NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers is an alphabetical list of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
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 75th anniversary of 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." It was inspired in part by the
NBA's decision to select the
50 Greatest Players in NBA History
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 ...
on its 50th anniversary in 1996. 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
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...
.
In 2023, as part of its 75th anniversary celebration, NASCAR announced it would add 25 names to the list, bringing the total to 75.
NASCAR's Greatest Drivers
Source for lists:
1998 list of 50 drivers
2023 expansion to 75 drivers
See also
*
1998 in NASCAR
*
2023 in NASCAR
*
List of all-time NASCAR Cup Series winners
*
List of members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame
*
List of NASCAR champions
List of NASCAR champions could refer to:
*List of NASCAR Cup Series champions
*List of NASCAR Xfinity Series champions
*List of NASCAR Truck Series champions
* List of ARCA Menards Series champions
* List of ARCA Menards Series East champions
*Lis ...
References
External links
{{Portal bar, 1990s, Sports
NASCAR.com's listingArchived link
The Inside Groove.com – Historical NASCAR Image GalleryNASCAR official site's article of 75 Greatest Drivers
50 Greatest Drivers
75 Greatest Drivers
1998-related lists
2023-related lists
*NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers
Lists of 20th-century people
Lists of American sportspeople
75 Greatest Drivers
Lists of sportsmen
Top sports lists