Harry Gant
Encyclopedia
Harry Phil Gant is a retired American racecar driver best known for driving the #33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR
Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) circuit during the 1980s and 1990s.
in the earlier years of his career.
native began his racing career at the old dirt track in Hickory
. He built a hobby class car with his friends, and took turns behind the wheel. Gant became the full-time driver and won the track championship. Hickory Speedway was paved in 1967 after Ned Jarrett
became the promoter. Gant excelled on the asphalt, and won his first race in the Sportsman division.
He 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 Nationwide Series) in 1969, 1976, and 1977. He finished in the Top 10 of the final points standing in several other years.
He sold half of his construction business in 1979 upon deciding to race full-time in the Winston Cup series.
and Terry Labonte
. He finished fourth in the overall rookie battle in the #47 Race Hill Farm car for Jack Beebe. He split the next season between the #47 and the #75 RahMoc Enterprises
entry, finishing 21st in points.
After starting out the 1981 season driving for various teams, he moved to the #33 Skoal Bandit Pontiac
, which was owned by Hal Needham
and Burt Reynolds
, and Leo Jackson after 1988. He stayed with the team for the rest of his career.
Gant finished second 10 times before winning his first Winston Cup race at Martinsville April 25, 1982, in the Virginia National Bank 500. He then went on to become runner up to Winston Cup season champion Terry Labonte
in 1984.
Gant won the IROC
(International Race of Champions) championship in 1985. 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
.
. The four consecutive cup victories ties the modern era record set in 1972. Dominating at the next race, Harry might have won his fifth straight race if his brakes had not faded with 9 laps left to go at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Gant got his last Cup victory on August 16, 1992, at the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway
.
/Sprint Cup race and as the oldest driver ever to collect his first career Cup victory (42 years and 105 days). He is the second oldest driver to win in the Nationwide Series after Dick Trickle
In his career he has collected 18 Cup wins and 1 runner-up finish in 1984 and 3rd in 1981 & 1985, 21 Nationwide Series wins, and 3 runner-up finishes in the Nationwide Series championship (69, 76, and 77). In 1985 won the International race of champions (IROC) title. Won 4 races in a row in 1991 tying a "new era" (1972-on) record and came in 2nd in the fifth race.
. Gant also substituted for the injured Bill Elliott
in the 1996 Winston Select, driving Elliott's #94 McDonald's
Ford Thunderbird
.
He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
on April 27, 2006.
movie Stroker Ace
. 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 (although it was actually the #26 of Brett Bodine
).
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) circuit during the 1980s and 1990s.
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 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 also given to Kasey KahneKasey Kahne
Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series....
in the earlier years of his career.
Career prior to Winston Cup
The North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
native began his racing career at the old dirt track in Hickory
Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...
. He built a hobby class car with his friends, and took turns behind the wheel. Gant became the full-time driver and won the track championship. Hickory Speedway was paved in 1967 after Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
became the promoter. Gant excelled on the asphalt, and won his first race in the Sportsman division.
He 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 Nationwide Series) in 1969, 1976, and 1977. He finished in the Top 10 of the final points standing in several other years.
He sold half of his construction business in 1979 upon deciding to race full-time in the Winston Cup series.
Winston Cup Career
Gant made his first Cup start in 1973 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing eleventh in the #90 Truxmore Industries Ford. He made six starts over the next four years and had two top-ten finishes. His first full season in Winston Cup was in 1979. He competed for the Rookie of the Year against Dale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
and Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
. He finished fourth in the overall rookie battle in the #47 Race Hill Farm car for Jack Beebe. He split the next season between the #47 and the #75 RahMoc Enterprises
RahMoc Enterprises
RahMoc Enterprises is a former NASCAR Winston Cup team. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock, as well as Darwin Oordt in the team's later years. RahMoc Enterprises continues to operate as an engine supplier for several NASCAR teams.- Beginnings :RahMoc's debut...
entry, finishing 21st in points.
After starting out the 1981 season driving for various teams, he moved to the #33 Skoal Bandit Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
, which was owned by Hal Needham
Hal Needham
Hal Needham is an American stuntman and film director.-Early years:Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May and Howard Needham. He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri...
and Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, and Leo Jackson after 1988. He stayed with the team for the rest of his career.
Gant finished second 10 times before winning his first Winston Cup race at Martinsville April 25, 1982, in the Virginia National Bank 500. He then went on to become runner up to Winston Cup season champion Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
in 1984.
Gant won the IROC
International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...
(International Race of Champions) championship in 1985. He tied on points with Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
but was awarded the title on tiebreak by finishing higher in the final race: a photo-finish win over Labonte at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
.
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. His crew chief was Andy PetreeAndy Petree
Andy Petree , is a long-time fixture in NASCAR. After racing for years at local short track , Andy became part owner of the #32 Busch Series car for Dale Jarrett. By the age of 28, Andy was already a NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief on the Leo Jackson racing team...
. The four consecutive cup victories ties the modern era record set in 1972. Dominating at the next race, Harry might have won his fifth straight race if his brakes had not faded with 9 laps left to go at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Gant got his last Cup victory on August 16, 1992, at the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
.
Cup Records
He holds the record as the oldest driver ever to win a Winston Cup/Nextel CupNEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
/Sprint Cup race and as the oldest driver ever to collect his first career Cup victory (42 years and 105 days). He is the second oldest driver to win in the Nationwide Series after Dick Trickle
Dick Trickle
Richard "Dick" Trickle is a retired American race car driver. He raced for decades around the short tracks of Wisconsin, winning many championships along the way. Trickle has competed in the ASA, ARTGO, ARCA, All Pro, IMCA, NASCAR, and USAC.In more than an estimated 2,200 races, Trickle has logged...
In his career he has collected 18 Cup wins and 1 runner-up finish in 1984 and 3rd in 1981 & 1985, 21 Nationwide Series wins, and 3 runner-up finishes in the Nationwide Series championship (69, 76, and 77). In 1985 won the International race of champions (IROC) title. Won 4 races in a row in 1991 tying a "new era" (1972-on) record and came in 2nd in the fifth race.
Retirement
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, driving his own #33 Westview Capital Chevrolet C/KChevrolet C/K
The C/K is the name for Chevrolet and GMC's full-size pickup truck line from 1960 until 1999 in the United States, from 1965 to 1999 Canada, from 1964 through 2001 in Brazil, and from 1975 to 1982 in Chile. The first Chevrolet pickup truck appeared in 1924, though in-house designs did not appear...
. Gant also substituted for the injured Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
in the 1996 Winston Select, driving Elliott's #94 McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
.
He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
International Motorsports Hall of Fame
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, developer or engineer...
on April 27, 2006.
Movie appearances
He appeared in the 1983 Burt ReynoldsBurt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
movie Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds....
. He also gave a short interview in the film Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder is a 1990 American auto racing film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances...
and was mentioned for spinning out in the Daytona 500 at the end of the movie (although it was actually the #26 of Brett Bodine
Brett Bodine
Brett Bodine is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and is the current driver of the pace car in Sprint Cup events. Brett is the younger brother of 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine and the older brother of 2006 Craftsman Truck Series champion Todd Bodine...
).