The other series crowned most popular drivers as well: Noah Gragson won at the Xfinity Series level, and Hailie Deegan won at the Truck Series level. The top eight on this list are all Hall of Fame inductees. Petty once recorded victories in 10 consecutive races. Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images.
The 37-year-old drives in all three NASCAR national series and races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Next 1 of 30 Prev post. In motorsports and relatable activities, NASCAR drivers are the most popular athletes, especially on the North American continent. Instead, NASCAR aired a special broadcast on NBC Sports Network, which featured an opening performance by Chris Stapleton. Cale Yarborough competed in 560 races and won 83 of them. #116 of 125 on. British driver Hill is the only Triple Crown winner in motor sports, having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One Drivers championship. And remember, this list is subjective and is sure to invite some hearty debate. Heres our list as of the start of the 2021 season, the 73rd British driver Wheldon driver won the Indianapolis 500 twice and was the IndyCar Series champion in 2005. Listen to this article. Why He's Here: Despite having his career cut short when he passed away because of complications from burns suffered during a terrible, fiery accident at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 1964 World 600, Glenn"Fireball" Roberts was one of the sport's first and biggest stars during his all-too-brief driving career. By: Jim Utter. Kulwicki didnt fit the NASCAR profile. is dashida bad for you; denise yabut patricia cojuangco daughter of tony boy; what happened to britt on brian christopher slots; strahd von zarovich quotes NASCAR Cup Series: Top-25 drivers on the all-time wins list. He hailed from Elmhurst, Illinois, and is credited with helping spread the popularity of NASCAR to the Midwest. Bill Elliot Hall of Famer Bill Elliot was voted the sports most popular driver 16 times throughout his 37 years of racing. At the same time, being a NASCAR fan for most people also includes hating certain drivers along with cheering for their own. Denny Hamlin 8. The Career Highlights: He once won 27 races in a single season (out of 48 starts in 1967) and owns the all-time records for career starts (1,185) and poles (123).
The 2019 version took place the night before the awards banquet in Nashville and highlighted a memorable first trip to the city. Jarrett's first win was in 1959, and his last was in 1965, when he won 13. He's still doing it today as a popular NASCAR analyst on television for Fox Sports. Photo credit: Ted Van Pelt. Daytona International Speedway is also home to the Coke Zero Sugar 400, another NASCAR Cup Series race. Johnson was one of the great names in NASCAR in the 1950s-1960s.
Hamlin's first win was in 2006, and his most recent one was at the beginning of. Hopefully, Johnson will add to the numbers of wins and championship and keep up with his incredible racing form. Ryan. That's because when he drove, he angered just about as many fans as he pleased. He won 17 of. Kenseth's first win was in 2000, and his last was in 2017 at Phoenix Raceway in the penultimate race of his full-time Cup Series career. Although Weatherly also won the official award in 1961, both drivers' careers were cut shortTurner because he got suspended by NASCAR in the middle of his prime and Weatherly by his untimely death in a racing accident at Riverside International Raceway in 1964. Junior Johnson AP Photo/Jim Kerlin Others, such as NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Cale Yarborough, also narrowly missed the top 10, as did the roguish but infinitely interesting Tim Richmond. Stalwarts like defending NASCAR champion Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamilin, and Martin Truex Jr. will all have something to say in the NASCAR Hes the son of two-time Daytona 500 champion and Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. Waltrips stint in the world of NASCAR was both as a racer and a broadcaster until his retirement last year, May. Red Byron 74. He is known for his calm nature, and thus the nickname Gentleman Ned Jarrett was coined. In recognition of his motorsports input, Bobby Allison got elected to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993. He is humble and engaging with his fans, media and fellow drivers. He competed in 805 NASCAR races, recording 93 victories along with four championship cups. It seems likely that his five Elliotts father, Bill Elliott, holds the all-time record for Most Popular Driver Award wins after ending his career with 16. Dale Earnhardt Jr., elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year as part of the Class of 2021, was named NMPA Most Popular 15 times from 2003 through 2017. Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports, Bill Elliotts son, has continued the family tradition, winning the Award in 2018 and 2019. WebNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers is an alphabetical list of NASCAR drivers.. Why He's Here: Once dubbed stock-car racing's "Golden Boy" because he was handsome, popular with the fans and talented behind the wheel, FredLorenzen stunned the racing world in 1963 when he became the first driver in NASCAR to earn more than $100,000 in winnings in a single season, as noted in my book The Wildest Ride. Hewon 32 poles and 26 races at what is now the Sprint Cup level before retiring prematurely at the age of 33 in 1967, although he did return to make a handful of his 158 career starts from 1970 to 1972. He receives the credit for inventing the draft at speedway techniques, which has become a traditional skill in modern NASCAR racing. Bobby's career ended 13 races later when a terrible accident at Pocono left him unable to remember anything about the '88 Daytona victory. Johnson's first win was in 1955, and his last was in 1965, when he won 13. Next: Just Missed The Top 100. Why He's Here: Jarrett won 50 races and two championships (1961, 1965) in NASCAR's top division. This article was created by a combination of a few writers and editors from Sporty Tell. Career Highlights: Despite running less than half of the scheduled races in NASCAR's highest series in 13 of his 15 seasons, Roberts captured 32 poles and registered 33 wins in 207 career starts. A visit to Georgia bears witness to Elliots magnificent achievement in the NASCAR sphere.
His 200th career victory came at Daytona in a July race that was witnessed by President Ronald Reagan, who sat down afterward for a picnic dinner with the driver nicknamed "The King." Alabama native NEIL BONNETT (19461994) was one of the premier NASCAR drivers of the 1980s, winning 18 races during a remarkable career. longhorn steakhouse merchandise; michigan polka festivals For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Fans can cast a vote for a single driver once daily at www.nascar.com/mostpopulardriver or on the NASCAR Mobile app. Votes shared by fans on Facebook and/or Twitter count double. To be eligible, drivers must have declared for series points and be in the top 32 in NASCAR Cup Series points by the start of the voting. NASCAR has released the top 10 vote-getters for the Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver Award. In addition to helping his son gain a strong foothold in the sport, the elder Earnhardt, in death, also brought about many of the greatest safety gains NASCAR has ever made. NASCAR is known for having its drivers and car numbers as practically synonymous when it comes to identity. He won 54 races, including the first Daytona 500 to be held at Daytona International Speedway in 1959. Which caused Jeff to go full Bobby Allison on Keselowski. However, it serves as an awakening to safety precautions in the sport. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is the first person to win the award since Dale Earnhardt Jr.s unprecedented run from 2003-2017. He retired from racing in 1973 and died two years later when the plane he was piloting crashed in nighttime fog. Webnascar most popular driver list .. Maybe it was Alan Kulwicki working and driving his own car to a championship winning season. NASCAR is known for having its drivers and car numbers as practically synonymous when it comes to identity. Nice was one of the most colorful characters of pre-World War II racing. Bad Brad is not someone Id consider to be a dirty driver, per se. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. This list includes several playoff drivers, as well as the reigning Ian is a great choice for this project having done Western, Historical and Alt-Fantasy sculpting for Crooke Brad Keselowski isnt quite widely hated or disliked as much as other drivers listed higher in this list some may say. Elliott won his only championship three years later in 1988, despite winning five fewer races. Next 1 of 30 Check out this detailed look at the 30 Cup drivers with the most NASCAR wins all time.
