“He May Have Been the Biggest Jerk at Times!” NASCAR Insider Casts Doubts on Kurt Busch’s First Ballot HOF entry

NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck reckons that it wouldn't be easy for Kurt Busch to achieve the title of HOF despite being nominated this year.

“He May Have Been the Biggest Jerk at Times!” NASCAR Insider Casts Doubts on Kurt Busch’s First Ballot HOF entry

Kurt Busch (via USA Today)

The voting for NASCAR’s 2026 class for the Hall of Fame will be taking place in the coming weeks. Amongst many notable drivers in contention is Kurt Busch, who has appeared in contention for the first time since he exited in 2023.

Busch achieved a highly decorated career in NASCAR before ultimately exiting the sport due to a serious crash in the 2022 Pocono Qualifying. Now, NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck has spoken against the 46-year-old’s entry in the HOF contenders.

Kurt Busch managed to achieve the record of winning Cup races with four different manufacturers on the grid, which no other drivers have achieved so far. Apart from this, Busch was notably the last driver to achieve the Double Duty of the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 before Kyle Larson attempted it in 2024.

However, recent times have not been so forgiving for the 46-year-old, as he was arrested for DUI last year. Still, despite Busch’s trying times in recent years, NASCAR nominated him for the First Ballot Hall of Fame. NASCAR’s infamous insider Jeff Gluck, despite being appreciative of the 46-year-old’s legacy in the sport, didn’t hesitate to speak ill of his candor at times.

Gluck reckoned that even after keeping an open mind on the former’s career, he believed him to be a complete jerk at times. The 44-year-old claimed that Kurt Busch mellowed towards the end of his career and redeemed himself for some of the hate towards him. Still, Busch made a lot of enemies over the 23 years of racing in NASCAR.

I’ll keep an open mind to what people are talking about in the room, I don’t know how Kurt – I don’t know how the room will view Kurt. He may have been the biggest jerk at times that I ever covered of any driver. Earlier in his career, obviously. He mellowed by the end. But at times it was like, this guy is – so he made a lot of enemies, certainly.

Jeff Gluck said on The Teardown.

Jeff Gluck publicizes his vote for the First Ballot Hall of Fame

Jeff Gluck will receive the honor of being present in the room during the casting of the ballots, as he himself would be the one voting. While many members who vote during such events prefer to keep their votes private at least until the results are revealed, Gluck is not one of them. He openly reveals who he is going to vote for in the First Ballot Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch (Via IMAGO)

Despite having mixed opinions on Kurt Busch and his career in NASCAR, Jeff Gluck reveals that he would vote for the latter. Gluck highlights that he would keep his mind open while voting for other drivers, but he surely wouldn’t give his first vote to a driver who doesn’t have over 30 wins and a championship in NASCAR. This makes it very clear that the 44-year-old is prioritizing voting for Busch as the latter receives great support in his path to being inducted as a Hall of Famer.

Yeah, I mean, I’ll tell you, I’m pretty rock solid, I’m going to vote for Kurt Busch for one of them, The other ones I’ll listen to, but I’m not going to not vote for a guy who has over 30 wins and a championship.

Jeff Gluck noted

It might be difficult for Kurt Busch to receive the honor of being a HOF despite the massive support towards him. For some reason, the voters refuse to give a unanimous vote to a driver, much like Jimmie Johnson last year.

As such, there are chances that Busch doesn’t get indicted as a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Still, the 46-year-old’s career speaks for itself as he might be in contention for the status for many years to come.

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