Racing: Top 10 most unbreakable records across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar

Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 31: Balloons are launched in the air past the pagoda prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 31: Balloons are launched in the air (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

In racing, certain records across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar may never fall. Here are the top 10 most unbreakable records.

Records are meant to be broken. However, there are several records in racing across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar that may never be broken.

There have been plenty of great drivers in Formula One history, NASCAR history and IndyCar history. Many drivers have left their mark in many different ways, but some have done so in ways that may never be topped.

While records may be meant to be broken, certain records in certain statistical categories might very well be too good and almost impossible to break. This article will discuss the top 10 records that are the most unbreakable, or at least seemingly unbreakable, across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar.

Notes

The 10 records discussed in this article have to do with actual on-track accomplishments as opposed to things such as age, number of starts and longevity.
The pool from which the records having to do with NASCAR were selected features only Cup Series history, not history from the Xfinity Series or the Truck Series.
No negative records are included

Here are the top 10 most unbreakable records in racing across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar, starting with #10.

FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 04: Team owner A.J. Foyt (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

#10 – A.J. Foyt’s 67 IndyCar victories

A.J. Foyt’s 67 career IndyCar victories sit atop the all-time wins list in the history of the sport, and there are no other win totals that even come close to his. That is something that does not look likely to change anytime soon, either.

Only seven other drivers in the history of the sport have victory totals that are more than half of the victory total that Foyt has, and only three of those drivers have won 40 or more races throughout their careers. Only one of those three drivers, Mario Andretti, won more than 50 races. He won 52.

Among active drivers, 37-year-old Scott Dixon has the top victory total with 41 career wins in IndyCar. Dixon has driven for 17 full seasons already, so he is not realistically in the running to catch and pass Foyt in the wins category.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Dixon, Josef Newgarden probably has the best chance to finish his IndyCar career with the highest win total. Newgarden, 27, has seven career wins to his name so far through six seasons of full-time IndyCar competition, so he is also realistically nowhere near having a chance to catch and pass Foyt in the wins category even though four of his seven wins came recently in the 2017 season.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 16: Stuart Scott Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree Mario Andretti (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Clio Sports)

#9 – Mario Andretti’s 24 IndyCar wins from pole

Mario Andretti’s 24 career wins from pole over his 29-year career in IndyCar sit atop the all-time wins from pole list in the history of the sport. While there are other win from pole totals that are close to Andretti’s, including A.J. Foyt’s total of 23, none of the other totals that are really close are held by active drivers. In fact, there may never be another driver whose win from pole total comes all that close to Andretti’s.

Among active drivers, there is only one total that is somewhat close to Andretti’s, but the driver who has it may be nearing retirement. That driver, 38-year-old Sebastien Bourdais, has won 18 races after starting from the pole position in his 12-year career in the sport so far. However, he hasn’t done so since 2014.

Will Power, 36, also still drives full-time in IndyCar and has a solid career win from pole total of 15. However, the odds of him chasing down Andretti’s record are slim to none, although they would seem to be better than Bourdais’ since Power has won from pole more frequently than Bourdais has as of late and Bourdais’ most dominant seasons were when he drove in Champ Car.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Bourdais or Power, there is really no one with a chance to catch Andretti’s career win from pole total. The only other drivers with at least one career IndyCar win from pole are 28-year-old Graham Rahal and 26-year-old Alexander Rossi, and both of them have won from pole just once. This further vindicates the idea that there is really no one who has a chance to catch and pass Andretti in the wins from pole category.

MARTINSVILLE, VA – OCTOBER 29: Hall of Famer and team owner, Richard Petty (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

#8 – Richard Petty’s seven Daytona 500 victories

Richard Petty’s sever career Daytona 500 victories over the course of his 35-year career in the NASCAR Cup Series sit atop the all-time Daytona 500 wins list in the history of the sport, and there are no other Daytona 500 win totals that are even close. In fact, there will probably never be another total in the sport’s future that even comes close.

Only one driver in the history of the Cup Series has a Daytona 500 victory total that is more than half of the Daytona 500 victory total that Petty has, and that driver is Cale Yarborough, who won the Daytona 500 on four separate occasions in the Cup Series over the course of his 31-year career.

