List of NASCAR Xfinity Series champions

Last updated

The trophy of 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski Brad's 2010 Nationwide Championship Trophy..jpg
The trophy of 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Drivers' Championship is awarded by the chairman in NASCAR to the most successful Xfinity Series racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on race results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1982, to Jack Ingram. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Sam Ard in 1983 and 1984. The current Drivers' Champion is Cole Custer who won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2023.

Contents

As of the 2016 season, the Championship has been decided using NASCAR's "Playoff" system. 12 drivers qualify for the Playoffs; race winners are automatically locked in and the remainder is set by the highest non-winners in the points standings. Drivers can accumulate points that carry into the playoffs by winning a stage or the race itself (1 playoff point for a stage win, 5 playoff points for a race win). After qualifying for the Playoffs, drivers have their points reset to a significantly higher total than non-Playoff drivers, with bonus points added appropriately for stage and race wins. This method is also used for eliminating drivers who qualified for the Playoffs but didn't advance into the next round. The Xfinity Series Playoffs start with 12 drivers in the Round of 12, then cut off the lowest 4 non-winners in the points standings after 3 races. This process is repeated with the remaining drivers for the Round of 8, leaving 4 drivers still eligible to win the championship that season. Following the Round of 8, all previously accumulated playoff points are reset, leaving the "Championship 4" drivers all with an equal opportunity to win the championship in the 1-race final round at Homestead–Miami Speedway. Stage points also do not count for Playoff drivers in the final race. The highest-finishing driver out of the Championship 4 is then declared the champion.

Overall, Thirty-One different drivers have won the Championship, with Sam Ard, Jack Ingram, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Tyler Reddick holding the record for most titles, at two. Ard, Pearson, LaJoie, Earnhardt Jr., Truex Jr., Stenhouse Jr., and Reddick all have the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, with two consecutive championships. Chase Elliott is the youngest Xfinity Series champion; he was 18 years, 11 months, and 11 days old when he won the 2014 title. [1] Jack Ingram is the oldest Xfinity Series champion; he was 48 years, 9 months, and 29 days when he won the championship in 1985. [2]

By season

Year Driver Owner Team NoMake St Ws TT P PtsGap
1982 Jack Ingram Jack Ingram 11 Pontiac 297 24 1 4495 47
1983 Sam Ard Howard Thomas 00 Oldsmobile 3510 30 10 5454 84
1984 Sam Ard (2) Howard Thomas (2) 00 Oldsmobile (2) 288 26 7 4552 426
1985 Jack Ingram (2) Jack Ingram (2) 11 Pontiac (2) 275 22 2 4106 29
1986 Larry Pearson David Pearson Pearson Racing 21 Pontiac (3) 311 24 1 4514 7
1987 Larry Pearson (2) David Pearson (2) Pearson Racing (2) 21 Chevrolet 276 20 3 3959 394
1988 Tommy Ellis John Jackson 99 Buick 303 20 5 4281 295
1989 Rob Moroso Dick Moroso Moroso Racing 25 Oldsmobile (3) 294 16 7 4001 55
1990 Chuck Bown Hubert Hensley 63 Pontiac (4) 316 18 4 4372 200
1991 Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte Labonte Motorsports 44 Oldsmobile (4) 312 21 2 4264 74
1992 Joe Nemechek Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports 87 Chevrolet (2) 312 18 1 4275 3
1993 Steve Grissom Wayne Grissom Grissom Racing Enterprises 31 Chevrolet (3) 282 18 0 3846 253
1994 David Green Bobby Labonte (2) Labonte Motorsports (2) 44 Chevrolet (4) 281 14 9 3725 46
1995 Johnny Benson Jr. Bill Baumgardner BACE Motorsports 74 Chevrolet (5) 262 19 0 3688 404
1996 Randy LaJoie Bill Baumgardner (2) BACE Motorsports (2) 74 Chevrolet (6) 265 20 2 3714 29
1997 Randy LaJoie (2) Bill Baumgardner (3) BACE Motorsports (2) 74 Chevrolet (7) 305 21 2 4381 266
1998 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 3 Chevrolet (8) 317 22 3 4469 48
1999 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) Dale Earnhardt (2) Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2) 3 Chevrolet (9) 326 22 3 4647 280
2000 Jeff Green Greg Pollex ppc Racing 10 Chevrolet (10) 326 27 7 5005 616
2001 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Richard Childress Racing 2 Chevrolet (11) 335 24 4 4813 124
2002 Greg Biffle Jack Roush Roush Racing 60 Ford 344 25 5 4924 280
2003 Brian Vickers Ricky Hendrick Hendrick Motorsports 5 Chevrolet (12) 343 21 1 4637 14
2004 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Teresa Earnhardt
Chance 2 Motorsports 8 Chevrolet (13) 346 26 7 5173 230
81
2005 Martin Truex Jr. (2) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Teresa Earnhardt (2)
Chance 2 Motorsports (2) 8 Chevrolet (14) 356 22 3 4937 68
2006 Kevin Harvick (2) Richard Childress (2) Richard Childress Racing (2) 21 Chevrolet (15) 359 32 1 5648 824
29
Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Incorporated 33
2007 Carl Edwards Jack Roush (2) Roush Fenway Racing (2) 60 Ford (2) 354 21 0 4805 618
2008 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress (3) Richard Childress Racing (3) 2 Chevrolet (16) 351 29 0 5132 21
2009 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Toyota 359 30 3 5682 210
2010 Brad Keselowski Roger Penske Penske Racing 22 Dodge 356 29 5 5639 445
2011 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Jack Roush (3) Roush Fenway Racing (3) 6 Ford (3) 342 26 3 1222 45
2012 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2) Jack Roush (4) Roush Fenway Racing (4) 6 Ford (4) 336 26 4 1251 23
2013 Austin Dillon Richard Childress (4) Richard Childress Racing (4) 3 Chevrolet (17) 330 22 7 1180 3
2014 Chase Elliott Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3) JR Motorsports 9 Chevrolet (18) 333 26 2 1213 42
2015 Chris Buescher Jack Roush (5) Roush Fenway Racing (5) 60 Ford (5) 332 20 0 1190 15
2016 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs (2) Joe Gibbs Racing (2) 19 Toyota (2) 333 27 2 4040 2
2017 William Byron Dale Earnhardt Jr. (4) JR Motorsports 9 Chevrolet (19) 334 22 2 4034 5
2018 Tyler Reddick Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5) JR Motorsports (3) 9 Chevrolet (20) 332 20 0 4040 5
2019 Tyler Reddick (2) Richard Childress (6) Richard Childress Racing (5) 2 Chevrolet (21) 336 27 5 4040 5
2020 Austin Cindric Roger Penske (2) Penske Racing 22 Ford (6) 336 25 3 4040 5
2021 Daniel Hemric Coy Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing (3) 18 Toyota (3) 331 21 4 4040 5
2022 Ty Gibbs Coy Gibbs (2) Joe Gibbs Racing (4) 54 Toyota (4) 337 23 7 4040 5
2023 Cole Custer Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing 00 Ford (7) 333 21 6 4040 6

