Harold Phil Gant[1] (born January 10, 1940) is a retired American stock car racing driver best known for driving the No.

Gant holds the record for the oldest driver to win a Cup Series race (52).

Early on, "Sug" Thompson, announcer at New Asheville Speedway, nicknamed Harry "The Taylorsville Flash".

He was later known as "Handsome Harry Gant" due to his Hollywood-style good looks, the "Bandit" after his longtime sponsor Skoal Bandit, "Mr. September"[1] after winning four consecutive Winston Cup races and two Busch Series races in September 1991, "High Groove Harry" after the high line he often took through the corner, and "Hard Luck Harry" for numerous second place finishes in the beginning of his career and later numerous mechanical failures and crashes not of his own doing while leading or running well with Mach I racing.

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

[2] Gant made his first Cup start in 1973 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing eleventh in 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 standings.

[6] 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.

The data from the car was sent to the CBS television network and broadcast during the TV coverage of the race.

Dominating at the next race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Gant had his brakes fail, ending his hopes of five consecutive victories.

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.

Currently, Gant continues to work on his 300-acre ranch in North Carolina and enjoys riding his motorcycle.

He is the second oldest driver to win in NASCAR's second-level circuit, now known as the Xfinity Series, after Dick Trickle.

He also gave a short interview in the film Days of Thunder and was mentioned for spinning out in the Daytona 500 late in the movie (although it was actually the No.