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Aug 17, 2023

NASCAR drivers, No. 31 through 45; where does Dale Earnhardt Jr. rank?

NASCAR's 75th Cup Series season begins Sunday with the Daytona 500, and so far

NASCAR's 75th Cup Series season begins Sunday with the Daytona 500, and so far we've given you No. 46 through 75 in our countdown of NASCAR's top 75 Cup Series drivers of all time.

News-Journal motorsports writers Ken Willis and Ryan Pritt based their rankings on a wide variety of criteria. Career victories and championships are important, of course, but rankings were also based on winning percentage, wins in the biggest events, and a balance of great accomplishments over a short period of time versus steady accomplishments over a longer career.

We're releasing groups of 15 drivers daily this week, through Friday. No. 31 through No. 45 is below.

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Years active: 1949-68

Wins: 17

Also: Racing's famous "Good-time Charlie" came out of the gate hot, with eight wins in his first 34 starts. Fast on asphalt and dirt, big tracks and small, the former moonshine runner was considered a natural. On the side, he thoroughly dominated NASCAR's old convertible series, with 38 wins in 79 starts from 1956-59.

Years active: 1973-94

Wins: 18

Also: "Handsome Harry" didn't run a full Cup season until he was 40. Between 1981-85, finished between second and seventh in points. Earned a "Mr. September" label in 1991 by winning four straight races that month. On the fifth Sunday of that month, he finished second.

Years active: 2015-present

Wins: 18

Championship: 2020

Also: Has won on the biggest track (Talladega) and the smallest (Martinsville), but has especially shined on road courses, with seven wins. Should be a championship contender for years to come.

Years active: 2013-present

Wins: 19

Championship: 2021

Also: Still building a career destined for the Hall of Fame. Move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 paid off big with 10 wins and the Cup title.

Years active: 2004-16

Wins: 28

Also: Twice a championship runner-up, and with nine wins in his previous four seasons, "Cousin Carl" shocked the racing world with his 2017 retirement at age 37. Best season was ’08, when he won nine times and finished second in the playoffs to Jimmie Johnson. Racing's all-time leader in backflips.

Years active: 1964-67

Wins: 14

Also: Midwest racer (the old IMCA series) didn't arrive in NASCAR until age 32, and left at 35, but collected plenty of trophies in just 103 starts. In his one full season (1965), he won nine races and finished second to Ned Jarrett in the championship standings. Retired and formed the Hutcherson-Pagan chassis building company.

Years active: 1975-2007

Wins: 23

Also: Won a Cup race 16 consecutive seasons (1983-98). Finished top-10 in points 19 times. Six of his wins came on road courses. Won 1997 Brickyard 400.

Years active: 1949-57

Wins: 19

Also: Former moonshine runner who first delivered it on his bicycle as a kid. His 19 wins came in just 154 starts, and eight of them came in 1951, when he finished second to Herb Thomas for the championship.

Years active: 1999-2017

Wins: 26

Also: Hit the ground running, with wins in each of his first seven full-time seasons, including six in 2004. Inherited his father's knack for plate-racing and had 10 combined wins at Talladega and Daytona, including two Daytona 500s.

Years active: 1991-2016

Wins: 21

Championship: 2000

Also: Career blossomed after joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 1995. All of his wins came with that team between 1995-2003. Won the Brickyard 400 and Southern 500 in his championship season.

Years active: 1985-1993

Wins: 19

Also: Had become a perennial championship threat before he died in a helicopter crash. His 10 combined wins the previous two seasons included the Daytona 500, Coke 600 and Winston 500. Also had wins on half-miles and a road course.

Years active: 1964-1988

Wins: 21

Championship: 1973

Also: His championship and his 1975 Daytona 500 win were storybook-caliber. Probably the only former Detroit cab driver on this list. Was a two-time ARCA champ before jumping to NASCAR. At Talladega in 1982, he became the first NASCAR racer to crack the 200 mph barrier in qualifying.

Years active: 2004-present

Wins: 31

Championship: 2017

Also: After his 2017 championship, finished runner-up three of the next four seasons. Piled up eight wins and 19 top-fives in his dominant ’17 season. Currently looking to rebound from his first winless season since 2014.

Years active: 1984-2008

Wins: 32

Championship: 1999

Also: Late bloomer won his first Cup race in 1991 at age 34. In ’96, he began a six-year run where he won 24 races and never finished worse than fifth in points. Won three Daytona 500s and two Brickyard 400s.

Years active: 2008-present

Wins: 35

Championship: 2012

Also: Won at least one race, and usually more, in 11 straight seasons beginning in 2011. Eight times, he won at least three times, including five in his championship year. Has six career Talladega wins.