By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

The first champion of the NASCAR Cup Chase, the driver known as Mr. September and the fierce competitor dubbed “Mr. Modified” will take their places in the NASCAR Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies Friday night at the Hall in Charlotte, N.C.

Kurt Busch, driver of the #45 Monster Energy Toyota, enters his car in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, 2022 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Kurt Busch, 47, was elected in his first year of eligibility by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel. Joining him as a Class of 2026 Modern Era selection is Harry Gant, who turned 86 on January 10.

Busch and Gant will enter the Hall with the late Ray Hendrick, who accumulated more than 700 victories in modified and late model sportsman racing from 1950 through 1988. Hendrick was chosen from a group of five Pioneer Ballot nominees.

Track promoter extraordinaire H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler also will be honored as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Wheeler passed away last August at age 86.

A fiery competitor throughout his career, Busch won the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series championship, the first contested under the 10-race Chase format. Driving for Roush Racing (now Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing), Busch overcame a freak occurrence when the right front tire broke loose from his No. 97 Ford and rolled to the right of the pit wall as Busch steered to the left of the barrier.

“There was this weird vibration happening with the right front,” Busch said in a video he posted on “X” before his induction. “So, I was coming down on the access road, and it’s starting to vibrate bad like it’s coming apart. Something’s going down.

“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 pit wall.”

Busch recovered to finish fifth and secured the title in his fourth full season in NASCAR’s top division. He went on to win 34 Cup Series races, with his last victory coming in 2022 at Kansas Speedway.

A Las Vegas native, Busch also won five times in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and four times in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, finishing second in the standings and claiming Rookie of the Year honors in the Truck Series in 2000.

On track, Busch’s versatility matched his talent. He finished sixth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 before flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Elected in his seventh year of eligibility, Gant proved that age was not a barrier to excellent performance in a stock car. At 51, driving Leo Jackson’s No. 33 Oldsmobile, the Taylorsville, N.C., native claimed five of his 18 career victories—including four straight, at Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville from Sept. 1 through Sept. 22.

“I was surprised and caught off-guard about everything,” Gant said at a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the announcement of his election. “It’s just starting to dawn on me, now that we’ve gotten to hang around together (with Busch).

“I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

Gant was named on 61 percent of Modern Day ballots, as was Busch. In addition to his success in the Cup Series, Gant won 21 races in the O’Reilly Series, claimed the IROC Series title in 1985 and finished second to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip in the inaugural NASCAR All-Star Race that same year.

Though Hendrick never won a modified championship, he finished in the top 10 nine times from 1960 through 1969, with a best of third in 1964 and 1966. During his 36-year career, Hendrick was widely known for his willingness to race “anywhere and everywhere.”

In 2023, Hendrick, a Richmond, Va., native, was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

Wheeler, a Belmont, N.C., native and long-time president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, gained wide acclaim for his extravagant promotions, particularly those surrounding the Coca-Cola 600, held annually on Memorial Day weekend.

From staged battles in the infield to a giant “Robosaurus” breathing fire and devouring cars during pre-race ceremonies, Wheeler’s name became synonymous with over-the-top events that drew fans by the thousands.

The Class of 2026 inductions will be broadcast exclusively on the NASCAR Channel, starting with the Red Carpet at 4:45 p.m. ET. Fireside chats with the inductees are scheduled for 6:30 p.m., with inductions set to begin at 8 p.m. ET.