Yarborough’s Daytona 500 victory total that is a total that is only barely half of Petty’s total of seven. Among active drivers, 42-year-old Jimmie Johnson has the top Daytona 500 win total of two in 16 full seasons, so he is not in the running to catch and pass Petty in the Daytona 500 wins category.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Johnson, Trevor Bayne and Joey Logano probably have the best chance to finish their Cup Series careers with the highest Daytona 500 win totals. Bayne, 26, has one Daytona 500 victory so far through three seasons of full-time Cup Series competition, and Logano, 27, has one as well through nine seasons of full-time Cup Series competition. However, neither of these two drivers are anywhere near having a chance to catch and pass Petty in the Daytona 500 wins category.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JANUARY 26: A.J. Foyt, the legendary driver (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

#7 – A.J. Foyt’s seven IndyCar championships

A.J. Foyt’s seven career IndyCar championships sit atop the all-time titles list in the history of the sport, and there are no other championship totals that even come close to his. Neither of these statements looks like they will change anytime soon.

Only one driver in the history of the sport has won more than four championships, and that is Foyt with a grand total of seven. Only four other drivers have at least half of Foyt’s career championship total to their names, with all four of those drivers being four-time champions.

Among active drivers, 38-year-old Sebastien Bourdais and 37-year-old Scott Dixon have the top championship totals, as they are both four-time champions. Bourdais has already driven in the sport for 12 seasons, and Dixon has done so for 17 seasons, so they are not realistically in the running to catch and pass Foyt in the championships category.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Bourdais and Dixon, Josef Newgarden probably has the best chance to finish his IndyCar career with the highest championship total. Newgarden, 27, has one career championship so far through six seasons of IndyCar competition, and that championship came recently in the 2017 season. Still, he is nowhere near catching and passing Foyt in the championships category.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 22: Michael Schumacher of Germany and Mercedes GP (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

#6 – Michael Schumacher’s 77 Formula One fastest race laps

Michael Schumacher’s 77 career fastest race laps over the course of his 19-year career in Formula One sit atop the all-time fastest race laps list in the history of the sport, and there are no other fastest race lap totals that are even close. In fact, there may never be another total in the sport’s future that even comes close.

Only two other drivers in the history of Formula One have fastest race lap totals that are more than half of the fastest race lap total that Schumacher posted. One of those two drivers is still active as a full-time driver, but retirement is likely right around the corner for him.

Those two drivers are Kimi Raikkonen and Alain Prost. Raikkonen, 38, is still driving full-time in Formula One, and he has 45 career fastest race laps to his name through 15 seasons in the sport, which isn’t really close to Schumacher’s total. With retirement seemingly right around the corner, he doesn’t really have a chance to catch and pass Schumacher in the fastest race lap category. Prost recorded 41 fastest race laps over the course of his 13-year career in the sport.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Raikkonen, there is really no one with a chance to catch Schumacher’s fastest race lap total. Lewis Hamilton, 32, has 38 career fastest race laps to his name so far through 11 seasons, and Sebastian Vettel, 30, has 33. Both drivers rank in the top 5 on the all-time fastest race laps list, but neither one has a legitimate chance to catch Schumacher in that category.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 26: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

#5 – Lewis Hamilton’s 72 Formula One poles

Lewis Hamilton’s 72 career poles over the course of his 11-year career in Formula One sit atop the all-time poles list in the history of the sport. While there are other pole totals that are close to Hamilton’s, he is still an active driver and could very well continue to make this record harder to catch to the point where there may never be another total in the sport’s future that even comes close to his.

Only three other drivers in the history of Formula One have pole totals that are more than half of the pole total that the 32-year-old Hamilton has. Two of those drivers are drivers who Hamilton just passed on the all-time poles list, and the other one is an active driver.

The drivers who Hamilton just passed on that list are Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. Schumacher started from pole 68 times throughout his 19-year Formula One career, and Senna did so 65 times in his 11-year career. Sebastian Vettel, 30, the other driver with more than half of the pole total of Hamilton, has started from pole 50 times so far in his 11-year career.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Hamilton, there is really no one with a chance to catch his pole total. The only other drivers with at least one career Formula One pole are similar to Hamilton in age, so there is really no one who has a chance to catch and pass Hamilton in the poles category, especially given the fact that he is still an active driver and could continue to build on this record.

