We bring you the best racers spanning from the 1950s the current season. As the sport came of age with television contracts in the 1980s, the fan base expanded into much of the rest of the country. The 20 best nascar drivers to never win a cup series. Ranking the 5 greatest nascar drivers of every decade. The first race at daytona after the death of dale earnhardt, and dale jr. In a poll by espn in 2008, the best driver that nascar hall of famer and legendary driver and team owner junior johnson picked as the best driver the sport has ever. Foyt was included in nascars 50 greatest drivers list in 1998. But in nascar racing theres a general consensus as to who the best drivers of all time are, and even if you dont like a particular driver for one.
That alone is the stuff to make a racing driver a legend. And, as with any sport, fans of race cars love to discuss who is the greatest driver of all time. Not only was dale earnhardt the best nascar driver to ever live he is arguably the best race car driver in any discipline period. There are tons of great drivers in the storied history of nascar. Whether formula one or nascar, fans of racing hotly debate the merits of various drivers their championships, rivalries and the trophies that got away. Some of the best nascar drivers of alltime have a longer list of accomplishments than others but with a fan base of. As a result, depending on what side of the atlantic youre on, it is likely that your greatest of all time list will either comprise almost entirely of f1 drivers, or have near equal representation of nascar drivers and drivers in other disciplines. What was the greatest season ever by a nascar driver. The toughest nascar drivers of all time one week after suffering injuries that left his eyes so swollen he needed tape to keep them open, ricky rudd drove in the 1984 daytona 500. Most of all, though, nascar history has been defined by the colorful men and women who live for the thrill of controlling a fast machine. J foyt, or super tex, is perhaps one of the best drivers of all time in any series.
The best nascar racers of alltime brought to you on one page. Rule changes in 1972 established a minimum distance of 250 miles 400 km for pointspaying cup series events reduced to 186. Hes best known for winning the inaugural talladega 500 in talladega, ala. The top 50 greatest nascar drivers of all time i nascar race.
Dale earnhardt left us while still on top of his game. For decades, fans have emphatically supported their favorite drivers and teams, coming in droves to different speedways across the country to witness the power and speed of some of the most skilled drivers ever to step behind the wheel. The top 10 nascar driver crew chief combos in cup history. During 38 events in 2012, she attained 27 topten finishes, along with 17 topfive finishes and five wins. According to simmons, 29% of women are nascar fans, so it only makes sense the motorsport would have females interested in getting behind the wheel. The silver fox was not only one of the greatest drivers in the 1960s, but also one of nascar s greatest drivers ever. The 20 best nascar drivers that never won a cup race. The list recognizes cup victories under the following auspices. As a driver waltrip is a twotime winner of the daytona 500 and a twotime budweiser duel winner. Unfortunately, his connection to daytona ended in tragedy with his death on the last lap of the 2001 daytona 500. At 200 wins, kyle busch is among top drivers, greatest villain nfl. Nascar s 50 greatest drivers is a list of nascar drivers.
Top 10 nascar drivers ever since its inception in 1949, stock car racing has been a fan favorite throughout a large portion of the southeast. Nascar s 50 greatest drivers is an alphabetical list of nascar drivers in 1998, as part of. Here are our picks for the top five best nascar drivers of all time. The top 50 greatest nascar drivers of all time i nascar race hub duration. Ranking the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time fox. We include where they were born, how long their nascar career lasted for, how many monster energy cup racespoles theyve won, and a brief summary on how they got into racing. The greatest finish in nascar history deserves a closer look. With 7 nascar championships under his belt, dale earnhardt sr. That finish was exactly what nascar needed at the time. Nov 04, 2012 the silver fox was not only one of the greatest drivers in the 1960s, but also one of nascar s greatest drivers ever. An independent group of 50 individuals representing various nascar roles were asked to give their objective and educated opinions on who the 50 greatest drivers in nascar history were.
