I was trying to remember this channel name and then the first thing that came to mind was "Anyway, I'm slapshoes, thanks for watching, and until next time, y'all take it easy."
You missed a CRUCIAL fact about Harry Gant's "Mr. September" run that everyone else seems to forget. In September 1991, the NASCAR Busch (Xfinity) series also had two races scheduled. Harry Gant entered those other two races. He won both of them.
Either I never knew this or just didn't remember it. I didn't really watch the Busch series races until later in the 90s when Mark Martin was winning them all the time.
I came here to point out the same thing. If you count the next Busch race at Charlotte the first week of October, he won 3 in a row there too, making it 7 wins in 8 starts between the two series, with the 2nd at North Wilkesboro in Cup being his only loss. Absolutely incredible run there.
Yup! He was driving the #7 Skoal car in the BGN series. I still have a tape of the race somewhere. I also remember when it was a big deal when Gant signed up with several sponsors for the '93 season which were: French's Mustard (which I got a diecast of) Hot Shot, Black Flag, Woolite, Gulf Lite, & Easy-Off. One other thing that wasn't mentioned is how Rick Mast was pushing Harry Gant at Talladega in '91. After the conclusion of that race Nascar reinforced the rule that the "car must finish under it's own power without any assistance." I remember watching that race and got a chuckle because you can clearly see Mast pushing him on that last lap.
“High, Wide and Handsome” Harry is a true gentleman. I remember going to Fontana and Harry was sitting in Kenny Schrader’s merchandise hauler. No one knew who Harry was! I walked up and said “Hi, Harry!” He said “Hello!” We talked for awhile and I asked him if he’d mind taking a look at something I had. I pulled a small cigar box out of my bag that had a picture of one of Harry’s Oldsmobiles from the 80’s on the top. It lit up his face and he smiled really wide. He asked if he could autograph it for me. I said “Would you mind?”…and Harry said, “It would be my pleasure!” Class act!!!
I had the pleasure of meeting Harry Gant in Daytona back in July 1992. I was 17 years old and my dad wanted to see Richard Patty’s final race at Daytona. We saw Harry in our hotel and he was chatting with who I assume were team members near the hotel lobby. We went back up to our room, grabbed our Official race program and approached Harry. “Mr. Gant, could we get your autograph please?” He tells us it’s Harry and asks where we are from. We tell him Boise, Idaho and he is amazed we traveled from Idaho for the race. He chatted with me and my dad for a few minutes and we were over the moon! Such a great human being and I’m lucky to have met the man.
If I remember correctly, in that famous September, Hansom Harry also won three out of four of the Busch Grand National races. That's seven races in one month!
One thing that gets forgotten about Harry Gant is that, out of the 15 races that were won by a driver over the age of 50, Gant is responsible for half of those: Harry Gant 8(1 in 1990, 5 in 1991, 1 in 1992) Mark Martin 5(All in 2009) Bobby Allison 1(1988 Daytona 500) Morgan Shepherd 1(1993 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500)
Harry Gant was my first favorite driver. After he retired from driving, you'd see him at the races in the Skoal souvenir trailer, signing autographs and talking with the folks. I got a few myself, including a couple of die-casts. The Skoal Bandit is still the coolest car ever. One thing to add, when they first started the truck series, Harry came out of retirement and raced about half the schedule in maybe the second or third year. NASCAR knew he'd be a gate attraction to sell the new series. He was very competitive, and in one of the races he was leading with a few laps to go and gets dumped into the wall by Mike Skinner. If you want to know why Skinner was an unpopular driver in Cup, the answer was right there. You didn't dump Harry Gant.
I remember going to the first truck race in Vegas many years ago. The shoal bandit trailer was outside the grandstand, and there was Harry Gant. I was going to buy a hat and asked if he would sign it. Sure, that'll be an extra 15.00 bucks. I didn't buy the overpriced hat.
@@josephadams7106 That must have been a new policy because he signed different stuff for me for nothing. They'd even give out free cans of Skoal & Copenhagen.
Harry Gant was always a class act both on and off of the track. He's a perfect example of success and humbleness combined....so rare to see. Another lesser known fact about Harry was his pride in being really good carpenter and roofer. Never forgot his roots and is why he was always kind to his fans.
These so called racers of today could learn a thing or two if they did some honest work like Gant. Kept mowing his Mama's yard even after he "made it." That's North Carolina.
Also worth noting that the Skoal Bandit was an Oldsmobile through the end of Harry's Career, that Oldsmobile's last victory was also Harry Gant's at that 1992 race, and that Oldsmobile withdrew from NASCAR at the end of 1994 season when Harry retired. Oldsmobile was the oldest manufacturer racing at the time.
It was only an Oldsmobile from '89-'92. Olds basically pulled out after '92, only running a handful of races with backmarker teams in '93. Norm Benning attempted the inaugural Brickyard in an Oldsmobile, but that was the only time one ran at all in '94. Personally, I felt that losing Oldsmobile was a bigger blow to the #33 team than losing Andy Petree. At Oldsmobile they were the clear #1 priority. At Chevy, Childress, Hendrick and Morgan-McClure were always higher on the priority list.
That Martinsville win always blows me away. That car was wrecked and it's just unbelievable how he could have recovered from that and gotten that thing to victory lane. The whole right front end of that car was smashed in and he still outdrove the entire field. Incredible.
My grandma loaned Harry the money to buy his first car. They grew up right down the road from each other. Even in his mid-eighties, Harry still walks several miles every day in order to stay healthy / active. He is a truly good and decent man!
