Harry Gant

Harry Gant did not win his first Cup Series race until he was 42 years old, and then he proceeded to pile up 18 victories and 17 poles across 474 starts, proving that patience and perseverance are virtues that the racetrack rewards. The Taylorsville, North Carolina native earned the nickname Mr. September for his remarkable 1991 run, when he won four consecutive Cup races in that month at age 51. That September streak was one of the most improbable in NASCAR history -- a 51-year-old driver dominating the sport's youngest and fastest competitors on four different tracks in succession. It captured the imagination of fans who saw in Gant the proof that age is just a number when talent and determination are this deep. Gant's career was built on a blue-collar ethos that resonated with the NASCAR fanbase. He raced hard, drove with a smooth precision that maximized tire life, and never resorted to the kind of aggressive tactics that would compromise another driver's race. His sportsmanship was as legendary as his late-career heroics. Before his Cup career, Gant was a dominant Late Model racer in the Southeast, and that short-track foundation informed everything about his approach to Cup competition. Harry Gant's career is proof that it is never too late to reach the top, and that the best stories in racing sometimes start after everyone else has written you off.

Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference