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NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers is an alphabetical list of NASCAR drivers. It started as NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers as of 1998, the 50th anniversary of NASCAR, and was expanded with an additional 25 drivers in 2023, the 75 anniversary of NASCAR..
These are the men who define the competition of our sport. Their accomplishments are the benchmark that much of our history is identified by. Honoring them in this way, at the beginning of the NASCAR 50th Anniversary celebration, is one way of showing our true appreciation for them and the invaluable contribution they have given over the past 50 years. These are the drivers who made and make NASCAR fans stand on their feet and cheer. These are the drivers who are NASCAR history.
In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, NASCAR gathered a panel to select the "50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time." [1] [2] [3] It was inspired in part by the NBA's decision to select the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History on its 50th anniversary in 1996.[ citation needed ] An independent group of 51 individuals representing various NASCAR roles were asked to give their objective and educated opinions on who the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history were.
The living members of this group were honored on February 15, 1998 during pre-race festivities for the 1998 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. [4] [5]
In 2023, as part of its 75th anniversary celebration, NASCAR announced it would add 25 names to the list, bringing the total to 75. [6] [7] [8]
Source for lists: [9]
Bobby Allison |
Davey Allison† |
Buck Baker |
Buddy Baker |
Geoff Bodine |
Neil Bonnett† |
Red Byron† |
Jerry Cook |
Dale Earnhardt |
Ralph Earnhardt† |
Bill Elliott |
Richie Evans† |
Red Farmer |
Tim Flock |
A. J. Foyt |
Harry Gant |
Jeff Gordon |
Ray Hendrick† |
Jack Ingram |
Ernie Irvan |
Bobby Isaac† |
Dale Jarrett |
Ned Jarrett |
Junior Johnson |
Alan Kulwicki† |
Terry Labonte |
Fred Lorenzen |
Tiny Lund† |
Mark Martin |
Hershel McGriff |
Cotton Owens |
Marvin Panch |
Benny Parsons |
David Pearson |
Lee Petty |
Richard Petty |
Tim Richmond† |
Fireball Roberts† |
Ricky Rudd |
Marshall Teague† |
Herb Thomas |
Curtis Turner† |
Rusty Wallace |
Darrell Waltrip |
Joe Weatherly† |
Bob Welborn† |
Rex White |
Glen Wood |
Cale Yarborough |
LeeRoy Yarbrough† |
Sam Ard† |
Greg Biffle |
Jeff Burton |
Kurt Busch |
Kyle Busch* |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Carl Edwards |
Chase Elliott* |
Denny Hamlin* |
Kevin Harvick |
Ron Hornaday Jr. |
Jimmie Johnson* |
Kasey Kahne |
Matt Kenseth |
Brad Keselowski* |
Bobby Labonte |
Randy LaJoie |
Kyle Larson* |
Joey Logano* |
Sterling Marlin |
Ryan Newman |
Larry Phillips† |
Mike Stefanik† |
Tony Stewart |
Martin Truex Jr.* |
Deceased and/ or Hall of Fame as of 2024. |
† = Deceased at the time of the announcement |
* = Driver currently active in NASCAR on full or part-time basis as of the 2024 NASCAR season |
Italics and gold background = NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee (opened 2010) |
Ralph Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "the Intimidator", "the Man in Black" and "Ironhead"; after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series circuit in 1999, Earnhardt was generally known by the retronyms Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Sr. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers class in 1998.
Robert Nold "Red" Byron was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock champion in 1949. Along with Bob Flock, he is considered one of the best drivers of the era. He won the first NASCAR race at Daytona Beach and Road Course and won the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock driver's championship.
William Clyde Elliott Sr., also known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", "Million Dollar Bill", or "Wild Bill" is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. His accolades include the 1988 Winston Cup Championship and garnering 44 wins in that series, including two Daytona 500 victories in 1985 and 1987, three Southern 500 victories in 1985, 1988, and 1994, one Winston 500 victory in 1985, one Brickyard 400 victory in 2002, one "The Winston All-Star Race" win in 1986, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway between 1985 and 1986.
The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team in the league. Fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. In addition, the top ten head coaches and top ten single-season teams in NBA history were selected by media members as part of the celebration. The 50 players had to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA and were selected irrespective of position played.
Bradley Lee Daugherty, nicknamed "Big Dukie" and "Hooch", is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and professionally with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Lee Arnold Petty was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup champion. He is the father of Richard Petty, who went on to become the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history and one of the most successful stock car racing drivers of all time. He is also the grandfather of Kyle Petty and great grandfather of Adam Petty.
Gordon Johncock is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion.
Richard Ernest Evans, was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, including eight in a row from 1978 to 1985. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists this achievement as "one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports". Evans won virtually every major race for asphalt modifieds, most of them more than once, including winning the Race of Champions three times. Evans was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14, 2011. As one of the Class of 2012, Evans was one of the Hall's first 15 inductees, and was the first Hall of Famer from outside the now NASCAR Cup Series.
David William Cowens is an American former professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played the center position and occasionally played power forward. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the Boston Celtics. He was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player. Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Cowens has also held coaching positions in the NBA, CBA, and WNBA.
Feliciano Sergio "Félix" Sabates Jr. is a retired Cuban-born entrepreneur and philanthropist living in the United States.
Walter Dallenbach Jr. is an American former racing driver who competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He competed in 226 Winston Cup races from 1991 to 2001 and had 23 top 10 finishes. The son of open wheel racer and former CART chief steward Wally Dallenbach Sr., Wally Jr. is also a road racer. In addition to NASCAR, Dallenbach has raced in SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA Camel GT, CART, and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Loy Allen Jr. is a former professional NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch, and ARCA series race car driver, turned real estate developer and embry-riddle-trained commercial pilot. On February 12, 1994, he became the youngest and first rookie in NASCAR Winston Cup history to win the Daytona 500 pole.
Jerry Cook is a NASCAR modified championship race car driver. He began racing at the age of 13 and won the track championship at Utica-Rome Speedway in 1969.
The NBA 35th Anniversary Team were chosen on October 30, 1980, to honor the 35th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. It was the second anniversary team in the NBA. Unlike its predecessor, the NBA 25th Anniversary Team, that followed the concept of an All-NBA Team, this team was more like an NBA All-Star team that contains the eleven best players in the NBA's 35 years existence regardless of their position, and also had a coach. In addition, this team did not require a player to have completed his career to be eligible for this Team.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, 400-mile (640 km), and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series circuit, the other being the Daytona 500. From its inception in 1959 through 2019, it was traditionally held on or around the United States' Independence Day. In 1998, it became the first stock car race at Daytona to be held at night under-the-lights. In 2020, the race was moved to late August and currently serves as the penultimate race of the Cup Series regular season.
Jeffery Michael Gordon is an American stock car racing executive and former professional stock car racing driver, who currently serves as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series and Sprint Cup Series, and also served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in select races during the 2016 season. He is regarded as one of the best and most influential drivers in NASCAR history, helping the sport reach mainstream popularity.
The 1960 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on February 14, 1960, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It was the 5th race of the 1960 season, and was won by Junior Johnson in a 1959 Chevrolet.
William Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing.
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