JOLIET, IL – SEPTEMBER 15: NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner Richard Petty (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

#4 – Richard Petty’s 123 NASCAR Cup Series poles

Richard Petty’s 123 career NASCAR Cup Series poles over the course of his 35-year career in the sport sit atop the all-time poles list in the history of the sport, and while there is one pole total that is somewhat close to his, there may never be another total in the sport’s future that gets close, much less approaches and passes his.

Only three other drivers in the history of the Cup Series have pole totals that are more than half of the pole total that Petty has. The closest driver to Petty on that list is David Pearson, who started 113 races from the pole position over the course of his 28-year career in the sport despite never driving a full season.

Among active drivers, 40-year-old Ryan Newman has the top pole total of 51 in 16 full seasons in the sport, so he is not in the running to catch and pass Petty in the poles category.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Newman, Kyle Busch probably has the best chance to finish his Cup Series career with the highest pole total. Busch, 32, has 27 career poles to his name so far through 13 seasons of full-time Cup Series competition. However, this means that he is also realistically nowhere near having a chance to catch and pass Petty in the poles category.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – APRIL 07: Team owner Richard Petty (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

#3 – Richard Petty’s 61 NASCAR Cup Series wins from pole

Richard Petty’s 61 career NASCAR Cup Series wins from pole over the course of his 35-year career in the sport sit atop the all-time wins from pole list in the history of the sport, and there are no other win from pole totals that are even close to his. There may never be another total in the sport’s future that even comes close, either.

Only one driver in the history of the Cup Series has a win from pole total that is more than half of the win from pole total that Petty has, and that driver was a part-time driver who never drove a full season in the Cup Series in his 28-year career.

That driver, David Pearson, won 37 of the 113 races he started from the pole position throughout his Cup Series career, a total that is only barely half of Petty’s total of 61. There are only three other drivers in the history of the sport whose overall pole totals are more than Petty’s win from pole total.

Among active drivers, 42-year-old Jimmie Johnson has the top win from pole total of 15 in 16 full seasons, so he literally has no chance catch and pass Petty in the wins from pole category.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Johnson, Kyle Busch probably has the best chance to finish his Cup Series career with the highest win from pole total. The 32-year-old has six career wins from pole to his name so far through 13 seasons of full-time Cup Series competition. However, this means that he is also nowhere near having a chance to catch and pass Petty in the wins from pole category.

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

#2 – Richard Petty’s 27 NASCAR Cup Series wins in a season

Richard Petty’s 27 NASCAR Cup Series wins in a single season, the 1967 season, sit atop the all-time single-season wins list in the history of the sport. The other single-season wins totals that are even close to Petty’s 27 in the 1967 season, which are 21 and 18 wins, are both owned by Petty as well. They came in the 1971 and 1970 season, respectively.

The next closest total to his all-time record in this category that is not owned by him is 16 wins in a single season, which was pulled off by David Pearson in the 1968 season. Petty also pulled off 16 wins of his own that season, so technically this mark is owned by him as well.

Pearson’s 16-win season in 1968 and his 15-win season in 1966 are the only two seasons during which a driver not named Richard Petty has won at least half of the amount of races that Petty won in his 27-win season back in 1967.

Among active drivers, 42-year-old Jimmie Johnson has the top single-season win total. He has won as many as 10 races in a single season, which he pulled off in the 2007 season, through 16 full seasons in the sport, so he literally has no chance catch and pass Petty in the single-season wins category.

Among drivers who are not likely to retire within five years of Johnson, Kyle Busch probably has the best chance to finish his Cup Series career with the highest single-season win total. The 32-year-old has won as many as eight races in a single season, which he pulled off in the 2008 season, through 13 full seasons in the sport. However, this means that he is also nowhere near having a chance to catch and pass Petty in the single-season wins category. Plus, there are only 36 Cup Series races per season, so winning 27 of them is pretty much impossible.

FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 03: Team owner Richard Petty (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

#1 – Richard Petty’s 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories

Richard Petty’s 200 career NASCAR Cup Series victories over the course of his 35-year career in the sport sit atop the all-time wins list in the history of the sport, and there are no other win totals that are even close. In fact, there may never be another total in the sport’s future that even comes close.