NASCAR: Top 10 drivers of all-time

#3 – Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson is still driving full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series to this day, so he will have the opportunity to continue to build up his impressive career numbers that he has already been able to build up through 16 full seasons in the sport so far.

Johnson has driven in 579 races throughout his Cup Series career thus far, and he has won 83 of them, putting him in a tie for 6th place on the all-time wins list. However, he is just one win away from a 4th place tie on the all-time wins list, and his new contract lasts through the 2020 season. Realistically, he could ascend to 3rd or even 2nd on that list.

With seven career championships, Johnson is tied for the most titles of all-time. His seven championships came in an 11-year span as well, which is the shortest span it has taken for any of the three seven-time champions to win their seven titles. His five titles in a row from the 2006 season to the 2010 season is also a record streak. No other driver has ever won more than three in a row.

Johnson gets criticized for not winning his championships “the right way”, since without the playoffs, he would have won three titles as opposed to seven. However, everyone was on equal playing ground, and one can argue that he won those championships in the midst of the most competitive era in the sport. Plus, using the playoffs to his advantage shows that he knows how to get the job done when it matters most. He could get to #1 on this list if he continues to deliver, especially if he becomes the first driver to win eight career titles.