Anytime a milestone year is reached for any entity, we love to create lists as a way to pay tribute but also to quickly summarize the past. Best this, most memorable that. It boils down decades of history into something you can swallow on your commute or while you sit on a toilet.
This is NASCAR's 75th Cup season. Twenty-five years ago, NASCAR released a list of its Greatest 50 Drivers in honor of its golden anniversary. The Athletic has done its own exercise this year, a four-part series looking at the greatest 75 Cup drivers in honor of this anniversary season. It is easy to read a list and dismiss, but if it so simple, why don't you just put one together yourself?
That is what we have here today. The 75 greatest NASCAR Cup Series drivers. It is not as easy as you think. You can only have ten drivers in the top ten. If you have 20 surefire top ten locks, you are going to have some difficult choices to make.
The Athletic had a panel of 26 individuals put together this list, and the interpretation of the greatest drivers is different for everyone. When considering this list, I took it as the best 75 NASCAR Cup Series competitors, taking into consideration what those drivers did winning races, competing for championships and their overall performance and acciomplishments on track in the Cup Series.
NASCAR has evolved immensely since 1949. Championship positions once were not as meaningful as race victories. However, today, championship positions carry more weight as 80% of the drivers run in all the races. It is a delicate game to balance careers over the different eras.
Seventy-four drivers have won at least seven NASCAR Cup races. No driver currently sits on six career victories. The remaining 129 NASCAR Cup Series race winners have five victories or fewer.
Race victories do leave a nice dividing point for a list such as this one, but it is not as simple as taking those 74 winners and then picking the best of the remaining 129.
This list will go over all 75 drivers selected as the best in NASCAR Cup history. Each driver will get a 100-word explanation (no more, no less) for their inclusion on this list. Drivers will be presented in descending order from 75th to first.
75. Wendell Scott
Scott's legacy will be remembered as an African American driver competing, and winning, at NASCAR's highest level during the Jim Crow era. Despite facing greater hostility than ever other driver he competed against, Scott made 495 Cup starts, winning once. He had 147 top ten finishes, and his top ten percentage of 29.7% is still ranked 100th all-time, better than the likes of Jamie McMurray, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Labonte and Alex Bowman. Scott's career average finish was 15.061 is 53rd all-time, better than Darrell Waltrip, Tim Richmond, Martin Truex, Jr., Buddy Baker, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kurt Busch.
74. James Hylton
Most people recall Hylton as being the gentleman who attempted to make the Daytona 500 multiple times after turning 70 years old, but Hylton's career should be more than an anecdote. He is one of ten drivers to finish runner-up in the championship three times. Eight times Hylton was the in the championship top five, more than Kyle Busch, Dale Jarrett and Matt Kenseth. He is 31st in career average finish at 13.525, better than Junior Johnson, Carl Edwards, Busch and Mark Martin. He is one of 35 drivers to have top ten finishes in at least half his starts.
73. Ryan Blaney
Seven career victories help Blaney make this list, but he has six consecutive top ten championship finishes. In seven full Cup seasons, he has as many top ten championship finishes as Greg Biffle, Geoffrey Bodine, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, Sterling Marlin and Martin Truex, Jr. Blaney's top five finishing percentage of 22.59% is 60th in Cup history, better than Ernie Irvan, Truex, Jr., Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott and Kurt Busch. Blaney has had at least ten top five finishes in the last four seasons. He has led over 300 laps in six consecutive seasons and over 600 laps three times.
72. Dan Gurney
Gurney only made 16 NASCAR Cup Series starts and he won five of them. All five of those victories were at Riverside, but these weren't races he snuck out. Gurney entered against NASCAR's best and dominated these races. He led 120 of 185 laps in 1963, 142 of 185 in 1964, 126 of 185 in 1965, 148 of 185 in 1966 and 124 of 186 in 1968. He entered against NASCAR's best and blew them out of the water. He was also fifth in the 1963 Daytona 500, one position ahead of Richard Petty and three ahead of Joe Weatherly.
71. Marshall Teague
Teague made the Fabulous Hudson Hornet famous. He only made 23 starts over the first four NASCAR Cup seasons, but he won five of 15 starts in 1951, including on Daytona Beach. He won two more times in 1952, but he soon left NASCAR after a dispute with NASCAR founder Bill France. Despite not running any of the final seven seasons of the 1950s, Teague ranked 15th in laps led that decade with 1,025. His seven victories still left him tied for 13th at that time. Teague lost his life February 22, 1959 at Daytona International Speedway in a speed record attempt.
70. Kyle Petty
The third generation of Petty, Kyle Petty entered the NASCAR Cup Series at 19 years old with only an ARCA start at Daytona to his name. He was ninth on debut at Talladega. Success did not come with the family team. He won with the Wood Brothers, including a Coca-Cola 600, and he won with SABCO Racing. Three of his eight victories were from pole position at Rockingham. Twice Petty finished in the top five of the championship, including having a shot at the title in the famous 1992 Atlanta finale. He was in the championship top ten five times.