That North Wilkesboro race in 91 holds a special memory for me. My dad was an Earnhardt fan. We were visiting my grandmother. We listened to the race on the radio. I remember saying how cool it would be if Gant won. My dad pulled for Dale to win. Had so much fun listening to the race. The next day my dad would pass away. That was our last race to listen to.
Not only did Gant win 4 Cup races in a row and finish second at Wilkesboro, but he won the 2 September Busch races in that stretch along with the Charlotte one first week of October for 3 straight there. He won everything but the lottery that month!
The first time I met Harry Gant was in 1988. Everyone was saying he was washed up and should be out of the car. He suffered a broken leg due at Charlotte during the first of the two tire wars with Hoosier. The driver who won the previous race was Geoff Bodine. They were at Spokane Raceway Park for a race of Champions, where cup drivers drove the cars of the locals. Bodine was so unfriendly, never smiled, and made it clear he did not want to be there. But here walks in Harry Gant on crutches with the biggest smile on his face and treats everyone like they were best friends. In 1991 I worked for Oldsmobile in Charlotte and loved seeing Gant win those 4 in a row. The funniest part of Benny Parsons saying Harry would not win at Martinsville is the next week at North Wilkesboro where ESPN had a cake with the words "Harry Gant will not win 4 in a row" and made Benny Parson eat his words literally.
Makes wonder how many of these guys would’ve won multiple championships and races if they would’ve been given the cars at 22 that Gordon got when he was that age
In current NASCAR era, it's hard to be competitive in your 40s, let alone 50s. Exception for Mark Martin who basically way ahead of keeping his shape when some drivers even smoke inside their car. What Harry did might be unbreakable.
A few years after Harry retired, I was at a night race at Richmond. Exide Batteries 400 I believe. That afternoon we were hitting all the souvenir trailers. I was a HUGE Harry Gant fan. My brother said "Hey, I think that's Harry Gant". I thought he was joking but I look over and sure enough, there stands Harry, leaning against the Skoal trailer. It was weird, all kinds of people were just walking by him like he wasn't even there. Nervously, I stepped up and said hello. He got the broadest smile on his face. He talked with me for nearly 20 minutes, like we knew each other for years. He invited me down to his family's restaurant in Ashville and shook my hand. One of the most genuine and kind individuals I have ever had the fortune to meet. Oh, he signed an old clay-stained Harry Gant Skoal Bandit hat I had nearly worn out. I still have that signed hat to this day. :)
That sounds about like him to me. I miss him and Morgan Shepherd and all of those guys. Good racers, good men, and never got bigger than their raisin's. If you're from home you'll know what I mean.
@Kevin Lance I'm from the northeast, but I have an idea of what you speak. NASCAR changed when all those guys left. The most shocking thing to me was nobody paid him any mind. Scores of people were walking by, and nobody cared. Best encounter with him I could've ever hoped for. I'll remember that day for as long as I live.
For me, having watched this video, "Handsome" Harry Gant, although he never won the title, is an example for late developers. Forgive me for self-indulgence, but I like to think of myself in this sort bracket as when I left school at the "normal" age, I was mentally not ready for life after school and learning in general, so after years of being stuck in a job I had no prospect of promotion in, I took the tough (and at the time demotivating) decision to go back into education. Long story short, after redoing the one set of exams for 15/16 year olds here in the UK, coming out 2 grades better than I originally did in 2005, I redid college, finally qualified for university at the age of 28, got 75% in my dissertation and overall came out with a 2:1 as my overall grade
Was my grandmas driver can still hear him call her handsome Harry haha rip grandma and thank you slapshoes for another awesome trip down memory lane. Even though I was three when he retired, she’d still reminisce about him and that is a memory I’ll take to the grave .
Gordon was such a blow to CART. Everyone fully expexted him to go into the big game of US racing, which in the early to mid 90s was still comsidered Indycar by a wide a margin. But he ended up signing in Nascar.
Had the chance to meet Harry several times in the early part of the century. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and looked like he could still race, and win. Criminally underrated, wonder what he could have done had he started in his early 20s?
I knew who Harry Gant was, but beyond the Skoal Bandit I didn’t know much about him. I can honestly say that generation was just built different, you had to kill them to make them stop. Absolute Mad Lads all of them.
@S1apSh0es Thanks so much for making a video about my all time favorite driver! It’s great to see not everyone’s forgotten about him. The fact that he’s not in the hall of fame right now is quite frankly despicable to me.
I've been waiting for him to get covered. I remember being a kid reading the Nascar history book being in awe that a man older than my dad was a race winner in a really cool scheme. Legendary Skoal bandit
I started watching in 1990 so got to see the final few years of Harry’s career. He was one of my favorites along with Earnhardt and Kulwicki. It was always great to see the #33 Oldsmobile running up front. I remember the 4 in a row streak very well. Good times…..I lost interest in the sport during the late 2010’s with all the changes they made, but it was great in the good old days with Bob, Ned, and Benny in the booth 😊
That story about Harry Gant's first test in a Cup car reminds me of a hilarious story about the guy who was the original Stig on Top Gear, Perry Mccarthy. After the disastrous joke of a team he drove for, Andrea Moda, was expelled from F1 towards the end of 1992, he did a test at Silverstone with the Benetton team, who together with future World Champion, Michael Schumacher, were on the rise in 1992. In this test, he took the words of Schumacher a bit too literally, lol. Prior to the test, he asked Schumacher about how he drove the fastest corner on the track at the time, Bridge (an almost flat out right hander taken at roughly 160MPH in the dry). Schumacher told him that he can take Bridge corner flat out, without lifting off the gas. As he explained in his book, "Flat Out, Flat Broke," Mccarthy drove Bridge corner like Schumacher said he could. Though he kept the throttle wide open, he found the car was all over the place, extremely loose. He returned to the pits for a debrief with Schumacher's Race Engineer, Pat Symmonds, who had the look of someone who thought the person they were talking to was absolutely insane. He diplomatically said to Mccarthy, "have a bit of a moment there?" Trying to play dumb, Mccarthy asked what he meant. Symmonds explained that the data showed him taking Bridge corner on full throttle and full opposite lock (in other words, turn the wheel fully to the left in a right hander). Mccarthy told him that Schumacher said he could take Bridge corner flat out. Symmonds responded with the following: "Yes, he does, when he's on new qualifiers (tyres specifically for qualifying) and 3 laps [worth] of fuel. You on the other hand had worn race tyres and half a tank of fuel!" Putting it simply, he didn't have anything like the level of grip available as Schumacher would have done on qualifying laps. Hilarious
I remember listening to that martinsville race on the radio on a day trip to myrtle beach. It was something to remember. From the radio thought it sounded like the sheet metal on the whole front of his car was taken off.
What a fantastic story. Now that I’m 40 and feeling old AF (and in 10 years I know I’ll look at 40 as being just a kid), I love old man success stories.
Was at a race at Pocono in the 90s. Harry Grant ran up front for a lot of it. Was crazy seeing him out front cuz he was older at this time. Geoff Bodine ended up winning the race. Was and awesome weekend. Camping out in the infield.
Harry & Benny were the last time I had 'a driver'. What you didn't mention was that Mr. September won all those races in The Same Car. I watched helplessly that day in Wilkesboro as Earnhardt slowly closed in and passed Harry. Gut Punch!
I loved Harry Gant I didn't know about him till way after he retired cuz I wasn't born at the time But man watching those old races of him winning four in a row he became very likable to me & I think he deserves to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
He did't just won 4 in a row, he also won 3 in a row in Busch series at the same time. He won his last NASCAR race in 1994 at Atlanta and almost won in 1996 in his breith period racing the Trucks, but Mike Skinner, 2 laps down, wreked Harry Gant, who lead on a closing laps. (i'm not native english speaker, sorry for mistakes)
The first race I ever attended was actually Harry Gant's last career win at Michigan. My last trip to Michigan for a Cup weekend was in 1994 when Ernie Irvan almost lost his life. Crazy how much I saw that's still talked about in such a small time frame!
Love the video slap! That's when men were men! The 1980s and 90's are my favorite era in nascar. I was only 7 years old in his final season and I do remember him on the track. Enjoy North Wilkesboro tonight! 🙂
Nice video on my all time favorite driver in Nascar. One thing that I wanted to point out, at the end of 1988, the Mach 1 team, that is what Burt and Hal's team was named, was actually sold to Bill Edwards and Travis Carter and renumbered 66 for 1989 with Rick Mast driving. Harry did keep the number 33 and moved to Leo Jackson's team in 1989 using Phil Parsons equipment from the previous season. Phil's 55 team was run by Leo's brother Richard and the cars were pseudo teammates.
Always loved watching Harry run. He was the underdog you never underestimated. He really was such a fluid driver. Imo, that was when Nascar was Nascar. And why I became such a fan of the sport.
I met Harry Gant one time by accident. When the racing season was over Gant would do millwright work. The Paper mill My father and I worked at was in a week long shutdown. Bowater @ Calhoun Tn. My father was taking a break in a small machine tenders shack. It held 4 men at a time. I was taking my dad a snack and he was setting in the shack with Harry Gant. Harry Gant was very nice and quite a professional. A time I will always remember.
This video was awesome! I grew up watching Harry and when that faithful 1991 season was going on I taped the Darlington race and Talladega.. But... Talladega was a Monday race because it was rained out on Sunday.. As a kid I had to go to school.. So I taped it in SLP speed. 6 hours of tape should of been enough but... it wasn't.. I turned on the channel and it was down to the last 5 laps.. Harry and Rick Mast helping his team mate into victory lane.. I got the big one that day when Ernie and Kyle got together.. and then it was a red flag after that.. So I basically run out of tape.. But I got to see Harry win that Winston 500. It was awesome like this video!!!
To me Harry Gant exemplifies what is truly is to be a North Carolinean. Always humble and a true gentleman, he will always be a fan favorite in Western North Carolina, something we just don't have with the so called racing they do today. I saw him make the best move I ever saw anybody make in a race car at the Asheville Speedway one Friday night many years ago but that's another story. Thanks for the memories
@S1apSh0es I had the pleasure of meeting Harry Gant at a local race here in Hickory. He was clean shaven and had his hair combed with was seemed like Brylcreem. I told him I could see why they called him handsome Harry and shook his hand. He leaned in and winked and said "They all do son" 😂.
His second to last win was the first race of my lifetime, cool little fact to know I guess lol. But man, I had no idea how much of a badass he was. Thanks again S1ap 🙏
Great content sir! Harry has the distinction of being the one guy everyone liked. Never heard anyone say they didn't like him, and if you brought up his name it always brought a smile.
Cool little video. I remember watching those races live in 1991, and was pulling for him to win as many as he could. I recently rewatched them on RUclips.
