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| Born: | January 10, 1940 | |
| Birthplace: | Taylorsville, North Carolina | |
| Achievements: | — | |
| Awards: | 1985 IROC Champion
1991 National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year Inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame in 2003 Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) |
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| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics | ||
| 474 races run over 22 years. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers is a list of NASCAR drivers In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration NASCAR gathered a panel to select "The Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to Auto racing either as a driver owner The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 2nd - 1984 (Winston Cup) | |
| First Race: | 1973 Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
| Last Race: | 1996 Charlotte Motor Speedway (subbed for Bill Elliott in The Winston Select) | |
| First Win: | 1982 Virginia National Bank 500 Martinsville | |
| Last Win: | 1992 Champion Spark Plugs 400 Michigan | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 18 | 208 | 17 |
Harry Phil Gant (born January 10, 1940 in Taylorsville, North Carolina) is a retired American racecar driver best known for driving the number 33 Skoal Bandits car on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. The 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began on Sunday February 19 and ended on Sunday November 18. Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a speedway in Concord North Carolina, north of Charlotte. The 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series started on February 18 1996 and ended on November 10 1996 with Terry Labonte pulling off a massive Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a speedway in Concord North Carolina, north of Charlotte. William Clyde Elliott (born October 8, 1955 in Dawsonville Georgia) is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston until 2004 then the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from 2004 until 2007 is a race open to race winners The Goody's Cool Orange 500 is a 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville Virginia. Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation -owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Ridgeway Virginia. The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season began on February 9 and ended on November 15. The 3M Performance 400 is the second NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn Michigan Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (322-km moderate-banked D-shaped Superspeedway located off U The term " pole position " comes from the Horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States.
He appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie Stroker Ace. Burton Leon Reynolds Jr (born February 11 1936 is an American Actor. Stroker Ace is a 1983 action/comedy movie filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver played by Burt Reynolds. He also gave a short interview in the film Days of Thunder and was mentioned for spinning out in the Daytona 500 at the end of the movie. Days of Thunder is an Auto racing Drama film released in 1990 by producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony
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Nicknames
He was known as Handsome Harry Gant due to his Hollywood-style good looks, The Bandit after his longtime sponsor Skoal Bandit, Mr. September after winning four Winston Cup races and two Busch Series races in September of 1991, and High Groove Harry after the high line he often took through the corner. A humble man, Gant often stated that he was a good race car driver, but a great carpenter. Another nickname that was given to him by Darrell Waltrip was "The Answer To Every Trivia Question" because he holds many Busch Series records. Prior to his wins, Gant was sometimes referred to as the "bridesmaid" for always coming in second which was given to Kasey Kahne in the earlier years of his career. Kasey Kenneth Kahne (born April 10, 1980 in Enumclaw Washington) is a race car driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.
Career prior to Winston Cup
The North Carolina native began his racing career at the old dirt track in Hickory. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Hickory is a city in Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties in the U Harry built a hobby class car with his friends, and took turns behind the wheel. Harry became the full-time driver and won the track championship. Hickory Speedway was paved in 1967 after Ned Jarrett became the promoter. Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory North Carolina. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932 in Newton North Carolina) is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion Gant excelled on the asphalt, and won his first race in the Sportsman division.
Harry won over 300 races in the NASCAR Sportsman on his way to winning three national championships in 1972, 1973, and 1974. He finished second three times in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman (now Busch Series) in 1969, 1976, and 1977. The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a Stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. He finished in the Top 10 of the final points standing in several other years.
Winston Cup Career
Harry's first full season in Winston Cup was in 1979. He competed for the Rookie of the Year against an extremely strong rookie field including Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr ( April 29, 1951 &ndash February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver best known for his career driving Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956, in Corpus Christi Texas) is a NASCAR driver who now races part-time in the Sprint Cup Series The hotly contested award was decided at the final race of the season in favor of Earnhardt.
For much of his career, Gant drove the #33 Skoal Bandits car, which was owned by Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds. Hal Needham (born March 6, 1931) is an American stuntman and noted film director Burton Leon Reynolds Jr (born February 11 1936 is an American Actor.
Gant finished second 10 times before winning his first Winston Cup race at Martinsville April 25, 1982, in the Virginia National Bank 500. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Goody's Cool Orange 500 is a 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville Virginia. He then went on to become runner up to Winston Cup season champion Terry Labonte in 1984. Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956, in Corpus Christi Texas) is a NASCAR driver who now races part-time in the Sprint Cup Series Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar)
Gant won the IROC (International Race of Champions) championship in 1985. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) He tied on points with Darrell Waltrip but was awarded the title on tiebreak by finishing higher in the final race: a photo-finish win over Labonte at Michigan International Speedway. Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947 in Owensboro Kentucky) is a three-time former NASCAR Winston Cup champion the 1989 Daytona Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (322-km moderate-banked D-shaped Superspeedway located off U
Mr. September
Gant earned the nickname "Mr. September" in 1991 after winning all four September Cup races (Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville) and two Busch races (Richmond and Dover) at age 51. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The four consecutive cup victories ties the modern era record set in 1972. Harry might have won his fifth straight race if his brakes hadn't faded with 9 laps left to go at North Wilkesboro Speedway. North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. Harry Gant got his last cup victory on August 16, 1992, at the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The 3M Performance 400 is the second NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn Michigan Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (322-km moderate-banked D-shaped Superspeedway located off U
Cup Records
He holds the record as the oldest driver ever to win a Winston Cup/Nextel Cup race (52 years and 219 days) and as the oldest driver ever to collect his first career Cup victory (42 years and 105 days). In his career he has collected 18 cup wins, 21 Busch Series wins, and 3 runner-up finishes in the Busch Series Championship (69, 76, and 77). The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a Stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.
Retirement
"Handsome" Harry Gant retired from Winston Cup and Busch Series racing at the end of the 1994 season, and later ran a partial season in the Craftsman truck series in 1996. Gant also substituted for the injured Bill Elliott in the 1996 Winston Select, driving Elliott's #94 McDonald's Ford Thunderbird instead of the trademark #33 Skoal Bandit. The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston until 2004 then the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from 2004 until 2007 is a race open to race winners
Harry Gant was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 27, 2006. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to Auto racing either as a driver owner
Presently
Gant lives at his North Carolina home and often works on his property when he has time.
External links
- Official website
- Harry Gant's Driver's page at racing-reference.info
- Profile at Nascar.com
- Harry Gant's profile at decadesofracing.net
| Preceded by Cale Yarborough |
IROC Champion IROC IX (1985) |
Succeeded by Al Unser, Jr. |
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