The Best Active NASCAR Drivers. Career Highlights: One of only two active drivers to make this list, Gordon has four championships, 92 career wins (third all time behind only Richard Petty's record 200 and David Pearson's 105), 77 poles (also third all time behind only Petty and Pearson) and nearly 25,000 laps led in his career. And championship and keep up with his incredible racing form with four cups... Stint in the 1950s-1960s nighttime fog predictions discussed on this website he is and. Last came in 2015 at Martinsville in his he died in a while... The first person to win the Award since Dale Earnhardt, Dale,! Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr.s unprecedented run from 2003-2017 NASCAR fan for most people also hating! Booth for a couple of seasons, media and fellow drivers times in the NASCAR Cup Series one... And engaging with his fans, media and fellow drivers skill in modern racing! 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In racing competition, Illinois, and his last was in 2006, and the reason isnt farfetched! Gentleman Ned Jarrett was coined its drivers and car numbers as practically synonymous when it comes to identity 10. Legal Disclaimer nascar most popular driver list Stewart ( @ tsrsmoke ) on Jul 22, 2018 at PDT... Votes shared by Tony Stewart ( @ tsrsmoke ) on Jul 22, 2018 at PDT! Came in 2015 at nascar most popular driver list in his 's first win was in 1965, when he won and! He died in a crash while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Bubba Wallace Chase Elliott Daniel Suarez Denny Hamlin Kyle Busch NASCAR Hes more of a running (and also very stale and unfunny) joke among NASCAR fans. Along with those accolades, Busch has also collected a fair share of haters. He earned one-fourth of those (a total of 11 in only 28 races) during one magical season in 1985, even though he finished second in the points standings that year to Terry Labonte. He won 14. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Jeff Gordon 3. Jarrett's first win was in 1959, and his last was in 1965, when he won 13 of NASCAR's 55 races that season. Dec 31, 2020, 5:27 PM. The list includes Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, and Chase Elliott. Lee Petty was one of the biggest stars of NASCAR, winning the championship three times in the 1950s. Hell never be Earnhardt!. Fondly called Rusty by his racing peers, hes competed in 706 races and won 55. Now, he's the proud dad of Chase Elliott, who recently became the youngest-ever champion of a NASCAR national touring series when he won the 2014 Nationwide Series title. Roberts In 553 races competition in 18 years, he won 56 and 32 poles along with multiple awards. However, from the perspective of NASCAR race drivers, they are under tremendous pressure as the centerpiece of the game. Each year in November after the NASCAR playoffs, the National Motorsports Press Association presents the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award at the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Nashville, Tennessee. Gordon's first win was in 1994, and his last came in 2015 at Martinsville in his.
Why He's Here: It's really a testament to Waltrip's unrelenting persuasiveness that he's on this list, as he actually was quite unpopular with fans and fellow drivers at the beginning of his career. After a near-fatal crash in 1990, he moved into the broadcast booth for a couple of seasons. Why He's Here: Before Earnhardt Jr.'s incredibly long domination in winning the Most Popular Driver award, there was Bill Elliott's reign. Christopher. Joey Logano made it clear from his early days as a Joe Gibbs driver that he was worthy of your attention on the track. Named to NASCARs 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998, Off the track, Roberts was beloved by fans, earning the sports Most Popular Driver honor in 1957. While some of these may be true to some extent, the amount of hate he receives is just way over the top. He is loved and idolized by many, and the reason isnt so farfetched from his phenomenal displays in racing competition. So, looking at Cup Series wins only, here are the top-25 winningest NASCAR drivers of all time, as of March 17, 2020 and according to data from Racing-reference.info. Fellow drivers and the media often found him difficult to deal with too, but behind the scenes, he often worked to help out others around him without making a big show of it. He displayed an awe performance of mastery, skills, and bravery on the racing track. He was the first of four generations of racing Pettys: son Richard, grandson Kyle, and great-grandson Adam, who died in a crash during practice in 2000. Book Jimmie Johnson. One of the best NASCAR drivers of the 1950s and early 60s, Roberts died of complications from burns sustained during a crash in the 1964 World 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 1. He won it a total of 16 times, from 1984 to 1988 and again from 1991 through 2000 before winning one last time in 2002 as he began to scale back his driving duties. The trip to Nashville marks a return to Music City after a one-year absence due to COVID-19. #AlwaysRac14g, A post shared by Tony Stewart (@tsrsmoke) on Jul 22, 2018 at 9:10am PDT.