I always liked the skoal bandit team when i was a kid. I thought that Oldsmobile was FAST and really cool. But i never knew the story behind it. I grew up a Jeff Gordon fan, but became a fan of many other drivers. Mr. Gant became one of those. Thanks for the run down slap.
tbh a big inspiration for so many things, a champion for, to me, doing something at any age, especially in age groups and activities that are stereotypically mismatched, so we can do more of those dream things throughout our life
I was maybe 11 or 12 years old watching Harry get spun and hit at Matinsville, and I collectively cursed in horror along with the whole of NASCAR fans all rooting for this 4 peat to happen with the awsome, yet slightly underdog team and driver, of the awsome looking SKOAL Olds. This was one of the greatest wins I've witnessed in 34 years of watching CUP
One of the the great men I grew up watching. His high line at tracks like Darlington, when everyone else was down on the inside was absolute legend. Thanks for the feature on old Harry. He was one a kind.
I’m a casual nascar fan , didn’t grow up with the sport but I do enjoy watching the big races on tv, love the cars. Favorite era was late 90’s early 00’s
Just as a heads up when this video is released, I'm pretty sure one the old Skoal Bandit cars is actually for sale on one of those retired race car websites. I saw it recently for about $40k.
Harry gaint needs to be in the hall of fame the is from my hometown of taylorsville he is one of the most down to earth people just a great guy and I am proud to say handsome harry is from my hometown
For those of you who were too young when Mr. September ran his crazy streak….Mr. Gant not only won every CUP race….he won every BUSCH race too in same timeframe. Imagine seeing the same driver win every Saturday AND Sunday for weeks on end. TOTAL DOMINATION
It was like when Kyle Busch was ripping up the lower divisions in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, except Gant is wayyyyy more charismatic and likable 😂
I'd argue that 1959 had the most stacked rookie class, with Petty, Jarrett and Buddy Baker. '56 also has a strong case. Average field age has fluctuated a lot over the years. In 1950 and '51, the average winner was younger than even last year, and the prevailing wisdom was that racing was a "young man's sport" and to keep racing after 35 you must have a death wish. Then the Petty/Pearson/Allison/Yarborough brigade kept racing and winning well into their 40's, and the prevailing wisdom changed to thinking you should never hire anyone under 30. Then Gordon came along, and after a few years, everyone wanted a young driver.
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This video was edited by the ever-awesome Biodegradable. You check him out and even hire him for yourself here: twitter.com/BiodeEditable
Always happy to be of service, my friend. ;^)
Could you do a video on the racing dynasties of dodge/Plymouth with the 1960’s/1970’s
Yo Slap what song was used for this video at 5:44 cause it bangs, btw this video made me a big Harry Gant fan, i love your vids mate 👍
I was trying to remember this channel name and then the first thing that came to mind was "Anyway, I'm slapshoes, thanks for watching, and until next time, y'all take it easy."
Awesome!!
1 change, you say @ 6:40 ' that Burt Reynolds'
You should have said Yeah that Hal Needham!!😂 He was the Man.
You missed a CRUCIAL fact about Harry Gant's "Mr. September" run that everyone else seems to forget. In September 1991, the NASCAR Busch (Xfinity) series also had two races scheduled. Harry Gant entered those other two races. He won both of them.
Harry was in his bag 🎒 the entire month 😂😂😂
Either I never knew this or just didn't remember it. I didn't really watch the Busch series races until later in the 90s when Mark Martin was winning them all the time.
I came here to point out the same thing. If you count the next Busch race at Charlotte the first week of October, he won 3 in a row there too, making it 7 wins in 8 starts between the two series, with the 2nd at North Wilkesboro in Cup being his only loss. Absolutely incredible run there.
Yup! He was driving the #7 Skoal car in the BGN series. I still have a tape of the race somewhere. I also remember when it was a big deal when Gant signed up with several sponsors for the '93 season which were: French's Mustard (which I got a diecast of) Hot Shot, Black Flag, Woolite, Gulf Lite, & Easy-Off.
One other thing that wasn't mentioned is how Rick Mast was pushing Harry Gant at Talladega in '91. After the conclusion of that race Nascar reinforced the rule that the "car must finish under it's own power without any assistance."
I remember watching that race and got a chuckle because you can clearly see Mast pushing him on that last lap.
Leech
Now all we need is Kyle Petty, Richard petty and Jeff gordon then just about every big story line from the 92 hooters 500 will be covered
oh, ya, he did do a video on that iconic race, and I'm... I'm pretty sure? he mentioned those parts
@@ChrisPoindexter98 I think he means an individual documentary on Kyle Petty's career, Richard Petty's career & Jeff Gordon's career
He did it Jimmy Means and Rick Wilson ?
Remember guys. All of today's NASCAR lore somehow it goes all the way back to the '92 Hooters 500.
Donut media already covered Richard Petty, but I'm sure S1AP could make a really good history vid too.
“I’m a pretty good driver, but I’m a great carpenter.” - Harry Gant
That's humility if I re
“High, Wide and Handsome” Harry is a true gentleman. I remember going to Fontana and Harry was sitting in Kenny Schrader’s merchandise hauler. No one knew who Harry was!
I walked up and said “Hi, Harry!” He said “Hello!” We talked for awhile and I asked him if he’d mind taking a look at something I had. I pulled a small cigar box out of my bag that had a picture of one of Harry’s Oldsmobiles from the 80’s on the top. It lit up his face and he smiled really wide. He asked if he could autograph it for me. I said “Would you mind?”…and Harry said, “It would be my pleasure!”
Class act!!!
