NASCAR: Top 10 active drivers from an all-time perspective

By Asher Fair | Aug 16, 2017

MARTINSVILLE, VA - APRIL 02: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, leads Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Tide Pods Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 2, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 07: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Circle K Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 07: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Circle K Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

#3 – Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota

It has certainly been a while since Matt Kenseth, 45, won his lone Cup Series championship back in the 2003 season, the final season with no playoff format, but he certainly has not slowed down since, which is why he is #3 in these rankings.

These rankings were created using a slight emphasis on recent success, which may make the fact that Kenseth, whose championship came the longest time ago compared to other active champions, is ranked higher than three other former champions seem a bit odd. Here’s why it makes perfect sense.

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Since the playoffs began one year after Kenseth won his lone championship back in the 2003 season, he has only failed to qualify for them once and has placed in the top 5 in the final championship standings on six different occasions, including two 2nd place finishes. In fact, he finished in 5th place just last season as the top driver who was not one of the final four drivers in contention for the championship in the season finale at Homestead-Miami.

Kenseth’s career win total over the course of his 18 full-time seasons in the Cup Series is 38, a total that has not increased in over a year when he won at New Hampshire. However, that win total still trails the win totals of only two other active drivers, with one of those two totals being just one race larger than Kenseth’s total. Those two other drivers are ranked higher in these rankings than he is.