69. A.J. Foyt
Known for IndyCar racing, NASCAR was just another place where A.J. Foyt triumphed. He won seven times in 128 starts, a winning percentage of 5.468%, 45th best among drivers with at least 100 Cup starts, and better than Bill Elliott, Martin Truex, Jr., Neil Bonnett, Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin. Foyt won in his tenth career start, the 1964 Firecracker 400. Foyt won the 1972 Daytona 500 with 167 laps led. Foyt and Mario Andretti are the only drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. Five of Foyt's seven victories were 500-mile races, including at Riverside in 1970.
68. Paul Goldsmith
Goldsmith famously won the Daytona 200 motorcycle race in 1953, but three years later he would make his first NASCAR Cup start. He won his eighth start in 1956. He won four times the following season and won at Daytona Beach in 1958, the final race on the sand. Eight years later, he won three more times and was fifth in the championship. Goldsmith's winning percentage of 7.09% is still 34th all-time. He is 28th all-time in top five finish percentage at 34.65%, better than Davey Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, LeeRoy Yarbrough and Kevin Harvick.
67. Darel Dieringer
Dieringer's best championship finish was third in 1965 behind Ned Jarrett and Dick Hutcherson. Dieringer's most famous victory was the 1966 Southern 500 driving for Bud Moore. Dieringer defeated Richard Petty, passing Petty with seven laps remaining. Both driver led over 100 laps. It made up for arguably Dieringer's greatest defeat the year prior at Darlington. He led 199 laps only for a broken differential to take him out of the lead with 39 laps to go. He still finished third! Dieringer ranks 57th in winning percentage, 51st in top five finish percentage and 55th in top ten finish percentage.
66. Cotton Owens
Before becoming a champion car owner, Owens had a respectable driving career. He was championship runner-up in the 1959 season to Lee Petty. He won nine times in 160 starts. His first victory was at Daytona Beach. A winning percentage of 5.63% is still 43rd all-time, ahead of Matt Kenseth, Foyt, Elliott, Truex, Jr. and Bonnett. Owens had 50 top five finishes, a top five finish percentage of 32.5%, putting him 35th all-time and ahead of Donnie Allison, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart. His top ten finish percentage of 52.5% is 30th, better than Denny Hamlin and Martin.
65. Bob Welborn
Welborn only once had a representative year towards the championship. He was fourth in 1955. He won nine times in NASCAR Cup Series competition, putting Welborn 49th all-time in career winning percentage directly ahead of Dale Jarrett, Ernie Irvan, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch. With 31.69% of his starts being top five finishes, he ranks ahaed of Kevin Harvick and Martin in that category. Even better, Welborn had 102 top ten finishes in 183 starts. His top ten finish percentage of 55.74% is 18th all-time, directly ahead of Kyle Busch, Bobby Isaac, Jim Paschal, Jimmie Johnson, Harvick and Fonty Flock.
64. Sterling Marlin
It took Marlin 279 starts to score his first career victory, which came in the Daytona 500. Victory number two for Marlin came a year later in the same event, and 1995 was the first of two seasons where Marlin finished third in the championship. A broken neck late in the 2002 season ended a possible championship run. Marlin had led the championship after 25 of the first 29 races. He is one of 63 drivers with at least ten Cup victories. Along with two Daytona 500s, he won the Firecracker 400 once, twice at Talladega and twice at Darlington.
63. Clint Bowyer
Another one of those 63 drivers with at least ten victories, Bowyer ended up finishing in the championship top five twice in his first three seasons. In 2012, he was runner-up in the championship after winning three races. Bowyer is one of 46 drivers with at least three seasons finishing in the championship top five, and he is one of 50 drivers with at least six top ten championship finishes. He had multiple victories at Loudon, Richmond, and Talladega. He finished in the top ten in 41.774% of his starts, ahead of Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Terry Labonte.
62. Kasey Kahne
Kahne had an eye-opening start to his Cup career. Five runner-up finishes as a rookie, including in a photo finish in his second start. His first victory came in his sophomore season, In year three, he won six times, including in the Coca-Cola 600. Kahne won the Coca-Cola 600 two more times, making him one of eight drivers to win NASCAR's longest race at least three times. Kahne's 18th and final Cup victory came in the Brickyard 400, leaving him tied for 48th all-time. Despite a thrilling start to his career, he only once finished in the championship top five.
61. Donnie Allison
Most known for his accident, and subsequent fight with Cale Yarborough at the finish of the 1979 Daytona 500, Allison only ran more than 20 races in a season once in his career. He won ten times in 242 starts. His 4.13% career winning percentage is better than Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Benny Parsons and Harry Gant. Allison is 34th in career top five finish percentage at 32.23%, better than Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano, and 43rd all-time in career top ten finish percentage at 47.52%, better than Matt Kenseth, Junior Johnson and LeeRoy Yarborough.
60. Alan Kulwicki
In perhaps the greatest season in NASCAR Cup Series history, Kulwicki won an improbable championship as an owner-driver over Bill Elliott and Junior Johnson, and Davey Allison and Robert Yates Racing. The engineering mastermind, Kulwicki found a way to make the most of what his team had to compete with the powerhouse teams. He only won five times in his Cup career, two of those in his championship season, but his average finish of 10.6 was the best during that 1992 season. His average starting position was also 10.6 that season, and he led the series with six pole positions.