I had the pleasure of meeting Harry Gant in Daytona back in July 1992. I was 17 years old and my dad wanted to see Richard Patty’s final race at Daytona. We saw Harry in our hotel and he was chatting with who I assume were team members near the hotel lobby. We went back up to our room, grabbed our Official race program and approached Harry. “Mr. Gant, could we get your autograph please?” He tells us it’s Harry and asks where we are from. We tell him Boise, Idaho and he is amazed we traveled from Idaho for the race. He chatted with me and my dad for a few minutes and we were over the moon! Such a great human being and I’m lucky to have met the man.
A slapshoes video and a North Wilkesboro race on the same day! Can this day get any better!?!
It will only get better !
Maybe racing will come back home where it belongs. now we've got to cultivate some new North Carolina talent
If I remember correctly, in that famous September, Hansom Harry also won three out of four of the Busch Grand National races.
That's seven races in one month!
One thing that gets forgotten about Harry Gant is that, out of the 15 races that were won by a driver over the age of 50, Gant is responsible for half of those:
Harry Gant 8(1 in 1990, 5 in 1991, 1 in 1992)
Mark Martin 5(All in 2009)
Bobby Allison 1(1988 Daytona 500)
Morgan Shepherd 1(1993 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500)
No matter the conversation in NASCAR, it always comes back to the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta
Harry Gant was my first favorite driver. After he retired from driving, you'd see him at the races in the Skoal souvenir trailer, signing autographs and talking with the folks. I got a few myself, including a couple of die-casts. The Skoal Bandit is still the coolest car ever.
One thing to add, when they first started the truck series, Harry came out of retirement and raced about half the schedule in maybe the second or third year. NASCAR knew he'd be a gate attraction to sell the new series. He was very competitive, and in one of the races he was leading with a few laps to go and gets dumped into the wall by Mike Skinner. If you want to know why Skinner was an unpopular driver in Cup, the answer was right there. You didn't dump Harry Gant.
I remember going to the first truck race in Vegas many years ago. The shoal bandit trailer was outside the grandstand, and there was Harry Gant. I was going to buy a hat and asked if he would sign it. Sure, that'll be an extra 15.00 bucks.
I didn't buy the overpriced hat.
@@josephadams7106 That must have been a new policy because he signed different stuff for me for nothing. They'd even give out free cans of Skoal & Copenhagen.
@@RRaquello nothing like promoting that mouth cancers
@@josephadams7106 Oh well, you don't have to take it if you don't want it.
Harry Gant was always a class act both on and off of the track. He's a perfect example of success and humbleness combined....so rare to see. Another lesser known fact about Harry was his pride in being really good carpenter and roofer. Never forgot his roots and is why he was always kind to his fans.
Dang, I'm 53 and the way you're talking I should have a pet T-rex.
He had a really good steakhouse in Taylorsville for a while too.
These so called racers of today could learn a thing or two if they did some honest work like Gant. Kept mowing his Mama's yard even after he "made it." That's North Carolina.
People called hom Handsome Harry, but his friends called him Hammerin' Harry...he'd win on Sunday and was up on a roof on Monday.
I think even people who aren't NASCAR fans can appreciate what a great storyteller you are. Keep up the good work!
Yep, that's me. I'm not a NASCAR fan but do love racing and this video was great. Makes me want to get a Skoal bandit hat now
Same here! Huge formula one and DTS fan myself, but getting into nascar from slap. Want to go to a race when I visit my buddy in NC this summer.
Agreed I like his style it's professional and witty at the same time.
Also worth noting that the Skoal Bandit was an Oldsmobile through the end of Harry's Career, that Oldsmobile's last victory was also Harry Gant's at that 1992 race, and that Oldsmobile withdrew from NASCAR at the end of 1994 season when Harry retired. Oldsmobile was the oldest manufacturer racing at the time.
It was only an Oldsmobile from '89-'92. Olds basically pulled out after '92, only running a handful of races with backmarker teams in '93. Norm Benning attempted the inaugural Brickyard in an Oldsmobile, but that was the only time one ran at all in '94.
Personally, I felt that losing Oldsmobile was a bigger blow to the #33 team than losing Andy Petree. At Oldsmobile they were the clear #1 priority. At Chevy, Childress, Hendrick and Morgan-McClure were always higher on the priority list.
That Martinsville win always blows me away. That car was wrecked and it's just unbelievable how he could have recovered from that and gotten that thing to victory lane. The whole right front end of that car was smashed in and he still outdrove the entire field. Incredible.
My grandma loaned Harry the money to buy his first car. They grew up right down the road from each other. Even in his mid-eighties, Harry still walks several miles every day in order to stay healthy / active. He is a truly good and decent man!
That North Wilkesboro race in 91 holds a special memory for me. My dad was an Earnhardt fan. We were visiting my grandmother. We listened to the race on the radio. I remember saying how cool it would be if Gant won. My dad pulled for Dale to win. Had so much fun listening to the race. The next day my dad would pass away. That was our last race to listen to.
Not only did Gant win 4 Cup races in a row and finish second at Wilkesboro, but he won the 2 September Busch races in that stretch along with the Charlotte one first week of October for 3 straight there. He won everything but the lottery that month!
the Skoal bandit's story is what got me into NASCAR
The first time I met Harry Gant was in 1988. Everyone was saying he was washed up and should be out of the car. He suffered a broken leg due at Charlotte during the first of the two tire wars with Hoosier. The driver who won the previous race was Geoff Bodine. They were at Spokane Raceway Park for a race of Champions, where cup drivers drove the cars of the locals. Bodine was so unfriendly, never smiled, and made it clear he did not want to be there. But here walks in Harry Gant on crutches with the biggest smile on his face and treats everyone like they were best friends.
