NASCAR
Neil Bonnett, a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, won 18 races in 362 starts. He is probably best remembered for his perseverance after suffering a life-threatening crash at Darlington in 1990. After rehabbing and a stint as a commentator, Bonnett’s luck ran out when he died in a crash at qualifying for the 1994 Daytona 500. The Bullet Points:Country…
A man almost as famous for the way he died as the way he raced, the movie star handsome Tim Richmond still managed to win 13 races in 185 starts. Richmond was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers despite NASCAR having falsified his drug tests to keep the HIV positive Richmond from racing. The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Ashland,…
A constant on both the Grand National and Winston Cup circuits for 33 years, Jim Paschal won 25 races, but never finished higher than fifth in the points standings. If longevity is a prime factor, Paschal could have a shot.The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: High Point, North Carolina, U.S.A.Retired In:1972Sprint Cup Wins:25Poles:12Top Ten Finishes:230Top Ten Finishes (Season): Sprint Cup Series:1953:…
Robert “Red” Byron’s career lasted all of fifteen races, of which he won two, due to health issues from injuries he had sustained in World War II. But he made the most of those opportunities, winning both the very first NASCAR modified championship in 1948 and first NASCAR Stock Car Championship in 1949. He has already been a three time…
Bob Welborn never finished higher than fourth in the Grand National and had just nine wins, but Welborn won three consecutive championships on the NASCAR Convertible Series. With NASCAR stating it wants to honor all of it series, Welborn would be a good place to start.The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Denton, North Carolina, U.S.A.Retired In:1964Sprint Cup Wins:9Poles:7Top Ten Finishes:102Top Ten…
This may seem awfully high to put a man who won only five of the 207 races he started, but “The Polish Prince” was the last of the driver/owners to win a championship when he captured the 1992 Winston Cup Crown. That he died that off-season in a plane crash stunted his career, but not his legend as he is…
Two-time champion of the IMCA Circuit, Dick Hutcherson was the most famous of Iowa’s racing “Keokuk Gang”. He was a fourteen time winner in NASCAR in only 103 races, finishing second in the points race in 1965.
Marlin, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, is eligible for the first time for the 2013 class. Active for 33 years, he appeared in 748 races winning ten times, including back to back Daytona wins in 1994 and 1995. The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Columbia, Tennessee, U.S.A. Retired In:2009 Sprint Cup Wins:10 Poles:11 Top Ten Finishes:216 Top Ten…
Paul Goldsmith, who is more famous as a motorcycle racer, still has a fairly impressive resume in NASCAR despite just 127 starts. He won nine races in what is now the Sprint Cup and one in the NASCAR Convertible Series, including taking the 1958 Daytona Beach Road Course, which was the last in its history. The Bullet Points:Country of Origin:…
The winner of the 1969 Daytona 500, Yarbrough (no relation to Cale) won 14 races in 198 starts and finished in the top 10 in over 46% of his starts. Regardless of the resume that Yarbrough has, the fact that he was placed in a mental institute for trying to kill his mother; not exactly an attribute that any Hall…
The least well of the Allison family, Donnie is probably most famous for the fistfight he had with Cale Yarborough on national TV after the two of them were involved in a wreck at the 1979 Daytona 500. Although never a full time driver on the Winston Cup circuit, Allison did manage to win 10 times and have 115 top…
The only negative thing you can say about Foyt as a candidate is that this is the NASCAR Hall of Fame and he only won seven races in 128 starts. Other than that, there is nothing Foyt hasn’t done in racing; from being one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers to being the only driver ever to win the Indy 500,…
With 13 wins in 128 Races in the 1950s, Dick Rathmann is probably best known for having switched names with his brother Royal Richard “Jim” Rathmann so that his brother could enter a race underage. It was supposed to be temporary, but the name change stuck.The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.Retired In:1955Sprint Cup Wins:13Poles:13Top Ten Finishes:79Top Ten…
Darel Dieringer never finished higher than third in the Winston Cup, but finished in the top 10 in 40% of his races, collecting seven wins in 181 starts in the 1960s. Potentially, he could be a fringe candidate for the Hall of Fame.The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.Retired In:1975Sprint Cup Wins:7Poles:9Top Ten Finishes:79Top Ten Finishes (Season): Sprint Cup…
It is a bit tough to put Dan Gurney in the NASCAR Hall because he only raced in NASCAR sixteen times, but he won five of those starts. He is also the first driver to win races in Sports Cars, NASCAR, Formula 1, and Indy Car. Gurney also supposedly invented the champagne spray celebration after combining with A.J. Foyt to…
A familiar name to many race fans; he won the 2002 Daytona 500 and started 375 races on the NASCAR Circuit. But with only five wins and a Sprint Cup high finish of 9th, he can’t be any higher than this in the grid. Even this may be too high. The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: South Boston, Virginia, U.S.A.Retired In:2007Sprint…
This ranking has to do with Ralph Moody as a racer, in which he won five races in 47 starts. However, were we including owners in this list, he would be much higher on the list as his Holman Moody racing team won 92 NASCAR races. The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Taunton, Massachusetts, U.S.A.Retired In:1962Sprint Cup Wins:5Poles:5Top Ten Finishes:27Top Ten…
Dave Marcis wasn’t just a racer, he was an institution. Active from 1968 to 2002, Marcis competed in 883 Sprint Cup races, but only won five. His longevity was a huge asset on his resume, but being an iron man likely won’t be enough.The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S.A.Retired In:2002Sprint Cup Wins:5Poles:14Top Ten Finishes:222Top Ten Finishes (Season): Sprint…
Petty ran in 829 races over 29 years, winning 8 times, but never finished higher than fifth in the Sprint Cup standings. Now a commentator for the Speed Network, Petty is as well known for his family’s racing heritage as for his actual performance. The Bullet Points:Country of Origin: Randleman, North Carolina, U.S.A. Retired In: 2009 Sprint Cup Wins:8…
Ironically named, since he stood 6’ 5” tall, DeWayne “Tiny” Lund is a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, won three Grand American Division Championships. His most legendary feat, however, is probably going to the 1963 Daytona 500 without a ride, saving Marvin Panch’s life when he crashed in qualifying, taking Panch’s ride into the race and then winning the…