59. Geoffrey Bodine
The man responsible for Hendrick Motorsports' first NASCAR Cup Series victory, Bodine took his modified prowess and turned into victories across multiple track disciplines at the Cup level. He won at Riverside, he won the 1986 Daytona 500 after a tense battle with Dale Earnhardt, he won four times at Martinsville, lapped the field at North Wilkesboro and won the final Cup race at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Twice did Bodine finish in the championship top five. He is one of 43 drivers with 100 top ten finishes in a Cup career. His final four victories came as an owner-driver.
58. Ryan Newman
One of the best qualifiers in NASCAR Cup Series history, Newman won 51 pole positions, one of nine drivers to break the half-century mark in the category. Qualifying aside, Newman won 18 times in Cup competition, including eight times in his sophomore season in 2003. His biggest victory was the 50th Daytona 500, Team Penske's first victory in the historic event. Newman would later add a Brickyard 400 victory. Only once would Newamn finish in the championship top five, he was second in 2014, but he did have seven top ten championship finishes, including in his first four full-time seasons.
57. Tim Richmond
In only eight seasons competing in NASCAR Cup competition, Richmond left an impression, and became one of the biggest personalities NASCAR has ever seen. Richmond won 13 times in 185 starts, a winning percentage of 7.027%, still 36th best. He was a road course ace before it was cool, winning five times on road courses while also winning four times at Pocono, a Firecracker 400 and a Southern 500. He was third in the 1986 championship, but Richmond's career was cut short after contracting AIDS. Richmond died on August 13, 1989, just under two years after his final Cup start.
56. Dick Rathman
In five Cup seasons, Rathman finished in the championship top ten four times with three of those being championship top five finishes. Rathman is one of 22 drivers with a career winning percentage above 10%. He is fourth all-time in career top five finish percentage at 53.49%, and one of seven drivers to finish in the top five in over half his starts, and Rathman is 11th all-time in career top ten finish percentage at 61.24%, better than Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon. Rathman's career average finish of 10.783 is eighth all-time ahead of David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Petty.
55. Greg Biffle
Biffle won 19 times in his NASCAR Cup career. His first career victory came in the 2003 Firecracker 400, but two of his victories were in the Southern 500. He also won three consecutive Homestead races. With six victories in 2006, he was runner-up to the championship to Jimmie Johnson, but he had a great run to the championship in 2008, only to finish third. Biffle was in the championship top five on three occasions. His winning percentage of 3.69% ranks 60th all-time, better than Kasey Kahne, Geoffrey Bodine, Bobby Labonte, Buddy Baker, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Newman and Terry Labonte.
54. Jeff Burton
One of 42 drivers with at least 20 career victories, Burton won the inaugural Texas race and he remains the most recent winner to lead every lap in a race, coming at Loudon in 2000. He also won the Coca-Cola 600 twice and Southern 500, albeit a rain-shortened race in 1999. The Virginia-native also won at Martinsville and Richmond, Rockingham, Dover and he won the 2000 Firecracker 400. Burton had four consecutive top five championship finishes from 1997 to 2000 and he had eight top ten championship finishes, one of 33 drivers with at least eight top ten championship finishes.
53. Neil Bonnett
With a career highlighted by two Coca-Cola 600 victories and one in the Southern 500, Bonnett ranks 48th all-time in career winning percentage at 4.97%. In 362 starts, he had 156 top ten finishes, 43.09% of his starts, ranking him 56th. His only top five championship finish was fourth in 1985, and he had three top ten championship finishes, but Bonnett only competed in four full seasons, mostly running part-time driving for the Wood Brothers and then having injuries interrupt his career, forcing Bonnett into retirement. He attempted a comeback in 1994 but lost his life in Daytona 500 practice.
52. Dick Hutcherson
Hutcherson only competed in four NASCAR Cup Series season. In 1965, he was second in the championship with nine victories. He won three races in 14 starts the following year before finishing third in the championship in 1967. He won 14 races, but his winning percentage of 13.59% has him tenth all-time, ahead of Lee Petty, Fonty Flock and Jimmie Johnson. Hutcherson has the best top five finish percentage in NASCAR Cup history at 62.14%, second best top ten finish percentage at 70.87% behind only Lee Petty and Hutcherson is second in average finish at 8.67, only behind Lee Petty.
51. LeeRoy Yarbrough
Another driver with 14 career victories, Yarbrough's best season was in 1969 where he won seven of 30 starts, but he also became the first driver to win NASCAR's Triple Crown. He won the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 that season. He also swept the Darlington races and Daytona races that year. His 7.07% career winning percentage ranks 35th all-time while his top five finish percentage ranks 34th at 32.83%. He is 46th in top ten finish percentage at the fitting 46.46%. His average starting position was 10.495, ranking him 27th, better than Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott.
50. Ricky Rudd
Only four drivers have finished in the championship top ten at least 19 times. Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the top three. Ricky Rudd is fourth! Five times Rudd finished in the championship top five. He also won a race in 16 consecutive seasons from 1983 to 1998 with the final five seasons of that streak being as an owner-driver. He won six times on road courses while also winning the Brickyard 400, the only owner-driver to win that race. His 906 starts are second most in NASCAR Cup history and the most in the Modern Era.