In 1991 I worked for Oldsmobile in Charlotte and loved seeing Gant win those 4 in a row. The funniest part of Benny Parsons saying Harry would not win at Martinsville is the next week at North Wilkesboro where ESPN had a cake with the words "Harry Gant will not win 4 in a row" and made Benny Parson eat his words literally.
I'd like to meet this guy. My grandfather pulled for him. Miss sitting outside listening to the race. As I'm doing again.
ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember?
ba-dee-ya, racin' Mr September
ba-dee-ya, never was a cloudy day
Makes wonder how many of these guys would’ve won multiple championships and races if they would’ve been given the cars at 22 that Gordon got when he was that age
Harry Gant is NASCAR's version of Fernando Alonso. One who only gets better with age.
I've said it once and I'll say it again it's amazing that he won most of his races at an age where most drivers are out of there prime
Let Harry's story inspire you, kids. You're never too old to achieve your dreams.
I am charmed to bits by Harry’s story. I love a guy who seems constantly in shock of his own success.
In current NASCAR era, it's hard to be competitive in your 40s, let alone 50s. Exception for Mark Martin who basically way ahead of keeping his shape when some drivers even smoke inside their car. What Harry did might be unbreakable.
Dick Trickle smoked in the car and got a top five on his 56th birthday.
Hit as soon as I got the notification. A video for every contender at the end of 1992 at this rate? When’s the Kyle Petty video hitting?
I hope Kyle Petty my favorite driver
A few years after Harry retired, I was at a night race at Richmond. Exide Batteries 400 I believe. That afternoon we were hitting all the souvenir trailers. I was a HUGE Harry Gant fan. My brother said "Hey, I think that's Harry Gant". I thought he was joking but I look over and sure enough, there stands Harry, leaning against the Skoal trailer. It was weird, all kinds of people were just walking by him like he wasn't even there. Nervously, I stepped up and said hello. He got the broadest smile on his face. He talked with me for nearly 20 minutes, like we knew each other for years. He invited me down to his family's restaurant in Ashville and shook my hand. One of the most genuine and kind individuals I have ever had the fortune to meet. Oh, he signed an old clay-stained Harry Gant Skoal Bandit hat I had nearly worn out. I still have that signed hat to this day. :)
That sounds about like him to me. I miss him and Morgan Shepherd and all of those guys. Good racers, good men, and never got bigger than their raisin's. If you're from home you'll know what I mean.
@Kevin Lance I'm from the northeast, but I have an idea of what you speak. NASCAR changed when all those guys left. The most shocking thing to me was nobody paid him any mind. Scores of people were walking by, and nobody cared. Best encounter with him I could've ever hoped for. I'll remember that day for as long as I live.
You cannot and I mean CANNOT negate the fact that Gant is an insanely good wheelman. Legend
For me, having watched this video, "Handsome" Harry Gant, although he never won the title, is an example for late developers. Forgive me for self-indulgence, but I like to think of myself in this sort bracket as when I left school at the "normal" age, I was mentally not ready for life after school and learning in general, so after years of being stuck in a job I had no prospect of promotion in, I took the tough (and at the time demotivating) decision to go back into education. Long story short, after redoing the one set of exams for 15/16 year olds here in the UK, coming out 2 grades better than I originally did in 2005, I redid college, finally qualified for university at the age of 28, got 75% in my dissertation and overall came out with a 2:1 as my overall grade
Love how he would win a race on Sunday then get up Monday morning to go to work lol
Was my grandmas driver can still hear him call her handsome Harry haha rip grandma and thank you slapshoes for another awesome trip down memory lane. Even though I was three when he retired, she’d still reminisce about him and that is a memory I’ll take to the grave .
I'm sure Gordon would still be racing if he didnt hurt his back, he was never the same after that.
Not to mention he probably could have had more than 93 wins
I doubt it. He was starting to get into his "Darrell Waltrip" years
@@jebediahgentry7029 those "Waltrip years" would've come a lot later if not for his back
No matter what.. it always comes back to that darn race at atlanta in 1992
He was such a relaxed, laid back guy! I always loved that car too!
DW was my driver back in the day, but Harry Gant always seemed like a good dude. Those Skoal Bandit Oldsmobiles were a thing of beauty.
Gordon was such a blow to CART. Everyone fully expexted him to go into the big game of US racing, which in the early to mid 90s was still comsidered Indycar by a wide a margin. But he ended up signing in Nascar.
Had the chance to meet Harry several times in the early part of the century. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and looked like he could still race, and win. Criminally underrated, wonder what he could have done had he started in his early 20s?
I knew who Harry Gant was, but beyond the Skoal Bandit I didn’t know much about him. I can honestly say that generation was just built different, you had to kill them to make them stop. Absolute Mad Lads all of them.
Harry Gant is still living that nickname, dude is 84 and hasn’t aged a day it seems
Who would tell these stories if it weren’t for you. Thank you again and again!!
Brock beard perhaps?
@@dethkillerspiral brocks usually concerned with backmarkers lol
@S1apSh0es Thanks so much for making a video about my all time favorite driver! It’s great to see not everyone’s forgotten about him. The fact that he’s not in the hall of fame right now is quite frankly despicable to me.
