The motorsports world has been on fire throughout 2024. Over in Formula One, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are going head-to-head for the world championship, with the talented Brit aiming to halt the Flying Dutchman from claiming his fourth straight crown. Super Max had built up a huge lead throughout the first half of the season, but he is without a Grand Prix victory since June and McLaren’s main man has been reeling him in week after week.
Stateside, NASCAR is the motorsport of choice, even though F1 has been making more and more inroads in the Land of the Free in recent years. There are now three America-hosted races on the calendar, with contests taking place in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas, with the latter two of that trio still yet to come. But despite that, it’s the High-Octane Oval Tour that American petrolheads love more than anything else, and the 2024 campaign has been just as exhilarating as its Formula One counterpart.
At present, William Byron is the current leader, and he holds a healthy advantage at the top of the standings. He has picked up three victories so far this term, including the curtain-raising Daytona 500 back in February, and overthrowing the 26-year-old upstart will certainly be a difficult task. It’s a challenge that the bookies feel that the chasing pack is up to, however, the latest NASCAR betting odds only make the current standings leader a +700 fourth favorite for the title.
Whether he can go on and finish the job remains to be seen. However, he will have some way to go until he reaches these levels. Here are the most successful drivers in history.
Richard Petty
Throughout his stint on top throughout the 1970s, Richard Petty became known as The King, and rightfully so. The North Carolina native holds a record that few have come close to matching, picking up an astounding 200 race wins throughout his illustrious career. The now-87-year-old claimed his maiden title in 1964, picking up eight victories throughout the season to amass a whopping 40,252 points.
Three years later, he was champ again, however, it was in the 70s that he would truly assert his dominance. Between 1971 and 1975, Petty won four world titles in five seasons, only missing out on the gold in 1973 but gobbling up the rest. In 1979, he would add his seventh and final championship, an unfathomable record at the time.
His legendary duel with David Pearson at the 1976 Daytona 500 is often cited as one of the greatest finishes in all of sport, and it is still played on highlight reels today. Petty’s mastery and Pearson’s tactical brilliance played out on tracks across the nation, creating a golden era for NASCAR fans which they still look back on with fondness.
Dale Earnhardt
Manny thought that The King’s heroics on track would never be replicated, but then along came Dale Earnhardt. The Intimidator brought a rugged edge that didn’t endear him to many in the paddock, but it did bring success on an epic scale. He picked up his first title in 1980 before going on a tear six years later.
He became the first man in history to successfully defend a championship three times. He won back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987, repeating the feat in 1990 and 1991, before picking up his final two titles in consecutive succession in 1993 and 1994. Earnhardt’s rivalry with Jeff Gordon was an electrifying one, pitting the seasoned veteran against the young prodigy.
Their battles on the track were not just about speed, but also about a clash of eras, with one representing the gritty old guard and the other the beginning of a new, polished generation. The rivalry reached a fever pitch in the 1990s, with the wily veteran managing to win those early battles before Gordon came roaring back and claimed his first of four titles in 1995.
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson is the most recent superstar to emerge in the world of NASCAR. The Californian retired at the end of last season, finishing in a commendable 39th place at the ripe old age of 48. However, his golden era will likely never be topped.
Just shy of two decades ago, Johnson claimed a whopping five straight world championships. His precise driving style was in stark contrast to one of his two aforementioned predecessors, and his fresh approach ultimately ended up being a revelation. His five straight crowns came between 2006 and 2010, catapulting him into superstardom alongside the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton who were dominating in Formula One during a similar time frame.
After missing out on titles in 2011 and 2012, many thought that Johnson’s stint on the top step of the podium was over. But those naysayers would be proven wrong in a definitive fashion. ‘Superman’ picked up another title in 2013, pipping Matt Kenseth to the title after picking up two wins and a podium from his final eight races. He would then pick up a record-equaling seventh crown in 2016, this time finishing just three points clear of Joey Logano, with Kyle Busch two points further back.
Unfortunately, Johnson never came close to a record-breaking title. His tenth-place finish in 2017 and 14th the following year was the best he could manage, allowing a new generation of drivers to rise to the occasion in his absence.
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