49. Jim Paschal
A forgotten name, Paschal is one of 35 drivers with at least 25 Cup Series victories. Paschal won three times at Martinsville and his most famous victory was the 1967 World 600 with Paschal leading a then-record 335 of 400 laps. He only finished in the championship top five once, but he had ten top ten championship finishes, including in five consecutive seasons from 1953 to 1957. He is one of 22 drivers with at least ten top ten championship finishes. Paschal's top five finish percentage is 35.39%, 27th all-time, and his top ten finish percentage is 54.63%, 21st all-time.
48. Ernie Irvan
Injuries plagued Irvan's career. His 1994 season ended that August after a practice accident at Michigan. Up to that point, he had been no lower than second in the championship that season. His only championship top five finish was in 1991, a year highlighted by his Daytona 500 victory. He returned to full-time competition in 1996, won at Loudon and Richmond, and cracked tenth in the championship, his fourth top ten championship finish. But another serious accident at Michigan ended his career in 1999. Irvan is still tied for 50th all-time in career winning percentage at 4.79% with Dale Jarrett.
47. Buddy Baker
A career that spanned five decades, Baker was masterful on large speedways with nine of his 19 victories coming on tracks two miles or greater in length. He won the Coca-Cola 600 three times, the Southern 500 once and his 1980 Daytona 500 victory remains the fastest Daytona 500 to date. He also won four times at Talladega. Only once did he finish in the championship top five. He had only five championship top ten results. His top five finish percentage is tied with Brad Keselowski for 45th at 28.86% but better than Rusty Wallace, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth.
46. Marvin Panch
Panch's most famous victory in the 1961 Daytona 500 came after teammate Fireball Roberts lost his Pontiac engine while leading with 13 laps remaining, but Panch won 17 times in 216 starts, a winning percentage of 7.87%, putting him 28th all-time, right ahead of Denny Hamlin, Rusty Wallace and Kevin Harvick. Panch is 16th in top five finish percentage and top ten finish percentage at 44.444% and 58.33% respectively. He has the 14th best average finish at 11.676. In only two seasons did he finish in the top five of the championship, but he was runner-up in the 1957 season.
45. Jack Smith
Smith won 21 times in his Cup career, including the second Firecracker 250 from Daytona as well as having won at Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Bristol. His winning percentage of 7.95% is still 26th best in NASCAR Cup history, better than Tony Stewart, Panch, and Denny Hamlin. He was in the championship top ten five times in a six-season stretch, which included three times finishing in the championship top five. He ranks 18th in average finish at 12.398, better than Jeff Gordon, 25th in top five finish percentage at 35.98% and 26th in top ten finish percentage at 53.79%. 44. Speedy Thompson
Thompson was third in the championship in four consecutive seasons (1956 to 1959). Thompson is one of 35 drivers with at least four top five championship finishes. Those four seasons were the only times he ran more than 20 races in a season. The 1957 Southern 500 winner, Thompson is 21st in career winning percentage at 10.15%, better than Dick Rathman, Davey Allison and Kyle Busch, 20th in top five finish percentage at 39.09%, better than Buck Baker and Junior Johnson, 28th in top ten finish percentage at 53.3%, better than Fred Lorenzen, and 15th in average finish at 11.888.43. Bobby Labonte
The 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Labonte excelled on intermediate ovals over the late 1990s and early 2000s. He won five times at Atlanta, twice at Charlotte, including a Coca-Cola 600, and once at Homestead. He also won the Brickyard 400 and Southern 500 in 2000. However, only twice did Labonte finish in the championship top five, second in 1999 and first in 2000. He had seven top ten championship finishes, but none in his final ten seasons as a regular competitor, finishing outside the top twenty in eight of them. His career ended on a 363-race winless drought.42. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
NASCAR’s most popular driver, Earnhardt, Jr. was the face of the Cup Series at the start of the 21st century. Famous victories at Daytona, including two Daytona 500 victories, and Talladega will be shared for decades to come. His winning percentage is 55th all-time at 4.12%. He did finish in the top five of the championship four times, but only had seven top ten championship finishes and he finished outside the top twenty in the championship twice during the prime of his career. Concussions sidelined him twice in a season, and forced Earnhardt, Jr. into retirement at 42 years old. 41. Harry Gant
Gant's first full Cup season came when he was 40 years old, but in 15 seasons he was in the championship top five in six seasons, one of 25 drivers with at least six championship top five finishes. He had more championship top five finishes than Tony Stewart and Martin Truex, Jr. Gant was in the championship top ten in eight seasons, more than Bobby Labonte. He is one of 50 drivers with a top five finish percentage above 25%. Gant won the Southern 500 twice, including in a four-race winning streak in 1991, earning him the nickname "Mr. September."40. Curtis Turner
Turner was one of NASCAR’s first star drivers. He won the fourth race in Cup history and won the second Cup race ever held at Martinsville the following season. He ranked in the championship top ten in four of Cup’s first six seasons. Turner’s biggest victory was the 1956 Southern 500, and his 9.24% winning percentage remains 25th all-time. Turner’s career was interrupted to due labor disputes with NASCAR founder Bill France. Turner was banned for three seasons due to him organizing a drivers’ union. He returned in 1965 and won his seventh race back, the inaugural Rockingham race39. Fonty Flock