I've been waiting for him to get covered. I remember being a kid reading the Nascar history book being in awe that a man older than my dad was a race winner in a really cool scheme. Legendary Skoal bandit
I started watching in 1990 so got to see the final few years of Harry’s career. He was one of my favorites along with Earnhardt and Kulwicki. It was always great to see the #33 Oldsmobile running up front. I remember the 4 in a row streak very well. Good times…..I lost interest in the sport during the late 2010’s with all the changes they made, but it was great in the good old days with Bob, Ned, and Benny in the booth 😊
That story about Harry Gant's first test in a Cup car reminds me of a hilarious story about the guy who was the original Stig on Top Gear, Perry Mccarthy.
After the disastrous joke of a team he drove for, Andrea Moda, was expelled from F1 towards the end of 1992, he did a test at Silverstone with the Benetton team, who together with future World Champion, Michael Schumacher, were on the rise in 1992. In this test, he took the words of Schumacher a bit too literally, lol.
Prior to the test, he asked Schumacher about how he drove the fastest corner on the track at the time, Bridge (an almost flat out right hander taken at roughly 160MPH in the dry). Schumacher told him that he can take Bridge corner flat out, without lifting off the gas.
As he explained in his book, "Flat Out, Flat Broke," Mccarthy drove Bridge corner like Schumacher said he could. Though he kept the throttle wide open, he found the car was all over the place, extremely loose. He returned to the pits for a debrief with Schumacher's Race Engineer, Pat Symmonds, who had the look of someone who thought the person they were talking to was absolutely insane. He diplomatically said to Mccarthy, "have a bit of a moment there?"
Trying to play dumb, Mccarthy asked what he meant. Symmonds explained that the data showed him taking Bridge corner on full throttle and full opposite lock (in other words, turn the wheel fully to the left in a right hander). Mccarthy told him that Schumacher said he could take Bridge corner flat out. Symmonds responded with the following:
"Yes, he does, when he's on new qualifiers (tyres specifically for qualifying) and 3 laps [worth] of fuel. You on the other hand had worn race tyres and half a tank of fuel!"
Putting it simply, he didn't have anything like the level of grip available as Schumacher would have done on qualifying laps. Hilarious
I remember listening to that martinsville race on the radio on a day trip to myrtle beach. It was something to remember. From the radio thought it sounded like the sheet metal on the whole front of his car was taken off.
What a fantastic story. Now that I’m 40 and feeling old AF (and in 10 years I know I’ll look at 40 as being just a kid), I love old man success stories.
Was at a race at Pocono in the 90s. Harry Grant ran up front for a lot of it. Was crazy seeing him out front cuz he was older at this time. Geoff Bodine ended up winning the race. Was and awesome weekend. Camping out in the infield.
Harry doesn't always get enough love when the conversation turns to NASCAR greats of the 80s and 90s. Really glad to see this video!
That September run was insane! Also unlikely to be repeated with the clone car generation...
Harry & Benny were the last time I had 'a driver'. What you didn't mention was that Mr. September won all those races in The Same Car. I watched helplessly that day in Wilkesboro as Earnhardt slowly closed in and passed Harry. Gut Punch!
I loved Harry Gant I didn't know about him till way after he retired cuz I wasn't born at the time
But man watching those old races of him winning four in a row he became very likable to me & I think he deserves to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
He did't just won 4 in a row, he also won 3 in a row in Busch series at the same time. He won his last NASCAR race in 1994 at Atlanta and almost won in 1996 in his breith period racing the Trucks, but Mike Skinner, 2 laps down, wreked Harry Gant, who lead on a closing laps.
(i'm not native english speaker, sorry for mistakes)
High wide and handsome, I used to love the bandit car and Mr. Gant sure could wheel that thing around a track.
The first race I ever attended was actually Harry Gant's last career win at Michigan. My last trip to Michigan for a Cup weekend was in 1994 when Ernie Irvan almost lost his life. Crazy how much I saw that's still talked about in such a small time frame!
Love the video slap! That's when men were men! The 1980s and 90's are my favorite era in nascar. I was only 7 years old in his final season and I do remember him on the track. Enjoy North Wilkesboro tonight! 🙂
Harry also had a cameo in "Days of Thunder" prior to the Daytona 500 along with Neil Bonnett and Rusty Wallace
Been hoping a Harry Gant video would make its way out.
Nice video on my all time favorite driver in Nascar. One thing that I wanted to point out, at the end of 1988, the Mach 1 team, that is what Burt and Hal's team was named, was actually sold to Bill Edwards and Travis Carter and renumbered 66 for 1989 with Rick Mast driving.
Harry did keep the number 33 and moved to Leo Jackson's team in 1989 using Phil Parsons equipment from the previous season. Phil's 55 team was run by Leo's brother Richard and the cars were pseudo teammates.
Always loved watching Harry run. He was the underdog you never underestimated. He really was such a fluid driver. Imo, that was when Nascar was Nascar. And why I became such a fan of the sport.
I met Harry Gant one time by accident. When the racing season was over Gant would do millwright work. The Paper mill My father and I worked at was in a week long shutdown. Bowater @ Calhoun Tn. My father was taking a break in a small machine tenders shack. It held 4 men at a time. I was taking my dad a snack and he was setting in the shack with Harry Gant. Harry Gant was very nice and quite a professional. A time I will always remember.
This video was awesome! I grew up watching Harry and when that faithful 1991 season was going on I taped the Darlington race and Talladega.. But... Talladega was a Monday race because it was rained out on Sunday.. As a kid I had to go to school.. So I taped it in SLP speed. 6 hours of tape should of been enough but... it wasn't.. I turned on the channel and it was down to the last 5 laps.. Harry and Rick Mast helping his team mate into victory lane.. I got the big one that day when Ernie and Kyle got together.. and then it was a red flag after that.. So I basically run out of tape.. But I got to see Harry win that Winston 500. It was awesome like this video!!!