By driver

DriverTotalSeasons
Sam Ard 2 1983, 1984
Jack Ingram 1982, 1985
Larry Pearson 1986, 1987
Randy LaJoie 1996, 1997
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1998, 1999
Martin Truex Jr. 2004, 2005
Kevin Harvick 2001, 2006
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2011, 2012
Tyler Reddick 2018, 2019
Tommy Ellis 1 1988
Rob Moroso 1989
Chuck Bown 1990
Bobby Labonte 1991
Joe Nemechek 1992
Steve Grissom 1993
David Green 1994
Johnny Benson 1995
Jeff Green 2000
Greg Biffle 2002
Brian Vickers 2003
Carl Edwards 2007
Clint Bowyer 2008
Kyle Busch 2009
Brad Keselowski 2010
Austin Dillon 2013
Chase Elliott 2014
Chris Buescher 2015
Daniel Suárez 2016
William Byron 2017
Austin Cindric 2020
Daniel Hemric 2021
Ty Gibbs 2022
Cole Custer 2023

By Manufacturer

DriverTotalSeasons
Chevrolet211987,1992–2001,2003–2006,2008,2013–2014,2017–2019
Ford72002,2007,2011,2012,2015,2020,2023
Toyota42009,2016,2021,2022
Oldsmobile41983,1984,1989,1991
Pontiac41982,1985,1986,1990
Buick11988
Dodge12010

Regular Season Champions

Since 2018 NASCAR has awarded a championship to the driver in the series with the most points heading into the playoffs with 2017 being grandfathered in. [3]

YearDriverOwner(s)/TeamsNo.(s)Man.(s)
2017 Elliott Sadler Dale Earnhardt Jr. (JR Motorsports)1 Chevrolet
2018 Justin Allgaier Kelley Earnhardt Miller (JR Motorsports)7 Chevrolet
2019 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress (Richard Childress Racing)2 Chevrolet
2020 Austin Cindric Roger Penske (Team Penske)22 Ford
2021 A. J. Allmendinger (1) Matt Kaulig (Kaulig Racing)16 Chevrolet
2022 A. J. Allmendinger (2) Matt Kaulig (Kaulig Racing)16 Chevrolet
2023 Austin Hill Richard Childress (Richard Childress Racing)21 Chevrolet

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Truex Jr.</span> American racing driver

Martin Lee Truex Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a two-time Xfinity Series champion, having won two consecutive championships in 2004 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4EVER 400</span> Auto race held at Homestead, United States