Flock finished in the championship top five in four of the NASCAR Cup Series’ first five seasons. Eleven of his 19 victories came from pole position, including his victory in the third Southern 500 run in 1952. He is still 12th in career winning percentage at 12.34%, ahead of Jimmie Johnson, 12th in top five finish percentage at 46.75%, ahead of Joe Weatherly and Cale Yarborough, and he is 16th in average finish at 12.149, better than Jeff Gordon, Yarborough, and Kevin Harvick. He is second all-time in average starting position at 5.427, only behind Dick Hutcherson's average of 4.874.38. Chase Elliott
The first champion of the 2020s, Elliott has never finished worse than tenth in the championship in seven full seasons. He has four top five championship finishes. With 18 victories, his winning percentage is currently at 7%, 37th all-time. He is currently one of 33 drivers to have top five finishes in at least a third of his starts, and one of three active drivers over that mark along with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Elliott has finished in the top ten of 53.31% of his starts, the third best active driver behind only Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. 37. Kyle Larson
The 2021 champion, Larson had one of the best seasons in NASCAR’s Modern Era that year, winning ten races, which included the Coca-Cola 600, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Bristol and the Charlotte roval. With a winning percentage of 6.44%, he is 39th all-time, 42nd in top five finish percentage at 30.17% ahead of Joey Logano, and he has finished in the top ten in 49.49% of his starts, ranking him 37th all-time ahead of Carl Edwards, Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Davey Allison and Brad Keselowski. In nine seasons, he has finished in the top ten of the championship six times. 36. Kurt Busch
The first champion of the Chase/Playoff era, Busch sits 25th all-time in victories with 34, above Fireball Roberts, Dale Jarrett and Joey Logano. He won a race in 19 of 22 seasons, which include victories in the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Busch also won six times at Bristol. He won the Cup championship in his fifth season, but he only had three top five championship finishes in his career. Anger issues did cost him a ride with Team Penske and left him suspended on multiple occasions. A concussion suffered at Pocono in 2022 ended Busch’s full-time driving career. 35. Bobby Isaac
Isaac only ran for the championship in three seasons. His championship results those years was second, sixth and first with three, 17 and 11 victories in those respective seasons. Twenty-one of his 37 career victories came from pole position, and his winning percentage remains 15th all-time at 12.01%, ahead of Bobby Allison, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Joe Weatherly. With an average starting position of 6.305, Isaac ranks sixth all-time in that category. Isaac’s top five finish percentage of 43.51% is 17th, ahead of Earnhardt and Gordon, and Isaac is 20th in top ten finish percentage at 55.19%. 34. Benny Parsons
The 1973 champion, Parsons finished in the championship top five in nine consecutive seasons from 1972 to 1980. He was in the championship top ten for ten consecutive seasons when including 1981. His nine top five championship finishes are the tenth most in Cup history. He won the 1975 Daytona 500 and 1980 World 600. His 37.83% top five finish rate is 23rd all-time and he is 25th in top ten finish percentage at 53.8%. He is one of 24 drivers to average a top ten starting spot over a career, ranking 20th with an average grid position of 9.259.33. Brad Keselowski
The first lap Keselowski led in his Cup career was the final lap at Talladega in the spring of 2009. That upset victory with Phoenix Racing led to a full-time ride with Team Penske. At the end of 2012, he was Cup champion. His 35 victories have Keselowski 24th all-time. He has won the Southern 500, Brickyard 400 and Coca-Cola 600. A winning percentage of 7.22% has him 33rd all-time in that category above Paul Goldsmith and LeeRoy Yarbrough. He is 46th all-time in top five finish percentage at 28.66%, ahead of Rusty Wallace, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. 32. Carl Edwards
Though he retired at 37 years old, Edwards is 30th in victories with 28. In 12 full seasons, he finished in the championship top five six times, including two runner-up finishes and losing the 2011 title on tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards has eight top ten championship finishes, more than Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman. He won both the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 in 2015. He is 40th all-time in winning percentage at 6.29%, just behind Kyle Larson. His career average finish of 13.533 is better than Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.31. Mark Martin
Only one driver has finished runner-up in the championship more times than Martin. The biggest difference is Richard Petty won seven titles and Martin won none. He was runner-up in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2009. He was championship runner-up in his 30s, 40s and 50s. One of only 20 drivers to win at least 40 races, Martin won the Southern 500 twice and the Coca-Cola 600 once. He finished in the top ten of 51.36% of his starts and his average finish of 12.139 is better than Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Davey Allison, Tim Richmond and Harry Gant. 30. Fred Lorenzen
Ranked fifth all-time in career winning percentage, Lorenzen won 16.46% of his starts, 28 victories leaving him tied for 32nd all-time. He won the World 600 twice, Daytona 500 once and he won six times at Martinsville and three times at Bristol. He had 75 top five finishes in 158 starts, a hit rate of 47.47%, leaving him eighth all-time in that category, ahead of Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Joe Weatherly and Cale Yarborough. He was third in the 1963 championship. His average starting position of 6.389 ranks seventh all-time. His 32 pole positions has him tied for 23rd all-time.
