75 — The r/NASCAR Historian (2024)

FAQs

Was Jeff Gordon a NASCAR driver? ›

He holds the record for consecutive seasons with a pole position (23) and is NASCAR's winningest driver on road courses (nine wins) and restrictor-plate tracks (12). Gordon was named one of “NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998 and was also part of "NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers" list in 2023.

The team began with driver Jeff Gordon, who spent his entire full-time career behind the wheel of the No. 24. Gordon won 93 points-paying races, the most of any driver in NASCAR's modern era, and four series championships before retiring from full-time racing in 2015.

The Daytona 500 may just be the most iconic event of the NASCAR season, bringing in race fans from all over the country to the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Known as "The Great American Race," the Daytona 500, born over 60 years ago in 1959, transports you back in motorsport history.

Josh Williams will drive the No. 11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series. He previously piloted the No. 78 B.J. McLeod Motorsports entry full-time in 2022 before rejoining DGM Racing in the middle of the campaign leading into 2023.

Richard Petty holds the record for most wins in NASCAR Cup Series history at 200, while Kyle Busch leads active drivers at 63. Every driver that currently competes full-time at the Cup level has been highlighted in bold, while part-time drivers have been italicized.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. With an approximate net worth of $300 million as of 2023, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is regarded as one of the wealthiest NASCAR drivers. His racing journey commenced in the late 1990s, propelling him to legendary status within the racing community.

Gordon, along with Rick Hendrick, co-owns the No. 48 Chevrolet previously driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won seven Cup championships from 2006 to 2010, 2013, and in 2016. Gordon also has an equity stake in the No. 24 team.

was sidelined by concussion symptoms. When he finally hung up the helmet, Gordon had made 805 starts, scored 93 wins (third best all-time), four Cup Series championships and brought a younger demographic into the NASCAR fold. "I felt like this was the right time," said Gordon of his decision to retire age 44.

Throughout his career, he won at 24 of the 25 tracks at which he competed, leaving Kentucky Speedway the only track where he failed to win.

According to Nielsen's study, NASCAR isn't all that popular on the West Coast and no areas west of the Mississippi rank in the top 10 as it pertains to support for stock car racing. Virginia has the highest proportion of fans but Roanoke-Lynchburg has a smaller population than Charlotte, with 100,000 to 870,000.

What is the most iconic number in NASCAR? ›

One of the most iconic car numbers in NASCAR history, the No. 21 has long been used by Wood Brothers Racing, the team founded and run by brothers Glen (2012) and Leonard (2013) Wood. David Pearson (2011) won 43 races in the No. 21, while Cale Yarborough (2012) won 13 times.

Jeff Gordon has the most career Crown Jewel wins at 21, followed by Jimmie Johnson with 14 and Bobby Allison with 13.

Trickle was allowed by NASCAR to smoke in the race car during yellow flag periods, and in the 1990 Winston 500 (now the Aaron's 499), Trickle was seen on live television by the in-car camera lighting up and smoking a cigarette.

NASCAR driver Erik Jones defends medical treatment following wreck at Talladega. DOVER, Del. (AP) — Erik Jones was in agony the instant his Toyota slammed into the outside wall on a late wreck last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Hendrick drove in two races during the 1987 and 1988 Winston Cup Series, with finishes of 33rd and 15th, respectively. He also had a single start in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. He also had been a pit crew member for the Flying 11 that Ray Hendrick (no relation) drove in the 1960s.

Jeff Gordon is an American racing driver who drove in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time from 1993 to 2015, winning 93 Cup Series races and four Cup championships.

Folks thought car owner Rick Hendrick was a bit off his rocker when he hired Jeff Gordon in 1992 to run one of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars in 1993. After all, Gordon was a 21-year-old with an open-wheel background, who had ventured south to run an Xfinity Series car for Bill Davis.

His talent was noticed by Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon, who convinced owner Rick Hendrick to sign Johnson in the Winston Cup Series full-time for 2002, with Gordon as a part-owner of his car.