Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle among 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees
NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, and Jeff Burton are on the list of individuals who have been nominated to become a part of the Hall of Fame next year. These three drivers plus another 12 people who have made an impact in the sport will be whittled down to just three who will be making it into the prestigious appointment. Busch, Biffle, and Burton are part of the modern-era category of nominees, along with seven others, out of which only two will be inducted into the Hall.
Kurt Busch, former Team Penske driver, Greg Biffle, the 2002 Xfinity Series champion, and Jeff Burton, the two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner are joined by Neil Bonnett (18-time Cup Series race winner), Time Brewer (two-time Cup Series champion crew chief), Randy Dorton (engine builder), Harry Grant (18-time Cup Series race winner), Harry Hyde (Crew chief for the 1970 Cup Series championship winner), Randy LaJoie (two-time Xfinity Series Champion), and Jack Sprague (three-time Truck Series winner) make up the Modern-Era category.
The Pioneer-Era category features Jake Elder (three-time Cup Series champion crew chief), Ray Hendrick (won over 700 times in NASCAR Modified), Banjo Matthews (car builder), Larry Phillips (five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion), Bob Welborn (nine-time Cup Series race winner), out of whom only one will be selected.
Kurt Busch scored 34 race wins, as well as 161 Top-fives, and 339 Top 10 finishes out of his 776 race starts, and was also the 2004 Cup Series Champion, along with winning the 2017 Daytona 500, and is the most recent driver to have participated in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2014, making him a top choice to be a part of the Hall of Fame.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame voters will be meeting on May 20th to select the three nominees who will be inducted into the Class of 2026.
Kurt Busch believed that no one talked about NASCAR's "fun level"
Future, possible Hall-of-Famer Kurt Busch, who stepped away from racing in the NASCAR Cup Series after the 2022 season, had once explained what makes NASCAR different from other sports.
In a 2017 interview with journalist Jeff Gluck, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver was asked a series of questions, one of which was how he would convince fans of retiring drivers to become one of his supporters. But, Busch responded that it's the strength of the sport as compared to something like basketball, where there's a huge field of drivers to support, even if your favorite one isn't there anymore.
"There’s the opportunity in NASCAR that’s different than any other sport and that is that we have 40 guys that take the green flag every weekend. There’s two sports teams usually, like right now it’s the (Golden State) Warriors against the (Cleveland) Cavaliers (in the NBA Finals), and are you a fan of either? Usually by this time of year your guy or your team is out of it, and so you choose one or you move on to another situation, " Kurt Busch said.
"But I always encourage people to stay involved in NASCAR and find a driver that they think is similar to their driving style or to their demeanor (or) to their ability of fun level. I think the fun level is what this sport needs to continue to focus on. Everyone talks about power rankings, stages, points, wins — let’s talk about fun level," he added. [via jeffgluck.com]
Over his career in the Cup Series spanning from 2000 to 2022, Kurt Busch drove for seven teams and won races for five of them. Apart from his championship win in 2004, the closest he came before or after that to winning the title was in 2002 when he placed third in the drivers' standings.