29. Martin Truex, Jr.
A late bloomer, Truex, Jr. is one of 29 drivers with at least 30 Cup victories. After winning only twice in his first 333 starts, the New Jerseyan has won 29 of his last 288 starts. A career winning percentage of 4.99% has him 47th all-time. He won the Coca-Cola 600 twice and the Southern 500 once. Truex, Jr. ranks 19th in laps led with 11,293, more laps led than Ned Jarrett, Kurt Busch, Buddy Baker and Brad Keselowski. Along with his 2017 championship, Truex, Jr. has been championship runner-up three times and he has five top five championship finishes.
28. Terry Labonte
Labonte is one of only seven drivers to win championships in multiple decades and he is the only driver to go over ten years between championships. His first and final victories were both in the Southern 500. He won four times at North Wilkesboro, twice at Rockingham, twice at Riverside and twice at Bristol. Labonte is one of only twenty drivers with at least seven top five championship finishes, including a four consecutive year stretch from 1981 to 1984. His 17 championship top ten finishes is tied for the seventh most all-time. Labonte ranks third all-time in starts with 890.
27. Rex White
White was the 1960 Cup champion. He won 28 times in 233 starts, 12.02% winning percentage has him 14th all-time. He won six times at Bowman Gray Stadium, the most Cup victories at the track. White had six consecutive top ten championship finishes, which included three top five championship results on the spin from 1960 to 1962. He is ninth all-time in top five finish percentage at 47.21%, better than Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Fonty Flock, Joe Weatherly, Cale Yarborough and Fireball Roberts. He is third in top ten finish percentage at 69.96% and third in average finish at 8.983.
26. Joey Logano
The latest multi-time Cup champion, Logano's second title came when he was 32 years old and in his 14th full season in Cup. He has won 31 times, including a Daytona 500 victory while also winning the first dirt race in NASCAR's Modern Era at Bristol in 2021. Logano's winning percentage of 6.11% ranks 41st all-time. He has finished in the top ten of 50.69% of his starts. Logano has six top five championship finishes, more than Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex, Jr. Logano's nine top ten ten championship finishes is level with David Pearson and Cale Yarborough.
25. Dale Jarrett
Jarrett's only championship came in 1999, but he was in the top five of the championship in six consecutive seasons from 1996 to 2001 and he had seven top five championship finishes in his career. Jarrett won 32 times, which included three Daytona 500 victories, one of six drivers to win that event at least three times. In 1996, he won the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400. He added a second Brickyard 400 in 1999. He is tied for 50th in career winning percentage at 4.79% ahead of Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Donnie Allison and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
24. Rusty Wallace
Wallace is 11th all-time in victories with 55. He won the 1989 championship. He ranks 30th in winning percentage at 7.79% while ranking 47th in top five finish percentage at 28.61%. Though only winning one title, Wallace was in the top five of the championship seven times, including finishing second in 1993 to Dale Earnhardt with ten victories that season. Wallace is one of ten drivers to finish in the championship top ten at least 17 times. While he won 55 times, 40% of his victories came at three tracks (Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond). He won the 1990 Coca-Cola 600.
23. Davey Allison
Allison's career was cut short after a fatal helicopter accident in the summer of 1993. He only won 19 races, but his career winning percentage is 9.95%, 23rd all-time. He is 29th in top five finish percentage at 34.55%, 41st in top ten finish percentage at 48.17% and 43rd in average finish at 14.251. Allison nearly won the championship in the 1992 Atlanta finale but was caught in an accident while leading the championship at that moment in the race. Allison is he ranked seventh in victories for the 1990s though he missed the final six-plus seasons of that decade.
22. Bill Elliott
With a winning percentage of 5.31%, Elliott ranks 46th all-time in career winning percentage. His 44 victories has him 19th all-time. A quarter of his victories came in the 1985 season, which included victories in the Daytona 500 and Southern 500. He added another Daytona 500 in 1987 and two more Southern 500s in 1988 and 1994. He had six consecutive championship top five finishes and eight total in his career. However, Elliott went winless in seven seasons when full-time, and only won five times in his final 11 seasons. His career top ten finish percentage is 38.65%, 78th all-time.
21. Matt Kenseth
The final champion in a full season aggregate system, Kenseth was in the championship top five in seven seasons and he had 13 top ten championship seasons, Kenseth's winning percentage is 5.6%, 44th all-time, and among his 39 career victories are two Daytona 500 victories, a Coca-Cola 600 and a Southern 500 victory. He is also the winner of the most recent Rockingham race. Kenseth ranks 49th in top five finish percentage at 26.11% and 44th in top ten finish percentage at 47.49%. He is also 17th in laps led with 11,769, 356 more than Bill Elliott and Martin Truex, Jr.
20. Fireball Roberts
Roberts won 33 times in 206 Cup starts over 1950 to 1964, a winning percentage of 16.02% ranks sixth all-time. He won the 1962 Daytona 500 and the Southern 500 twice. He also won at Soldier Field in Chicago. Roberts' top five percentage was 45.15%, 15th all-time, better than Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon while Roberts is 14th in top ten finish percentage at 59.22%, better than Buck Baker and Cale Yarborough. His best championship finish was second in 1950, his rookie season, and Roberts was in the championship top five in three seasons with six top ten championship finishes.
