest members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will receive their blue jackets and join the 70 members currently in the Hall of Fame.