Harry Gant

Harold Phil Gant (born January 10, 1940) is an American former stock car racing driver best known for driving the No. 33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit during the 1980s and 1990s. Gant won 39 NASCAR races combined between the Cup Series and Busch Series, and had a four-race win streak on the Cup circuit in 1991. Gant had a best result of second in the points championship in 1984.

Gant holds the record for the oldest driver to win a Cup Series race (52). He was known for his many nicknames such as "Handsome Harry", "The Bandit", "High Groove Harry", "Hard Luck Harry", and "Mr. September" for his 1991 win streak.

Nicknames Gant gained a lot of nicknames throughout his racing career. Early on, "Sug" Thompson, announcer at New Asheville Speedway, nicknamed Harry "The Taylorsville Flash". He was later known as "Handsome Harry Gant" due to his Hollywood-style good looks, the "Bandit" after his longtime sponsor Skoal Bandit, "Mr. September" Hickory Speedway was paved in 1967 after Ned Jarrett became the promoter. 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 honors against Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte. He finished fourth in the overall rookie battle in the No. 47 Race Hill Farm car for Jack Beebe. He split the next season between the No. 47 and the No. 75 RahMoc Enterprises entry, finishing 21st in points.

After starting out the 1981 season driving for various teams, Gant moved to the No. 33 Skoal Bandit Pontiac, which was owned by Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds, and Leo Jackson after 1988. Gant debuted with the team by placing second at Darlington Raceway, followed by five more second place finishes and three poles, ending the season third in points. He stayed with the team for the rest of his career.

Gant finished second ten times before winning his first Winston Cup race, at Martinsville April 25, 1982, in the Virginia National Bank 500 and he finished 4th in the final points standings. In 1983, Gant only won once at Darlington in the Transouth 400 and collect ten top-fives and sixteen top-ten finishes en route to seventh in the final points standings. In 1984, Gant notched three poles, fifteen top-five finishes, and 23 top-ten finishes and won at Pocono and Martinsville in the fall, he ended up finishing second to eventual Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte. In 1985, Gant won at Martinsville in the spring, and at Dover and at North Wilkesboro in the fall, notching a career best for Gant up to that point. He finished third in championship standings, 259 points behind eventual champion Darrell Waltrip. Gant went winless for three years from 1986-1988 and in 1989, he broke a three-year winless streak winning at Darlington in the spring which caused the veteran driver to exclaim "The Bandit is back" in victory lane. He did not win again in 1989 but finished seventh in the final points standings.

Gant won the International Race of Champions (IROC) 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

Gant drove the No. 33 in the 1985 Talladega NASCAR race with the first telemetry data system ever installed on a race car. The data from the car was sent to the CBS television network and broadcast during the TV coverage of the race.

1990s and Mr. September streak Gant entered the decade with a win at Pocono in the spring of 1990. He finished 17th in the final points standings, with six top-fives and nine top-tens.

In 1991, Gant had a career year. He won the 1991 Winston 500 in the spring, gambling on fuel mileage. Fellow competitor Rick Mast drafted behind Gant to give him a push the last few laps but let off in the final laps to preserve the victory. 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 the age of 51. His crew chief was Andy Petree. The four consecutive cup victories tied the modern era record set in 1972. Dominating at the next race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Gant had his brakes fail, ending his hopes of five consecutive victories. Gant scored five victories in 1991, also notching fifteen top-five finishes and seventeen top-tens, and finishing fourth in the final point standings.

Gant followed up 1991 with a strong 1992 and finished fourth in points again. One of five drivers in contention for the championship, six finishes of thirteenth or worse in the final races doomed his championship hopes. Gant won at Dover in the spring, and he scored his last Cup victory on August 16, 1992, at the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway, gambling on fuel. This was also the final victory for Oldsmobile in Cup competition.

Gant and the Leo Jackson team switched to Chevrolets in 1993, and at the end of the season, Gant announced that 1994 would be his last season. Gant finished his career with a pole and seven top-ten finishes, finishing 25th in the final point standings.

In 1996, Gant substituted for the injured Bill Elliott in the 1996 Winston Select, driving Elliott's No. 94 McDonald's Ford Thunderbird after Elliott's injuries at Talladega. Gant also ran a partial season in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1996, driving his own No. 33 Westview Capital Chevrolet C/K. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 27, 2006.

Currently, Gant continues to work on his 300-acre ranch in North Carolina and enjoys riding his motorcycle. In 2015, he was in attendance at Darlington for the Southern 500 to take part in the retro weekend. He also still works on roofs and carpentry in his spare time. Gant once admitted that he "was a good race-car driver but a great carpenter."

