Harry Gant

Harry Phil Gant (born January 10, 1940 in Taylorsville, North Carolina) is best known for driving the number 33 Skoal Bandits car on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... NASCAR Nextel Cup logo NEXTEL Cup trophy, adopted in 2004 4-time champion Jeff Gordon poses with the Winston Cup trophy (used prior to 2004) The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Advance Auto Parts 500 is a NASCAR Nextel 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 Martinsville, Virginia. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Taylorsville is a town located in Alexander County, North Carolina. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ...

Nicknames

He was known as Handsome Harry Gant due to his Hollywood-style good looks, The Bandit after his longtime sponsor, 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. ...

Career prior to Winston Cup

The North Carolina native began his racing career at the old dirt track in Hickory. 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. Gant excelled on the asphalt, and and won his first race in the Sportsman division. Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 805 km 240 km 9. ... Hickory is a city located in Catawba County, North Carolina. ... Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett, Known as Gentleman Ned Jarrett, had a pleasant disposition and smooth demeanor. ...

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. He finished in the Top 10 of the final points standing in several other years. NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel...

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. The hotly contested award was decided at the final race of the season in favor of Earnhardt. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Terry Labonte (left) next to his brother Bobby Labonte prior to the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2004. ...

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. April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Advance Auto Parts 500 is a NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. ... Terry Labonte (left) next to his brother Bobby Labonte prior to the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2004. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. International Race of Champions (IROC) is an auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an All-Star Game or The Masters. ... This article is about the year. ... Darrell Waltrip in 2003 Darrell Waltrip (born February 5, 1947 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a NASCAR driver, active from 1972 to 2000, who won three Nextel Cup titles (1981, 1982, 1985), the 1989 Daytona 500, 1992 Southern 500, and is the undisputed Memorial Day major race record holder, having won... Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3. ...

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. The four consecutive cup victories ties the modern era record set in 1972. Harry Gant got his last cup victory on August 16, 1992, at the Champion Spark Plugs 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Harry might have won his fifth straight race if his brakes hadn't faded with 9 laps left to go at North Wilkesboro Speedway. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3. ... North Wilkesboro is a town located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. ...

Cup Records

He holds the record as oldest driver to win a cup race (52 years and 219 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). NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel...

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.

Harry Gant will be 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, developer or engineer. ...

External links

• Official website
• Harry Gant's Driver's page at Racing-Reference.com
• Profile at Nascar.com
• Harry Gant's profile at decadesofracing.net
• More background