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100 Top NASCAR Drivers Of All-Time | Best Of The Best

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Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

The Numbers

  • 1954, 1958 and 1959 Sprint Cup Series champion
  • 54 Sprint Cup Series wins
  • Won the inaugural Daytona 500
  • Finished inside of the top-10 in more than 75 percent of his 427 starts.
  • Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011

The History

Petty is a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Petty won his titles in 1954, 1958 and 1959. Petty also happens to be the winner of the inaugural Daytona 500 race.

During his 16-year NASCAR career Petty won 54 times in the Sprint Cup Series. He finished his career with 18 poles and 332 top-10 finishes in 427 races. Petty finished inside of the top-10 in more than 75 percent of the races he ran. That statistic is amazing to think about when you consider the fact that he ran in more than 400 races.

The Legend

Petty was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in May 2011. Aside from being a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Petty is also a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1996) and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Petty also just so happens to be the father of Richard Petty who will be making his appearance on our list shortly.

Next: All hail Cale at No. 7