NASCAR: Top 10 drivers of all-time

Asher Fair

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Cars race during the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 26, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Every sport has its greatest athletes of all-time. This is the case for racing as well. Here are the 10 best drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Another NASCAR Cup Series season has come to a close, this one closing with Martin Truex Jr. winning his first career championship this past season and becoming the sport’s fourth different champion in the last four seasons.

But the 2018 season is quickly approaching, as it begins on Sunday, February 18th with the Daytona 500. In fact, none of the three major racing series, including NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One, are in action right now, as all are now in the offseason between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

With everything pretty much at a halt right now and still a solid amount of time until the next seasons begin, this is a perfect time to look back at the history of each of these three racing series as far as the top 10 drivers of all-time go.

This article will rank the top 10 drivers in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Note that these rankings involves= only information from the Cup Series careers of each of these 10 drivers. Statistics from any other races series, such as the Xfinity Series or Truck Series, are not factored into these rankings.

Without further ado, let’s get started with the driver ranked in the #10 position in these rankings.

MARTINSVILLE, VA – OCTOBER 29: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Haas Automation Chevrolet (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

#10 – Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart sneaks into the top 10 on these all-time NASCAR Cup Series driver rankings thanks to the fact that he was able to secure his third and final championship in the series in the 2011 season before he ended up retiring following the 2016 season.

Stewart’s third career championship ties him for 5th place on the all-time titles list with four other drivers, all of whom are included in these rankings in higher positions than Stewart. However, Stewart definitely still deserves respect for what he was able to accomplish over his Cup Series career, and that’s why he slides into the top 10.

Stewart’s Cup Series career lasted for 18 seasons, and he had about as consistent of a career as you could ask for from a three-time champion. In each of his first 15 seasons, during which he won all three of his titles, he won at least one race each season. However, he never won more than six races in a season, and he only won that many one time.

While Stewart’s 49 career victories in 618 races place him in 13th on the all-time wins list, the fact that he is one of nine drivers who have won three or more championships gives him the boost he needs to end up in the top 10 in these rankings.

#9 – Lee Petty

Lee Petty is another one of the five three-time champions of the NASCAR Cup Series, all of whom made it into these rankings. He ranks ahead of just one of those three-time champions in these rankings, that driver being Tony Stewart, who is ranked at #10.

The primary reason that Petty comes in at #9 in these rankings ahead of Stewart despite the fact that they both won three titles is the fact that Petty won 54 races, which is more than Stewart’s win total of 49, and Petty pulled that off in just 427 starts while Stewart competed in nearly 200 more races than Petty did.

Petty’s 54 career wins put him in 10th on the all-time wins list as well, so he is in the top 10 in career victories as well as a 5th place tie in career championships with three. Seeing as how he pulled all of this off in just a 16-year career in the sport during which he never raced in all any season’s races, there is no doubt that he is deserving of the #9 spot in these rankings.

Petty became the second driver in NASCAR history to win back-to-back championships when he won the titles in the 1958 and 1959 seasons, his second and third career titles. He became the first three-time champion and thus the first three-time champion to win consecutive championships at any point during his career. And remember, he never drove for a full season. In fact, he only drove in a majority of a season’s races 11 times in his 16-year career.

TALLADEGA, AL – MAY 04: Former NASCAR driver Bobby Allison (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

#8 – Bobby Allison

Bobby Allison is the only driver who made it onto these top 10 rankings without winning three or more championships throughout his NASCAR Cup Series career. He earned his spot at #8 in these rankings primarily as a result of his career win total, which is 84.

Allison is the only driver who ranks in the top 8 on the all-time wins list without winning three or more championships. In fact, he didn’t even win two titles, as he was only the champion one time in his 25-year career. He won that championship toward the end of his career in the 1983 season, his 20th season in the sport.

However, Allison’s win total of 84 is still all the way up in a 4th place tie on the all-time list despite the fact that he was only able to win one championship, so he gets the benefit of the doubt in these rankings as a result of it.

The reason that he is only ranked at #8 in these rankings and not higher despite the fact that his career win total is tied for 4th place on the all-time list is the fact that there are three other drivers whose win totals are within one of Allison’s, and each of those three drivers have at least three career titles to their names.

DARLINGTON, SC – SEPTEMBER 04: NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip (Photo by Blaine Ohigashi/Getty Images)

#7 – Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Waltrip is tied with four other drivers for 5th place on the all-time championships list with three. Of those four other drivers, two have already been discussed in these rankings. Waltrip makes these rankings as the third highest of the five.

Over his 29-year career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Waltrip raced in 809 races. He won as many as 12 races in a season, and he did so in back-to-back seasons in 1981 and 1982. He won the championship in each of those two seasons.

Waltrip secured his third and final championship in the 1985 season before he retired after the 2000 season having won 84 races throughout his career, a total that is tied for 4th place on the all-time wins list and is second in terms of the drivers who retired with three career championships to their names.

