Wins, Titles, and Longevity Make These Racers ‘All-Time Best’ NASCAR Drivers

Seventy-five years ago, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) organized the first stock car racing season. The 1949 Strictly Stock season saw drivers race in Charlotte, Daytona Beach, Martinsville, and more. In the 75 seasons since that inaugural seven-race championship, NASCAR has held more than 2,500 events. Nearly 3,300 drivers have raced at least one event in that decades-long history. Of those thousands of drivers, a select few have been far more successful than the average driver to become the All-Time Best NASCAR Drivers.

NASCAR released its list of the 75 greatest drivers this year to honor some of the best drivers ever seen in stock car racing. Though this list isn’t as expansive, here’s a look at some of the greatest drivers NASCAR has seen.

Richard Petty

You don’t get the nickname “The King” easily, and Petty earned that title over decades of success. He competed in a staggering 1,184 NASCAR races over his 35-year career starting in 1958 at the Jim Mideon 500 and finishing at the 1992 Hooters 500. The son of three-time NASCAR champion Lee Petty set a standard in becoming NASCAR’s equivalent to Bill Russell or Babe Ruth.

He won 119 races in the Strictly Stock/Grand National era (1949-1970). His 81 wins in the Winston Cup era (1971-2003) alone would put him eighth all-time in NASCAR wins. His 200 career wins are nearly double the total for second place.

He kept in title-winning form for decades, winning seven NASCAR titles in 1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979. Even on the odd year he didn’t win the title during the 1960s and 1970s, his name was near the top of the NASCAR driver standings.

The name Richard Petty is all over the record books: Most wins in a NASCAR season (27), most consecutive wins (10), and most poles (123). The King is in no danger of being dethroned from there anytime soon.

Dale Earnhardt

The Intimidator, the Man in Black, Ironhead. It didn’t matter what you wanted to call Ralph Dale Earnhardt, he was going to be fighting his way to a win at all times. He managed the same number of championships as Petty (7) despite nearly half the number of starts (676).

His first title came after Petty’s last and he similarly was the man to beat for a decade and a half. He won NASCAR titles in 1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994. He remains the only driver to record wins in four consecutive decades, with his first coming in 1979 and last in 2000.

Part of Earnhardt’s mystique is how his illustrious NASCAR career was cut short at the 2001 Daytona 500. He died in a last-lap crash due to a skull fracture. He was just 49 years old at the time and could’ve easily raced on for another five years or so.

His 76 career wins put him eighth overall in NASCAR history but the iconic driver was much more than that. He’s the last NASCAR driver to pass away due to an on-track accident. In the wake of his death, the series focused on improving safety, another part of his outstanding legacy as one of the most famous NASCAR drivers in history.

Jimmie Johnson

One of two active drivers on this list, Johnson’s one of the champions who helped usher in the modern points and playoff system used in the current season. Johnson broke onto the scene in 2002 with wins in Fontana and Dover. He’s the only driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive championships. He took the title in 2006-2010, 2013, and 2016.

Johnson didn’t have the poles like Petty or the intimidating nature of Earnhardt. Instead, he was widely liked and incredibly consistent on race day. His 83 career wins in 686 starts give him the best winning percentage (12.1%) in the modern era.

He finished in the top 10 of nearly half (341) of his career starts. In a sport most popular in the southeast U.S., the Californian driver helped transition modern NASCAR from Generation 4 cars to the Car of Tomorrow and later the Generation 6 car.

Jeff Gordon

Fellow Californian Gordon is another modern face of NASCAR racing. He shined in the late 1990s as Earnhardt’s grip on the series eased, winning four titles (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001). At age 24, his 1995 title made him the youngest champion in NASCAR history.

His 1998 title was one of the most dominant in the modern era. He enjoyed many NASCAR duels with Earnhardt as a counter to Earnhardt’s hard-nosed intimidation. Gordon was young, charismatic, and good in front of the camera. He’s enjoyed a successful broadcasting career post-racing.

