In motorsports, NASCAR drivers are the most popular athletes on the North American continent. They also receive the highest chunk of money. Although the sport is highly followed in the US, people around the globe have started to pay attention to this unique sport.
Selecting the top players in any sports, be it basketball, soccer, football, or even NASCAR, is not easy. There are always different combinations of top players that can seem like a good fit for any Greatest of All Time list. Nevertheless, in this list, you’ll encounter the best players that gave high accuracy on NASCAR betting picks and never allowed major game upsets.
Greatest NASCAR Drivers and Their Achievements
Here are some of the most fabulous NASCAR drivers and their achievements:
- Richard Petty
Richard is famously known for his alias, ‘The King,’ and he has a lot of wins under his belt. While driving his custom Pontiac and Plymouth, he bagged seven Cup series wins, the most of any NASCAR driver ever. He also holds the record for the highest Cup Series races won at 200 games.
Petty raced for almost four decades and had 27 wins in his 1967 season. Interestingly, he is the son of a NASCAR driver and made headway in the competition his father loved so much. Within two seasons of joining NASCAR, he was awarded the Rookie of the Year. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.
Dale Earnhardt
Dale was known for his aggressive style of race driving, marking popularity in the 1980s. Dale was so good that he’s tied with Petty for the highest Cup Series wins at seven. He has 76 Cup Series wins and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.
Like Richard, Dale was also the son of a racer, getting into his premier race by age 12. At 23, he won Rookie of the Year and won the points championship at 24. The car brand with which he’s most popularly associated was the Chevrolet. Unfortunately, Dale died during a race, prompting stricter guidelines to protect drivers.
- Jimmie Johnson
Johnson followed in Dale and Richard’s footsteps to clinch the Cup Series seven times. He has 83 Cup Series wins, with his first win in 2006. From his first win, Johnson bossed the competition for the next couple of years, winning four consecutive Cup Series Championships.
He is a five-time driver of the year and has won 35 Cup Series Poles.
- Jeff Gordon
The ‘Rainbow Warrior’ started his racing career at age 5. He won the Sprint Series aged 20 and was one of the best NASCAR drivers of the 1990s. He has 4 Cup Series Championships, 81 Cup Series Poles, and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.
- David Pearson
Nicknamed ‘The Fox’ because of his unique driving style, David was Richard Petty’s biggest competitor during the 1960s and 70s. A major argument Pearson fans have is that he raced part-time for a big portion of his career and would have surpassed other players on this list if he were more focused.
David Pearson has three Cup Series Championships to his name; the second-highest Cup Series wins at 105 games. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011.
- Bobby Allison
Bobby only won one Cup Series Championship, but his name is etched forever in the game. He owned his team and popularized NASCAR with his infamous fight on television at a racing event. He has 84 Cup Series wins and is a 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee.
Conclusion
There have been several great players since the inception of NASCAR in the late 1940s. Moving down the list, Richard Petty takes the top spot, with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson coming runners up. Other mentions in this list include David Pearson, Jeff Gordon, and Bobby Allison.