Many people aren’t fans of Waltrip in the NASCAR on FOX broadcasting booth as a color analyst during Cup Series races, but it’s hard to not be a fan of what he was able to accomplish over the course of his historic career in the Cup Series.

#6 – Cale Yarborough

Cale Yarborough is also tied with four other drivers for 5th place on the all-time championships list with three. Of those four other drivers, three have already been discussed in these rankings. Yarborough makes these rankings as the second highest of the five.

Over his 31-year career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Yarborough raced in 560 races, and he won as many as 10 races in a season, which he pulled off twice. One of those occurrences took place in one of his three championship seasons back in 1978.

The championship that he won in the 1978 season was his third championship in a row. Only one other driver in the history of the sport has won three or more titles in a row, and that driver has not yet been discussed in these rankings. Yarborough was the first to pull off the historic feat.

While Yarborough’s win total of 83 is behind the win total of Darrell Waltrip, who is ranked at #7 in these rankings one spot behind Yarborough with 84 victories, Yarborough only raced in 560 races, which is a total that is almost 250 fewer races than the number of races that Waltrip competed in. With just one less win in 250 fewer races than Waltrip, Yarborough deserves the #6 spot in these rankings.

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 20: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 AXALTA Chevrolet (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)

#5 – Jeff Gordon

Many people may feel that Jeff Gordon is underrated in these rankings. After all, his win total of 93 in 805 races over his 25-year career in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks 3rd on the all-time wins list, and he would be one of three seven-time champions in the sport had the playoff system never been introduced.

However, his #5 ranking should not be seen as a shot against him in any way. While he sits behind four other drivers, the gap between he and the top 4 is extremely small. While he is ranked at #5 in these rankings, you could certainly make a case for him belonging in the top 3 or even at #1.

Without the playoffs, Gordon would be a seven-time champion along with two other drivers. There are currently three seven-time champions, but one of them would not be a seven-time without the playoffs. However, we are speaking hypothetically, and it won’t change the fact that playoffs were used, everyone was on an equal playing field and Gordon is simply not a seven-time champion.

While Gordon isn’t a seven-time champion and didn’t come through in the playoffs several times despite being the driver who scored the most points throughout the season, he still does have four championships to his name, and he is the only non-seven-time champion who can say that.

15 Feb 1996: Dale Earnhardt (Mandatory Credit: David Taylor/Allsport)

#4 – Dale Earnhardt

Many people will also likely feel that Dale Earnhardt is underrated in these rankings. After all, he is one of only three seven-time champions in the sport and is arguably the most admired driver of those three with perhaps the most admired driving style, especially among many of the old school fans.

However, while he sits behind three other drivers, the gap between he and the top 3 is extremely small, so this should not be seen as a shot against him in any way. There is still definitely a case to be made for him as one of the sport’s all-time greats, perhaps even the greatest.

As one of three seven-time champions in the sport’s history, Earnhardt is a definite contender to be #1 on this list. He drove in 676 races over the course of his career and won as many as 11 races in a single season. He won two consecutive titles three times, something no other driver has ever done, and he did so in a nine-year span.

What keeps him from being ranked higher on this list is the fact that his win total is the lowest among the seven-time champions at 76, as is his win percentage. Unfortunately, he was killed in a Daytona 500 wreck at age 49 in 2001. While his career may not have lasted much longer than that anyway, we will never know how much he really could have accomplished in addition to what he did accomplish had he ended his NASCAR Cup Series career on his own terms.

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 18: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

#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.

CONCORD, NC – JANUARY 27: NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee David Pearson (C) (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

#2 – David Pearson

Over the course of a 28-year career driving on NASCAR’s top level, not once did David Pearson drive for a full season, as he missed at least one race in each and every one of those 28 seasons. In fact, over that 28-year span, he drove in just 574 races. But that didn’t stop him from ending up in 2nd place on the all-time wins list.

In those 574 races, Pearson was victorious 105 times, a total that is good for 2nd on the all-time wins list, as referenced above. That total is the only total that is more than half of the total of the driver who ranks 1st on the all-time wins list.

Also despite never driving a full season, Pearson ended up winning three championships, and he won all three of those titles in a four-year span. He is the highest ranked of the five three-time champions in these rankings. He won his three titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969, and he won his first title despite missing seven races that season. He trails just four drivers on the all-time titles list with his three championships.

The fact that he won as many as 16 races in a single season without ever driving a full season also cements Pearson’s status as one of the all-time greats. Why you may not hear his name mentioned with some of the seven-time champions, of which two were already discussed in these rankings, there is no doubt that Pearson deserves the #2 spot in these rankings.

LONG POND, PA – JULY 29: NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

#1 – Richard Petty

It would be impossible to not have “The King” at #1 on the all-time NASCAR driver rankings. Richard Petty does not belong anywhere else, and there may never be a driver who even comes close to taking this spot away from him.

Petty drove in 1,184 races on NASCAR’s top level over the course of his 35-year career, and he owns just about every record in the book. His 200 career race victories put him in the #1 spot on the all-time wins list by far, and it is extremely unlike that anybody will ever catch him.