To me Harry Gant exemplifies what is truly is to be a North Carolinean. Always humble and a true gentleman, he will always be a fan favorite in Western North Carolina, something we just don't have with the so called racing they do today. I saw him make the best move I ever saw anybody make in a race car at the Asheville Speedway one Friday night many years ago but that's another story. Thanks for the memories
@S1apSh0es I had the pleasure of meeting Harry Gant at a local race here in Hickory. He was clean shaven and had his hair combed with was seemed like Brylcreem. I told him I could see why they called him handsome Harry and shook his hand. He leaned in and winked and said "They all do son" 😂.
Great vid, S1ap. Always here for Harry Gant respect. He was such an underrated driver.
In my family we still call running the top side the Harry Gant line.
Mr September built his brick house with his own hands and those of family and friends.
His second to last win was the first race of my lifetime, cool little fact to know I guess lol.
But man, I had no idea how much of a badass he was. Thanks again S1ap 🙏
5:05 Lmao, the HL2 sound effects work so well for this demonstration.
Great content sir! Harry has the distinction of being the one guy everyone liked. Never heard anyone say they didn't like him, and if you brought up his name it always brought a smile.
One of my all time favorite drivers.
High, wide, and handsome as I remember Harry Gant. Any a hole want to comment? Didn't think so. One of the best!
My favorite driver, great vid!!!! 🏁🏁
Mr. September is honestly one of the coolest nicknames of all time, even if I had no significance
Cool little video. I remember watching those races live in 1991, and was pulling for him to win as many as he could. I recently rewatched them on RUclips.
Good old Harry, love the guy.
Harry was/is bad to the bone. One of the nicest men you'll ever meet.
I always liked the skoal bandit team when i was a kid. I thought that Oldsmobile was FAST and really cool. But i never knew the story behind it. I grew up a Jeff Gordon fan, but became a fan of many other drivers. Mr. Gant became one of those. Thanks for the run down slap.
I was born in the same hospital as Jeff gordon my grandfather a nascar fanatic loved to talk about it😂 rip Robert🇺🇸🥊gone but never forgotten
tbh a big inspiration for so many things, a champion for, to me, doing something at any age, especially in age groups and activities that are stereotypically mismatched, so we can do more of those dream things throughout our life
Love this! I was there for the Dover race from the Mr September stretch. He housed everyone and ran that wicked high line the whole time.
The Skoal Bandit
& Levi Garrett
are My All Time Favorite Rides
The Tide Ride & Hooters 🦉
Are up there with My All Times
y'all finally made a video just for me! Harry will always be my favorite.
I was maybe 11 or 12 years old watching Harry get spun and hit at Matinsville, and I collectively cursed in horror along with the whole of NASCAR fans all rooting for this 4 peat to happen with the awsome, yet slightly underdog team and driver, of the awsome looking SKOAL Olds. This was one of the greatest wins I've witnessed in 34 years of watching CUP
Harry Gant was my dad’s favorite Nascar driver. Still have a Skoal Bandit branded cooler to this day.
One of the the great men I grew up watching. His high line at tracks like Darlington, when everyone else was down on the inside was absolute legend. Thanks for the feature on old Harry. He was one a kind.
I’m a casual nascar fan , didn’t grow up with the sport but I do enjoy watching the big races on tv, love the cars. Favorite era was late 90’s early 00’s
You really gotta do a fully essay on Jeff Gordon. His career is just to spectacular not to cover. Plus i love the style you do them in.
Just as a heads up when this video is released, I'm pretty sure one the old Skoal Bandit cars is actually for sale on one of those retired race car websites. I saw it recently for about $40k.
Great videos. This was before my time, so to hear the actual history/ video footage instead of just reading Wikipedia is awesome. Can’t wait for more
Harry gaint needs to be in the hall of fame the is from my hometown of taylorsville he is one of the most down to earth people just a great guy and I am proud to say handsome harry is from my hometown
You mean he ain't in the hall of fame? He gots to be or they might as well shut it down.
Great upload for the day of North Wilkesboro's rebirth to The Cup Series. Boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racing boys and girls!
For those of you who were too young when Mr. September ran his crazy streak….Mr. Gant not only won every CUP race….he won every BUSCH race too in same timeframe. Imagine seeing the same driver win every Saturday AND Sunday for weeks on end. TOTAL DOMINATION
It was like when Kyle Busch was ripping up the lower divisions in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, except Gant is wayyyyy more charismatic and likable 😂
@@S1apShoes or watching Kyle Larson last weekend at N. Wilksboro.
Gordon winning 55 races and 3 championship before age 30 blows my mind.
Another excellent video. Met him at Michigan , was a cool guy.Thanks S1APSH0ES 😊👍
I'd argue that 1959 had the most stacked rookie class, with Petty, Jarrett and Buddy Baker. '56 also has a strong case.
Average field age has fluctuated a lot over the years. In 1950 and '51, the average winner was younger than even last year, and the prevailing wisdom was that racing was a "young man's sport" and to keep racing after 35 you must have a death wish. Then the Petty/Pearson/Allison/Yarborough brigade kept racing and winning well into their 40's, and the prevailing wisdom changed to thinking you should never hire anyone under 30. Then Gordon came along, and after a few years, everyone wanted a young driver.
....and this man should have won a title, dang it. Always fun to watch.
Harry laps the field in the early 90s but if that kind of domination would ever happen today the fans would cry about how boring the race was