19. Junior Johnson
Johnson's 50 victories remains the most for a driver without a championship. He is one of 14 drivers to reach the half-century mark in victories. Thirteen of his 50 victories came in the 1965 season, his penultimate season. He retired at the age of 35. Johnson won 15.97% of his starts, seventh all-time. He never finished in the championship top five, but he was in the top ten of the championship four times. His average starting position of 7.183 remains ninth best all-time. His 13,021 laps led is 14th all-time and more than Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth.
18. Denny Hamlin
Another title-less driver, Hamlin has won 48 Cup races, the second most without a championship, but he has finished in the top five of the championship eight times and he has been in the championship top ten in 14 of his 17 full seasons. He has won the Daytona 500 three times, the Southern 500 three times and the Coca-Cola 600 once. His winning percentage is 7.82% is 29th all-time ahead of Rusty Wallace and Kevin Harvick. He is 31st in top five finish percentage at 33.88%, better than Jimmie Johnson, and 31st in top ten finish percentage at 52.28%.
17. Tony Stewart
Stewart is one of nine drivers to win at least three NASCAR Cup Series championship. He is 15th all-time in victories, falling one short of the half-century mark, and he won a race in 16 of his 18 seasons. Among his 49 victories are two Brickyard 400 triumphs and he won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona four times, but Stewart never won the Daytona 500 nor the Southern 500 nor the Coca-Cola 600. He only had five championship top five finishes, three of which were in his first four seasons. He did finish 13 times in the championship top ten.
16. Buck Baker
The first driver to win consecutive Cup championships, Baker won 46 times in a career that spanned from the very first Cup race in 1949 at Charlotte Speedway to the 1,189th Cup race, the 1976 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Baker won the Southern 500 three times. He broke double-figure victories in both his championship seasons, and those titles fell in a stretch of eight consecutive championship top five finishes. He had more championship top five finishes than Dale Jarrett, Matt Kenseth, Terry Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Cale Yarborough. His 58.58% top ten finish percentage is still 15th all-time.
15. Joe Weatherly
Weatherly won consecutive Cup championships in 1962 and 1963 only to lose his life in the fifth race of the 1964 season at Riverside. He won 25 times in his career, one of nine drivers with at least 25 Cup victories at the end of the 1963 season. His winning percentage of 10.87% is 19th all-time, better than Darrell Waltrip. His top five finish percentage of 45.65% is 13th, ahead of Cale Yarborough and Fireball Roberts. Weatherly's top ten finish percentage is seventh all-time at 66.52%, better David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt. His average finish is seventh all-time at 10.052.
14. Lee Petty
The first three-time champion, Lee Petty accomplished many firsts. He was the first Daytona 500 winner, the first driver to 50 career victories. Petty remains first in top ten finish percentage at 77.75% and first in average finish at 7.602. He is third in top five finish percentage at 54.10%. His winning percentage is 11th at 12.65%. Petty was in the championship top five in the first 11 NASCAR Cup seasons and, in his 12 representative seasons, his worst championship finish was sixth. He is one of nine to finish in the championship top five in at least 11 seasons.
13. Tim Flock
Flock won the Cup title in 1952 and 1955 and won 39 times in 187 starts, tied for 21st in victories with Matt Kenseth. Flock remains second all-time in career winning percentage at 20.86%. He won twice at Daytona Beach while also winning at Martinsville, Langhorne, North Wilkesboro and Road America. He is second in top five finish percentage at 54.55%, fourth in top ten finish percentage at 68.98% and he is one of six drivers to have a career average finish below 10.0 at 9.465. He has the fourth best average starting position at 6.222, better than David Pearson.
12. Herb Thomas
The first multi-time Cup champion, Thomas is the all-time leader in career winning percentage at 20.96%. He won 48 times in 228 starts, which included two victories in the Southern 500. From 1951 to 1956 he finished first, second, first, second, fifth and second in the championship. He was the first multi-time champion and the first driver to finish championship runner-up on three occasions and he did both within NASCAR's first eight seasons. Thomas is fifth in career top five finish percentage at 53.28%, fifth in career top ten finish percentage at 68.12% and fourth in average finish at 9.018.
11. Kyle Busch
One of ten drivers with at least 60 victories, Busch has won two championships while he leads all active full-time drivers with a winning percentage at 9.35%, 24th all-time, top five finish percentage at 36.76%, 24th all-time, and top ten finish percentage at 55.3%, 19th all-time. Busch has won a race in all 18 full seasons of his Cup career. He has won the Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400 twice. He has won the Bristol dirt race and eight times on a paved Bristol circuit. He has eight championship top five finishes and 13 championship top ten finishes.
10. Kevin Harvick
Harvick and Busch are tied on 60 career victories, but Busch has two championships to Harvick's one, however, Harvick has finished in the championship top five on 13 occasions, tied for the third most with Mark Martin, only behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Harvick is one of ten drivers with at least 17 top ten championship finishes. He won the Daytona 500, two Southern 500s, two Coca-Cola 600 and three Brickyard 400s. He has the most victories at Phoenix with nine. Harvick is 11th all-time in laps led with 15,901 laps led. His average finish is 12.699, 22nd all-time.
