Harry Gant

 ( Living People ) 

Gant won over 300 races with the car builder and crew chief Kenneth H. Sigmon, 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 Division in 1969, 1976, and 1977. He finished in the top-ten of the final points standing in several other years.

Gant sold half of his construction business in 1979 upon deciding to race full-time in the Winston Cup Series.

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.1989 Transouth 400 interview 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. "IROC Results for 1985 - Racing-Reference.info". 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.

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."

• Harry Gant at Nascar.com
• Harry Gant at decadesofracing.net