CHARLOTTE, N.C. >> Given his resume, Kurt Busch knew it was a matter of when, not if, he would be selected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Still, getting voted in on the first ballot on Tuesday was a huge relief for Busch, who let out an emotional sigh of relief after hearing his named called at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“I’m very grateful and thankful that it happened this first time,” Busch said. “You want to have that answer as fast as you can.”

Ray Hendrick and Harry Gant were also voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, while executive Humpy Wheeler was named the Landmark Award winner for his contribution to the sport. A ceremony will be held to officially induct the Class of 2026 into the Hall of Fame in March.

The 46-year-old Busch held off Jimmie Johnson to win the 2004 Cup Series championship and went on to win 34 Cup races, including at least one victory in 19 of his 21 full-time seasons on the premier circuit before he retired in 2023.

His journey to NASCAR stardom began in 2000 with a Truck Series rookie season that foreshadowed greatness. His big breakthrough came in 2004, when he became the first driver to win the title under NASCAR’s “playoff” system — a feat that proved both his excellence and adaptability.

The consistent Busch finished in the top 10 in the Cup Series standings 10 times.

“Things happened fast for me in this sport and I don’t know how or why,” Busch said. “There was no template, there wasn’t the ladder that these days you see the kids that have a system where it is going to be this or that. For me it was being in the right place at the right time and the universe smiled down on me.”

Hendrick, who died in 1990 at age 61, was the original “Mr. Modified.”

He is one of the winningest drivers of all time, with than 700 modified and late model sportsman wins between 1950-88. His success started in his home state of Virginia, where his No. 11 was well know. He won five track championships at South Boston Speedway — four modified and one late model sportsman.

He was known as a driver that was willing to race “anywhere and everywhere,” and did just that. He filled his schedule with modified and late model sportsman races across the East coast. Hendrick was known best for his wins on short tracks, but also produced victories at Talladega, Charlotte and Dover.

Despite never winning a Modified Division championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 in the standings nine times from 1960-69.

The 85-year-old Gant, known as the “Bandit” for his long-time sponsorship with Skoal Bandits, won 18 Cup Series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991. In the five seasons from 1981 through 1985, he finished in the top five in points four times, including a runner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.

He also won 21 Xfinity Series races.