NASCAR: Richard Petty advances to GOAT poll championship

By Asher Fair | Jan 29, 2019

Richard Petty, NASCAR (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Richard Petty is set to advance to the championship of the NASCAR “GOAT” poll against an opponent who has not yet been determined.

Richard Petty became the first of two NASCAR drivers who will advance to the fourth and final round, the championship round, of the NASCAR “GOAT” poll in which fans can vote for who they believe the sport’s greatest driver of all-time is.

Petty entered the 16-driver bracket as the #1 seed. Seeding for these 16 drivers was determined by a mathematical formula that is based on two simple variables: championships and race victories. Championship count as 10 points each while race victories count as one point each.

No one was all that close to Petty when it came to seeding, as he earned an all-time record 200 victories and an all-time record seven championships (tied with two other drivers; Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr.) throughout his NASCAR Cup Series career to earn a total of 270 points using this formula.

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The closest driver to him in terms of seeding was Jimmie Johnson, who earned 153 points using this formula to enter the bracket as the #2 seed as a result of the fact that he has earned 83 victories and, like Petty, seven championships over the course of his NASCAR Cup Series career thus far.

In short, Petty advancing to the championship was not surprising. However, he didn’t exactly coast all the way through the bracket to get to this point, as his round of 4 matchup was a relatively close battle.

In the first round, the round of 16, Petty was matched up against #16 Tim Flock, who earned 39 victories and won two championships throughout his NASCAR Cup Series career. Petty got 98% of the vote in this matchup while Flock got the other 2%.

In the second round, the round of 8, Petty was matched up against #8 Bobby Allison, who defeated #9 Lee Petty in the round of 16. Allison earned 84 victories and won one championship over the course of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Petty got 85% of the vote in this matchup while Allison got the other 15%.

Finally, in the third round, the round of 4, Petty was matched up against #5 Jeff Gordon, who defeated #12 Herb Thomas in the round of 16 and upset #4 David Pearson in the round of 8. Gordon earned 93 victories and won four championships over the course of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Petty got 60% of the vote in this matchup while Gordon got the other 40%.

Petty’s opponent in the championship has not yet been determined. He is set to be matched up against the winner of the poll between #2 Jimmie Johnson and #3 Dale Earnhardt Sr., which began at 6:00 a.m. ET this morning. This poll is set to continue until 6:00 a.m. ET tomorrow.

Head over to our Facebook page to vote in the remaining polls, and be sure to click on the link below for more information.

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Be sure to vote in the second and final matchup of the round of 4 NASCAR Cup Series “GOAT” poll between Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr. to select who you believe deserves the right to be matched up against Richard Petty in the championship. Also, sure to vote in the championship itself. It is scheduled to start at 6:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, January 31, and it is scheduled to run through 6:00 a.m. ET on Friday, February 1.

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