Cup records Gant holds the record as the oldest driver ever to win a Cup Series 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 NASCAR's second-level circuit, now known as the Xfinity Series, after Dick Trickle. In his career he collected eighteen Cup wins and one runner-up finish in 1984 and third in 1981 and 1985, 21 Busch Series wins, and three runner-up finishes in the Busch Series championship (69, 76, and 77). In 1985, he won the IROC title. He won four races in a row in 1991 tying a "new era" (1972–present) record and came in second in the fifth race. His five Winston Cup and five Busch Grand National wins in 1991 made him the only driver, at that time, to post the most wins in both series in the same year, although he tied with Davey Allison with five Cup wins (Allison also scored a victory in the non-points All-Star Race).

Movie appearances Gant appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds 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 late in the movie (although it was actually the No. 26 of Brett Bodine). He also appeared as a mob henchman in the 1984 movie Cannonball Run II. His line in the film was "Better not let the boss hear you say that."

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Pts Ref 1973 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV CLT DOV TWS RSD MCH DAY BRI ATL TAL NSV DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT11 CAR 85th - 1974 RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL DAR NWS9 MAR TAL NSV DOV 64th 10.3 Faustina Racing 5 Dodge CLT14 RSD MCH DAY BRI NSV ATL POC TAL MCH DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT35 CAR ONT 1975 Neil Castles 06 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT31 RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH DAR DOV NWS MAR CLT RCH CAR BRI ATL ONT 104th 70 1976 Frasson Racing 18 Chevy RSD DAY CAR RCH BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT9 RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT 84th 138 1977 Sherrill Enterprises 6 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL NWS DAR BRI MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT30 RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT 101st 73 1978 Ray Emerson 66 Buick RSD DAY41 RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL DOV 53rd 325 Kennie Childers Racing 12 Chevy CLT36 NSV RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR28 NWS CLT19 CAR ATL7 ONT 1979 RSD10 CAR26 RCH ATL NWS 21st 2664 Olds DAY33 Race Hill Farm Team 47 Olds BRI21 DAR TAL39 DAY7 ATL11 Chevy MAR6 NSV28 DOV25 CLT23 TWS RSD MCH17 NSV22 POC15 TAL7 MCH25 BRI16 DAR12 RCH9 DOV28 MAR12 CLT20 NWS14 CAR21 ONT20 1980 RahMoc Enterprises 75 Olds RSD12 11th 3703 Race Hill Farm Team 47 Olds DAY42 TAL37 DAY16 TAL5 Chevy RCH12 CAR8 ATL16 BRI7 DAR3 NWS2 MAR21 NSV9 DOV4 CLT28 MCH28 NSV29 POC5 MCH37 BRI14 DAR3 RCH20 DOV2* NWS4 MAR29 CLT16 CAR2 ATL36 ONT41 RahMoc Enterprises 75 Chevy TWS8 RSD7 1981 Hamby Racing 17 Chevy RSD15 3rd 4210 Race Hill Farm Team 47 Buick DAY23 RCH6 CAR18 ATL2 Hylton Motorsports 48 