The 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 is a NASCAR Cup Series race held at Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. The race is contested over 267 laps, 400.5 miles (644.542 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buschwhacker</span> Term for top tier NASCAR drivers who compete in lower tier division races

Buschwhacker is a term for NASCAR drivers who are regulars in the top-level NASCAR Cup Series but who also compete on a regular basis in the second-tier Xfinity Series. The original coinage of the term "Buschwhacker" refers to Anheuser-Busch's longtime title sponsorship of the second-tier series through their Busch beer brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JR Motorsports</span> American racecar team

JR Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, CARS Tour, and occasionally in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, co-owned by former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Kelley’s husband and former racer L.W. Miller, and the owner of his former Cup Series team, Rick Hendrick. As of 2023, the team fields four full-time entries in the Xfinity Series: the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro SS full-time for Sam Mayer, the No. 7 Camaro full-time for Justin Allgaier, the No. 8 Camaro full-time for Sammy Smith, and the No. 9 Camaro full-time for Brandon Jones. The team also fields the No. 88 Camaro part-time for Bubba Pollard, Carson Kvapil, Connor Zilisch, and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The NASCAR playoffs, formerly officially known as the Chase for the Nextel/Sprint Cup, is a championship playoff system used in NASCAR's three national series. The system was founded as 'The Chase for the Championship' on January 21, 2004, and was used exclusively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2015. Since 2016, NASCAR has also used the playoff system in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Dillon</span> American racing driver

Austin Reed Dillon, nicknamed "the Ace", is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing. He is the grandson of RCR team owner Richard Childress, the older brother of Ty Dillon who competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the son of Mike Dillon, a former racing driver who currently works as RCR's general manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Elliott</span> American racing driver

William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro for the same team. He won the 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, becoming the first rookie to win a national series championship in NASCAR and the youngest champion in that series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Reddick</span> American racing driver

Tyler George Reddick is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. He is a two-time champion in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019. Reddick was the victor in the closest finish in NASCAR's top three series, edging out Elliott Sadler at Daytona International Speedway during the 2018 Xfinity Series season when he won by 0.0004 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cole Custer</span> American racing driver

Cole Matthew Custer is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. He is the son of Joe Custer, the team president of Stewart-Haas Racing. He is the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Berry</span> American racing driver

Josh Berry is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart–Haas Racing. Berry is noted for getting his start as a standout in Late Model Stock Cars with JR Motorsports from 2010–2023 where he became the all-time winningest driver in CARS Tour history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series</span> 69th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 69th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 46th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 59th running of the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson entered the season as the defending champion, having won his record-tying seventh Cup championship that he shares with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing won the championship, his first in the series. Toyota won the Manufacturers' Championship for the second year in a row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series</span> 70th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 70th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 47th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 60th running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 on September 9, 2018. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2018. Martin Truex Jr. was the defending champion, having won his first in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 37th NASCAR Xfinity racing season

The 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 37th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. William Byron won the 2017 championship with JR Motorsports, but moved up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Tyler Reddick, who replaced Byron in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the drivers' championship. Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste won the owners' championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series</span> 71st season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 71st season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 48th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Gander RV Duel qualifying races and the 61st running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 in September. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway on November 17, 2019. Joey Logano of Team Penske entered as the defending series champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> Sports season page

The 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 38th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 72nd season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series was the 72nd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 49th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 29. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the Season Finale 500, the first finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 73rd season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, where it was the first year that the non-points event was run on the track's road course layout instead of the oval. That race was followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, the first points race of the season. The regular season also ended at Daytona with the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28, where Kyle Larson won the Regular Season Championship. Following the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, Chevrolet claimed its 40th Manufacturer's Championship and its first since 2015. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 7 with Larson earning his first Cup Series championship after a 10-win season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 74th season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series was the 74th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 51st season for the modern Cup Series. The 2022 season marked the debut of the Next Gen Car, which was originally supposed to debut in 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this was the first season to have races covered by USA Network, which took over for the now-defunct NBCSN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 75th season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series was the 75th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 52nd season for the modern-era Cup Series. The season started with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 5. That race was followed by the Daytona Duel qualifying races and the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on February 19, both at Daytona International Speedway. The season ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400</span> NASCAR Cup Series race

The 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 28, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway, it was the 26th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, and the final race of the regular season before the playoffs. The race was postponed from Saturday, August 27 to Sunday, August 28, due to rain.

References

  1. "Museum Tour: #25 The Chase Elliott 2020 Season and Championship Exhibit: Championship". Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. "Oldest – Youngest Race/Pole Winners". Jayski's Silly Season Site . August 1, 2016. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  3. "NASCAR unveils Regular Season Championship trophies". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2022-04-27.