Waltrip currently owns michael waltrip racing which fields two cars in the nascar sprint cup series. So, if you want to know about the nascar legends, take a look at the top 5 best drivers of all time. A fourtime formula one drivers champion, only michael schumacher seventime championship has equalled or surpassed his number of titles. Still, its hard to refute that the intimidator is the best that nascar has ever seen. His 1998 victory in the daytona 500 was one of the most wellbeloved victories in nascar history. With 200 wins, kyle busch is among nascars best drivers. This is the shortest ever daytona 500 at 109 laps 272. What makes a driver one of the greatest in nascar history. The 196970 dodge daytona and its twin counterpart, the. He is the only driver to have won the indy 500 he won that four times, the daytona 500, the 24 hours of daytona, and the 24 hours of le mans. Nov 26, 2012 in a poll by espn in 2008, the best driver that nascar hall of famer and legendary driver and team owner junior johnson picked as the best driver the sport has ever seen was cale yarborough. Kyle busch is within striking distance of richard pettys record of 200 wins in nascar, but that doesnt mean busch believes hes the greatest driver ever. The greatest nascar drivers of alltime bleacherbreaker.
Her husband, hunter robbins works as a track driver and motorsports engineer. No driver scored more wins in the gen3 or gen4 eras. He also fielded cars as a nascar owner in 23 seasons. Since then, she has had some success, but funding put her. We scoured the entire web to find just about every legitimate best driver list we could find and built a database of rankings for all drivers, ever. Sep 12, 2019 the 30 greatest nascar drivers of all time in its 71 year history, nascar has provided no shortage of illustrious names. Others, like the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time, are more clear. Apr 11, 2018 nascar driver kyle busch, who was recently voted no. However, there is one drivers season that we are not giving enough credit to. Richard brickhouse is a retired nascar driver who was born and raised in rocky point, n.
Apr 06, 2020 our final round to determine the best individual season ever for a nascar driver comes down to two of the most famous drivers in the last 25 years of nascar who were each others biggest. Greatest nascar drivers the top ten greatest nascar drivers 1 dale earnhardt, sr. The 10 best nascar drivers of the decade the top 10 on this list have won a total of 262 out of 360 cup races this decade. Be sure to check back after each nascar season for. Who is considered the greatest racing driver of all time. Current iron man and will more than likely be all time.
In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, nascar gathered a committee to decide what the 50 greatest nascar drivers of all time would be. His 93 races won are the third highest total ever and the most in the modern era 1972 and later. As the most polarizing driver on the track, the boos are ever present, whether its during driver. By winning a sixth sprint cup series championship, jimmie johnson has crept into the greatest nascar driver conversation with richard petty and dale earnhardt. Richard petty, dale earnhardt and david pearson are widely regarded as the best drivers in nascar history. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the indianapolis 500 1969, daytona 500 1967 and the formula one world championship, and, along with juan pablo montoya, the only driver to have won a race in the nascar sprint cup series, formula one, and an indianapolis 500. Earnhardt was the greatest driver at daytona international speedway. Check out this cool interview and and clips of aj foyt. The bbc f1 team were asked to provide their own personal top 20s, which were combined to produce a bbc list.
The 10 best nascar drivers to never win a cup race and 10. Top 10 nascar drivers ever we obsessively cover the auto. Greatest nascar drivers in history the best racers. That doesnt mean every woman who has ever tried to race in nascar has been good. Some of the best nascar drivers of alltime have a longer list of accomplishments than others but with a fan base of nearly 75 million fans, everyone is sure to have a. Unlike anyone else on our list, trickle holds the distinction of being the oldest driver ever names nascars rookie of the year. Nov 17, 20 the cars are closer in speed than theyve ever been even closer than 10 years ago, thanks to nascars evertightening rules. List of alltime nascar cup series winners wikipedia. Nascar is a corporation dating back to the late 40s, providing countless hours of entertainment to people the world over. No one will ever argue against the king being the best race car driver in nascar history. Whether formula one or nascar, fans of racing hotly debate the merits of various driverstheir championships, rivalries and the trophies that got away.
Can you list the 100 top nascar drivers of alltime. Known simply as the king, richard petty tops our list as the best nascar driver to ever get behind the wheel. In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, nascar gathered a panel to select the 50 greatest nascar drivers of all time. Jeff gordon reveals who he believes is best hes ever raced. There has to be a spot on the list for arguably the greatest race car driver ever alongside mario andretti, of course. The alltime greatest nascar drivers include members of the nascar hall of fame along with current top drivers in the nascar sprint cup series and the nascar nationwide series. The ultimate list of the greatest drivers to ever race nascar. Dec, 2016 top 10 greatest nascar drivers of alltime.
