Alright, let’s get to talkin’ ’bout this fella, Harry Gant. Is he in that there NASCAR Hall of Fame? That’s what folks wanna know, right? We’ll figure it out, no need to get your britches in a twist.
Now, I heard tell that Harry, he was a real worker. Not just racin’ cars, mind you, but buildin’ houses too. Workin’ man, that’s what he was. And fast, too! Folks say he was somethin’ else in them Sportsman cars, that’s what they used to call ’em before they got all fancy with the Busch Series name. He won a whole bunch of them races, back in the seventies. Seventies, yeah, that was a good time, even if the music was a bit loud for my taste.
And he kept on racin’, even when he got, well, let’s just say he wasn’t a spring chicken anymore. They say he won a race when he was 52 years old! Can you believe that? 52! Most folks are sittin’ on the porch drinkin’ sweet tea by then, but not Harry. He was still out there, pedal to the metal. That’s gotta count for somethin’, right? Makes him a legend in my book.
I reckon some folks get into that Hall of Fame easy-peasy, but seems like it wasn’t so straightforward for Harry. I heard he got nominated a bunch of times. Folks voted, and he came close, real close, but just didn’t quite make it for a while. Third place, they said, a couple of times. Now, third ain’t bad, but it ain’t the Hall of Fame, is it? It’s like gettin’ a pat on the back instead of the whole dang cake.
- They nominated a whole bunch of fellas at the same time, you know. Some of them youngsters, like that Carl Edwards fella, and some others I ain’t never heard of. Tough competition, I reckon.
- Makes you wonder what they look for, them folks who do the votin’. Wins? Sure, Harry had plenty of them. Championships? Well, maybe not so many of them big ones, but still…
- And then there’s that “Modern Era Ballot” thing. Sounds fancy, don’t it? I guess it means they’re lookin’ at the newer fellas, but Harry, he raced in the old days and the new days, so he shoulda fit right in, I say.
But don’t you go thinkin’ Harry ain’t got no recognition. He’s in somethin’ called the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Yep, they gave him his due back in 2006. That’s somethin’, ain’t it? Shows he was a big deal, not just around here, but all over the world, I guess. Motorsports, that’s what they called it. Sounded important.
So, let’s get back to that NASCAR Hall of Fame question. As of right now, and I’m checkin’ all the places I know how, Harry ain’t in there yet. Not yet, mind you. He’s been nominated, and folks are still talkin’ about him, votin’ and such. There’s even a hashtag, whatever that is, #NASCARHOF Vote, so folks can say they want him in. So there’s still a chance, see?
It’s a real head-scratcher, though. A man wins races at 52, builds houses, works his tail off… seems like a Hall of Famer to me. But those city folk, they got their own ways of doin’ things, I guess. Maybe they’re waitin’ for a special year, or maybe they just need a little reminder of how good Harry Gant really was. Maybe they need to hear it from folks like us, the regular folks who watched him race and cheered him on.
Anyway, whether he’s in that Hall of Fame or not, Harry Gant’s a winner in my book. He raced hard, worked hard, and gave folks somethin’ to cheer about. And that’s more important than any fancy trophy or hall, if you ask me. But still, it’d be nice to see him get in there. He deserves it, that’s for sure.
So, next time you hear someone talkin’ ‘bout NASCAR, you tell ‘em about Harry Gant. Tell ‘em about the old fella who raced like the wind and worked like a dog. Tell ‘em he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe if enough folks say it, those city folk will finally listen. And if not, well, Harry’s still a legend, Hall of Fame or no Hall of Fame.
Anyways, that’s just my two cents. Now, where did I put my glasses?