The iconic rainbow DuPont no. 24 Chevrolet made him one of the most recognizable drivers on race day. It’d be easy to spot Gordon as he’d often be near the front. He racked up 93 career NASCAR wins, the third-most ever and most in the modern era (1972-present). His 81 poles are third all-time as well and he held the record for most consecutive starts at 797 upon retirement. NASCAR’s Hall of Fame credits him with bringing the series to the mainstream.

David Pearson

The “Fox” provided the primary challenge to much of Petty’s excellence in the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960 NASCAR Rookie of the Year ended up second all-time in wins to Petty with 105. His title wins in 1966, 1968, and 1969 cemented his place among the All-Time Best NASCAR Drivers. If it weren’t for The King, who knows how many more titles Pearson would’ve won.

He was successful on dirt tracks (23 wins), short tracks (54), superspeedways (48), and even road courses (three). Arguably the most shocking stat is that Pearson never raced every event in his 27 NASCAR seasons. But he was incredibly consistent when he did race. In 1974, he managed to finish third in the championship despite competing in only 19 of 30 NASCAR races.

Cale Yarborough

Another of Petty’s rivals, Yarborough enjoyed his best success in the mid-1970s. He won three consecutive titles from 1976-1978, a feat only Johnson has equaled. That stretch of dominance included a combined 28 race wins in three years. That total alone would put him in the top 30 all-time for NASCAR wins. Runner-up seasons in 1973, 1974, and 1980 helped push his total wins to 83, seventh-most in NASCAR history. His 69 poles are fourth-best all-time.

Darrell Waltrip

Waltrip took little time to establish himself as a top driver. He won two races in his first full season (1975) and would be a fixture at the top of the NASCAR driver standings for the next decade and a half. He finished runner-up to Petty in 1979 and, in 1981, teamed up with Junior Johnson for a special run of success.

Title wins in 1981, 1982, and 1985 punctuated an incredible stretch of 43 victories in six seasons. That run powered him to 84 career wins, fifth-most all-time. Nicknamed “Jaws” for his outspoken demeanor, Waltrip has enjoyed a successful broadcasting career with FOX after his racing days.

Bobby Allison

Allison may have had just one championship (1983) his longevity made him a contender throughout the dominant years of Yarborough, Petty, Pearson, Waltrip, and Earnhardt. He was a beloved driver who racked up wins in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. His breakthrough title in 1983 came after consecutive runner-up finishes to Waltrip in 1981 and 1982.

Unlike most drivers on this list and most drivers in NASCAR history, Allison was successful with his own low-budget team for many years of his career. He’s known for starting the Alabama Gang of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, which has many short tracks with big purses for winners.

Unfortunately, his career was cut short in 1988 when a devastating crash nearly killed him. He remarkably recovered from his significant injuries but did not make a return to stock car racing.

Kyle Busch

The only full-time active driver on the list, Busch started alongside champions Gordon and Tony Stewart in his first full season in 2005. He’d manage just four wins with the team in his first three seasons but things took off when he made the switch to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008.

Despite missing the start of the season because of a leg injury, he won his first championship in 2015. He’d stay in the top four of the championship through the next few seasons before another title in 2019. He’s earned many nicknames in his time.

“Rowdy” and “Wild Thing” for his demeanor on- and off-track; “The Candy Man” for his iconic M&Ms paint scheme with Joe Gibbs Racing; “Shrub” in reference to his older brother, Kurt Busch, being the bigger bush. He may be one of the more polarizing drivers in current field but there’s no denying his stats. Ninth-most wins all time (63) and an incredible 366 top-10 finishes in nearly 650 career races.

Tony Stewart

Another modern face of NASCAR, Stewart enjoyed highs between Gordon’s titles and Johnson’s run. His 49 career wins are the fewest of this list but “Smoke” was one of the most popular drivers in modern NASCAR. His blue-collar, hardworking demeanor gained him a considerable following, especially after his 2002 Cup Series title.

He won three races in his rookie season and finished outside the top 10 in the standings just once in his first 14 seasons. His consistency (308 top 10 finishes) kept him in the hunt for many titles. His final title in 2011 came thanks to five wins in 10 playoff races.

It’s tough to pick the All-Time Best NASCAR Drivers given the expansive history of the series but these 10 champions are among the best the series has ever seen.

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