Feb 16, 2015 never ever s1 e3 there will never ever be another driver like dale earnhardt duration. Unlike anyone else on our list, trickle holds the distinction of being the oldest driver ever names nascar s rookie of the year. Every decade has offered its own unique stars who have displayed their talents in their own special ways, with a wide range of personalities and competitors that featured many sparks flying both on and off the circuit. Never ever s1 e3 there will never ever be another driver like dale earnhardt duration. Kyle busch one of nascars best drivers ever, even if hated. Mar 18, 2019 with kyle buschs historic milestone, hes also evolved into the most polarizing drivers on the track. Nascar race hub unveils the top 50 greatest drivers of all time, voted on by 21 members of the nascar on fox family. He was a twotime cup champion, twotime xfinity champion, won 50 races and was named one of nascar s 50 greatest drivers in 1998. May 10, 2018 but in nascar racing theres a general consensus as to who the best drivers of all time are, and even if you dont like a particular driver for one reason or another looking at you, jimmie johnson, you have to admit that theyve shown up and gotten the job done. Dec 23, 2015 when jeff gordon announced that 2015 would be his final year in the sprint cup series back in january, threetime champion darrell waltrip suggested that gordon was the greatest nascar driver of all. Richard the king petty retired he raced in the strictly stockgrand national era and the nascar winston cup series and won the championship seven times.
With 200 wins, kyle busch is among nascar s best drivers. Deciding on the best drivers ever depends on what factors you take into consideration, but certainly number of wins have to come into play. All time wins modern era more competitive era will probably reach 100. His career accolades include winning two daytona 500s and finishing in the topten in the points standings seven times. Generally, those discussions are about who are the greatest nascar drivers in the history of the sport. There is fierce competition between hundreds of drivers, all vying for a position on the starting track. It was no easy task coming up with the 100 greatest drivers in the history of nascar but it had to be done and the crew here at btf got it done. From 1987 until 2001, prost held the record for most grand prix victories. But in nascar racing theres a general consensus as to who the best drivers of all time are, and even if you dont like a particular driver for one reason or another looking at you, jimmie johnson, you have to admit that theyve shown up and gotten the job done. Nov 15, 2018 the top 10 nascar driver crew chief combos in cup history.
Years from now, nascar fans will still be talking about the greatest driver of all time. Not only is this one of coolest paint schemes in nascar history, it is also one of the coolest cars to ever make its way into nascar. From 1954 to 1957, he won 17 of the formula 1 races out of 28 races contested excluding the indy 500, which was technically part of the world championship during those years. It was inspired in part by the nbas decision to select the 50 greatest players in nba history on its 50th anniversary in 1996. He won more races at the track than any driver ever.
Nascar s 50 greatest drivers is an alphabetical list of nascar drivers. Bbc sport is profiling 20 of the greatest formula 1 drivers of all time. Ranking the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time fox sports. Scientists name greatest formula one driver of all time in. Greatest nascar races of all time top ten list thetoptens. There are many obstacles to overcome in terms of getting the right sponsor, the right team and avoiding accidents and injury. Nascar, the american sport of stock racing is an incredibly popular and competitive field. Cheniclet advertisement alain prost alain prost is a famous french racing driver. Petty, earnhardt, gordon, johnson nascar has a host of legendary drivers from. So johnson is the best driver in nascars most competitive era.
Top 10 best race car drivers of all time petter solberg. Sarah glenn nascar via getty ima in an exclusive interview with, we asked gordon to name the best racer he ever competed against. However, the legend passed away during the 2001 daytona 500 after crashing into the wall on the final lap. With that said, it takes a lot of work to make a name for yourself as a girl in motorsports. I appreciate the love for richard petty being given to the king himself, richard petty. And nascar 50 greatest drivers showcases nascar s exciting heroes through bold photography and interviews that deliver a unique insight into the lives of these legends of stock car racing as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, nascar polled a group of motorsports experts to select the fifty drivers whose achievements both span and epitomize nascar s first half. Now most older drivers dont have much success in nascar, but the best years of trickles career came after his 48th birthday. Richard petty was the first to win seven championships, and his 200 career wins will almost definitely never be surpassed, while his 712 top 10s are also remarkable. He was a master on the track and equally good with the press. Dale earnhardt talladegas best is inarguably earnhardt, with 10 wins over an 18year stretch predating and including restrictor plates. Racing by phillip bupp on december 27, 2019 december 24, 2019. The top 50 greatest nascar drivers of all time i nascar race hub. The 10 greatest nascar drivers of alltime view slideshow nascar pioneer and richard petty s father, the elder petty won 54 races and was the first to capture three series titles.