Pontiac BRI8 Kennie Childers Racing 12 Olds NWS5 MAR4* NSV22 Mach 1 Racing 33 Pontiac DAR2 TAL34 TWS10 MCH2 NSV8 POC4 MCH4 BRI11 DAR14 RCH2 DOV23 MAR2* NWS24 CLT41 CAR3 ATL20 RSD8 Chevy DOV16 CLT2 RSD31 Buick DAY2 TAL4 1982 DAY7 RCH30 BRI6 ATL5 CAR8 DAR19 NWS6 MAR1* TAL14 NSV29 CLT13 POC4 RSD35 MCH10 DAY24 NSV3 POC22 TAL38 MCH3 BRI3 DAR11 RCH7 DOV12 NWS2 CLT1 MAR8 CAR32 ATL2 RSD26 4th 3877 Pontiac DOV30 1983 Buick DAY37 RCH5 CAR5 ATL11 DAR1 NWS3 MAR2 TAL4 NSV3 DOV9 BRI27 CLT25 RSD3 POC18 MCH8 DAY11 NSV8 POC5 TAL5 MCH30 BRI6 DAR22 RCH20 DOV17 MAR8 NWS9 CLT29 CAR23 ATL37 RSD31 7th 3790 1984 Chevy DAY6 RCH8 CAR24 ATL6 BRI23 NWS2 DAR6 MAR13 TAL2 NSV16 DOV27* CLT4 RSD29 POC2 MCH4 DAY2 NSV9 POC1* TAL7 MCH4 BRI5 DAR1* RCH9 DOV1* MAR4 CLT4 NWS2 CAR2* ATL26 RSD8 2nd 4443 1985 DAY26 RCH5 CAR2* ATL24 BRI20 DAR14 NWS10 MAR1* TAL38 DOV2 CLT2 RSD2 POC2 MCH16 DAY24 POC5 TAL7 MCH3 BRI6 DAR21 RCH6 DOV1* MAR3 NWS1* CLT24* CAR3 ATL8 RSD4 3rd 4033 1986 DAY30 RCH28 CAR2 ATL12 BRI4 DAR14 NWS7 MAR25 TAL21 DOV14* CLT4 RSD9 POC26 MCH2* DAY31 POC30 TAL22 GLN34 MCH8 BRI5 DAR27 RCH7 DOV35 MAR3 NWS5 CLT2 CAR4 ATL28 RSD37 11th 3498 1987 DAY31 CAR29 RCH25 ATL34 DAR7 NWS11 BRI6 MAR27 TAL29 CLT24 DOV30 POC32 RSD25 MCH13 DAY9 POC30 TAL31 GLN18 MCH26 BRI8 DAR39 RCH25 DOV25 MAR14 NWS31 CLT33 CAR13 RSD28 ATL24 22nd 2725 1988 DAY29 RCH28 CAR28 ATL21 DAR38 BRI18 NWS12 MAR26 TAL36 CLT30 DOV RSD POC MCH DAY POC10 TAL16 GLN31 MCH21 BRI6 DAR40 RCH32 DOV11 MAR30 CLT24 NWS30 CAR7 PHO12 ATL30 27th 2266 1989 Jackson Bros. Motorsports Olds DAY12 CAR31 ATL29 RCH14 DAR1* BRI10 NWS23 MAR12 TAL7 CLT40 DOV23 SON12 POC2 MCH32 DAY32 POC5 TAL8 GLN19 MCH3 BRI4 DAR6 RCH5 DOV38 MAR2 CLT2 NWS4 CAR29 PHO8 ATL17 7th 3610 1990 Leo Jackson Motorsports DAY18 RCH36 CAR11 ATL9 DAR6 BRI NWS13 MAR26 TAL36 CLT25 DOV34 SON19 POC1 MCH5 DAY7 POC14 TAL15 GLN21 MCH13 BRI26 DAR5 RCH36 DOV4 MAR5 NWS28 CLT26 CAR3 PHO37 ATL19 17th 3182 1991 DAY25 RCH3 CAR3 ATL19 DAR27 BRI11 NWS23 MAR5 TAL1 CLT4 DOV3 SON27 POC4 MCH10 DAY23 POC26 TAL39 GLN28 MCH6 BRI19 DAR1* RCH1 DOV1* MAR1* NWS2* CLT4 CAR2* PHO23 ATL4 4th 3985 1992 DAY12 CAR3 RCH3 ATL2 DAR2 BRI29 NWS5 MAR5 TAL24 CLT5 DOV1 SON17 POC23 MCH7 DAY23 POC2 TAL17 GLN18 MCH1 BRI26 DAR16* RCH8 DOV6 MAR19 NWS13 CLT8 CAR6 PHO14 ATL13 4th 3955 1993 Chevy DAY21 CAR31 RCH9 ATL21 DAR37 BRI28 NWS13 MAR31 TAL23 SON19 CLT18 DOV7 POC3 MCH10 DAY21 NHA17 POC9 TAL8 GLN10 MCH30 BRI4 DAR7 RCH11 DOV5 MAR33 NWS6 CLT12 CAR4 PHO12 ATL28 11th 3524 1994 DAY34 CAR37 RCH34 ATL30 DAR8 BRI37 NWS8 MARDNQ TAL23 SON10 CLT7 DOV42 POC16 MCH35 DAY31 NHA17 POC38 TAL21 IND37 GLN10 MCH25 BRI9 DAR41 RCH22 DOV13 MAR8 NWS32 CLT22 CAR31 PHO23 ATL33 25th 2720

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1978 Ray Emerson Buick 20 41 1979 Kennie Childers Racing Oldsmobile 14 33 1980 Race Hill Farm Team Oldsmobile 10 42 1981 Buick 31 23 1982 Mach 1 Racing Buick 2 7 1983 13 37 1984 Chevrolet 6 6 1985 10 26 1986 15 30 1987 12 31 1988 20 29 1989 Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 12 12 1990 Leo Jackson Motorsports 5 18 1991 11 25 1992 11 12 1993 Chevrolet 37 21 1994 36 34

Busch Series NASCAR Busch Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Pts Ref 1982 Harry Gant 77 Pontiac DAY6 RCH BRI MAR DAR14 HCY SBO CRW RCH LGY DOV15 HCY CLT1 ASH HCY SBO CAR CRW SBO HCY LGY IRP BRI HCY RCH MAR CLTDNQ HCY MAR 43rd 469 1983 Johnny Hayes Racing 28 Pontiac DAY RCH CAR HCY MAR NWS SBO GPS LGY DOV BRI CLT4 SBO HCY ROU SBO ROU CRW ROU SBO HCY LGY IRP GPS BRI HCY DAR RCH NWS SBO MAR ROU CLT HCY MAR 102nd 160 1986 Ingram Racing 11 Pontiac DAY CAR HCY MAR BRI DAR SBO LGY JFC DOV CLT SBO HCY ROU IRP SBO RAL OXF SBO HCY LGY ROU BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR8 ROU CLT CAR MAR 109th - 1987 Whitaker Racing 7 Buick DAY18 HCY MAR DAR5 BRI23 LGY SBO CLT1 DOV24* IRP ROU JFC OXF SBO HCY RAL LGY ROU BRI31 JFC DAR1* RCH7 DOV24* MAR31 CLT1 CAR30 MAR31 26th 1509 1988 DAY8 HCY11 CAR5 MAR DAR2* BRI8 LNG NZH SBO NSV CLT6 DOV ROU LAN LVL MYB23 OXF SBO HCY LNG IRP ROU BRI4 DAR1* RCH1 DOV7 MAR1 CLT38 CAR1 MAR1 19th 2238 1989 DAY26 CAR11* MAR20 HCY6 DAR3 BRI30 NZH SBO LAN NSV CLT29 DOV28 ROU LVL VOL MYB SBO HCY DUB IRP ROU BRI28 DAR1 RCH25 DOV15 MAR26 CLT7 CAR1* MAR2 20th 1907 1990 Olds DAY2 23rd 2134 Buick RCH34 CAR4 MAR28 HCY9 DAR1* BRI LAN SBO NZH HCY9 CLT3 DOV2 ROU VOL MYB OXF NHA2 SBO DUB IRP ROU BRI DAR2 RCH10 DOV1* MAR CLT30 NHA CAR7 MAR 1991 DAY5 RCH1 CAR5 MAR24* VOL HCY DAR40* BRI7 LAN SBO NZH CLT3 DOV16* ROU HCY MYB GLN OXF NHA SBO DUB IRP ROU BRI30 DAR7 RCH1 DOV1* CLT1 NHA3 CAR5 MAR1* 21st 2309 1992 DAYDNQ CAR RCH1* ATL2 MAR DAR2 BRI1* HCY LAN DUB NZH CLT DOV17 ROU MYB GLN VOL NHA BRI22 DAR31* RCH9 DOV3 MAR26 CAR5 HCY 19th 1887 Chevy TAL33 IRP ROU MCH5 NHA CLT7 1993 DAY3 DAR2 BRI26 HCY ROU MAR NZH CLT38 DOV31 MYB GLN MLW29 TAL41 IRP MCH13 NHA BRI16 DAR32 RCH DOV34 ROU CLT35 MAR CAR29 HCY ATL4 27th 1526 Buick CAR7 RCH33 1994 Chevy DAY32 CAR2 RCH3 ATL1* MAR DAR5 HCY BRI7 ROU NHA NZH CLT30 DOV32 MYB GLN MLW12 SBO TAL31 HCY IRP32 MCH24 BRI28 DAR23 RCH DOV2* CLT35 MAR CAR4* 23rd 1939

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Pts Ref 1996 Harry Gant 33 Chevy HOM PHO POR EVG TUS CNS HPT BRI13 NZH21 MLW LVL I70 IRP12 FLM8 GLN NSV20 RCH8 NHA24 MAR10 NWS31 SON MMR PHO10 LVS21 24th 1267

International Race of Champions (key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.) International Race of Champions results Year Make 1 2 3 4 Pos. Pts Ref 1985 Chevy DAY5 MOH6 TALC MCH1* 1st 45 1986 DAY8* MOH6 TAL2 GLN11 6th 41 1992 Dodge DAY2 TAL5 MCH4 MCH6 5th 46.5 1993 DAY8 DAR3 TAL7 MCH4 7th 44