9. Bobby Allison
One of seven drivers to win over 80 races in Cup competition, Allison won the Southern 500 four times, third most in that event and he is one of six drivers with at least three Daytona 500 victories. Allison won the World 600 twice. His only Cup championship was in 1983, but Allison was in the championship top five in 11 seasons. He was in the championship top ten in 18 seasons, fifth all-time in that category. Allison is tied for fifth in pole positions with 59. He led the third most laps in Cup history with 27,556 laps led.
8. Ned Jarrett
Jarrett competed regularly in seven seasons from 1959 to 1965. In that period, nobody won more races than Jarrett. He won 50 times, ten more victories than Richard Petty. Jarrett ranked third all-time in victories for the 1960s and he didn't compete in three and a half seasons. Jarrett is ninth in career winning percentage at 14.2%, sixth in top five finish percentage at 52.56% and sixth in top ten finish percentage at 67.9%. Jarrett's average finish of 9.153 is fifth. He is one of 21 drivers to have led over 10,000 laps in a career with 10,358 laps led.
7. Darrell Waltrip
Along with Bobby Allison, Waltrip is one of two drivers to have won 84 races in a career. Waltrip won three championships and had 12 top five championship finishes. He and Allison are also tied on top ten championship finishes, each with 18. Waltrip is 20th in career winning percentage at 10.38%. He won the Daytona 500, Southern 500 and he won five World/Coca-Cola 600s, the most all-time. Waltrip is the all-time leader in victories at Bristol with 12. He led 23,134 laps in his career, seventh all-time. Waltrip and Allison are tied on pole positions, each with 59.
6. Cale Yarborough
The first driver to win three consecutive championships, Yarborough did not become a regular Cup driver until he was 34 years old. From 1973 to 1980, Yarborough had seven championship top five finishes and his worst championship result was ninth. In 1981, Yarborough returned to part-time competition, yet he had multi-victory seasons in the next five years. He won four Daytona 500s in three different decades. He won five Southern 500s in three different decades. He is eighth in winning percentage at 14.82% and second in laps led with 31,556, one of two drivers to lead more than 30,000 laps.
5. Dale Earnhardt
A seven-time champion, Earnhardt is a part of a three-way tie for most Cup championships. He won 76 times, winning each the Southern 500 and Coca-Cola 600 three times while also winning a Brickyard 400 and Daytona 500. He is 18th in career winning percentage at 11.24%. He finished in the top ten in 63.31% of his starts, putting him ninth all-time and he ranks tenth in average finish at 11.061. Earnhardt ranks fourth all-time in laps led with 25,714. He was in the championship top five 14 times and his 20 top ten championship finishes are the third most.
4. Richard Petty
Petty was the first seven-time champion, but he is also the all-time leader in Cup victories with 200. He won the most Daytona 500s, fittingly with seven. He won the World 600 twice and Southern 500 once. Petty is the all-time leader in victories at Daytona, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Richmond. His 20 top five championship finishes and 25 top ten championship finishes are the most in each category. His winning percentage of 16.89% is fourth best. He has the tenth best top five finish percentage at 46.88%. Petty led 51,514 laps, nearly 20,000 more than Cale Yarborough in second.
3. Jeff Gordon
Gordon won 93 races in NASCAR's Modern Era, the most victories since 1972. In those 93 victories, he won three Daytona 500s, six Southern 500s, the most all-time, three Coca-Cola 600s and five Brickyard 400s, the most all-time. His nine road course victories are the most in Cup history. His 11.55% winning percentage is 17th, just ahead of Dale Earnhardt. Gordon is 19th in top five finish percentage at 40.37%. He is also 19th in average finish at 12.509. Along with four championships, Gordon had 11 top five championship finishes and 21 top ten championship finishes, second to Richard Petty.
2. Jimmie Johnson
Johnson won seven championships in a 19-season career. All seven of those titles came within 11 seasons. Johnson won five consecutive titles from 2006 to 2010, joining Cale Yarborough as the only drivers to win at least three consecutive championships. Johnson and Yarborough are tied on 83 victories. Johnson won the Daytona 500 twice, Southern 500 twice, Coca-Cola 600 thrice and Brickyard 400 four times. He has the most victories at Dover, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Texas and Fontana. His 12.1% winning percentage is 13th and his 54.52% top ten finish percentage is 22nd. He had 12 top five championship finishes.
1. David Pearson
Pearson ran 30 race or more in a season five times. He won three titles in those seasons. His 105 victories are second to Richard Petty, but Pearson's winning percentage is better, third all-time at 18.29%. Pearson's top five finish percentage is seventh all-time at 52.44%. His top ten finish percentage is eighth all-time at 63.76%. His average finish of 11.033 is ninth, directly ahead of Dale Earnhardt and Petty. He led 25,422 laps, fifth all-time. Pearson has the most Darlington victories with ten, three of which were Southern 500s. He won the World 600 thrice and one Daytona 500.
