How many races does a driver have to win during his career to be...?

Question

considered as having accomplished something?

Gordon and Earnhardt numbers in my opinion will never be duplicated again...so that's greatness IMO. But Jeff Burton has...19, 20? (not sure on that one), Jr is at 17, Kenseth at 16 or so. It's pretty impressive that ONLY 38 drivers in NASCAR history have won more than that.

I'm certainly not trying to make it out to be that 16, 17-20 is huge, but in the overall picture...it's pretty good. I say any driver (in today's NASCAR world) who can win 25 or more races in their career has done something pretty awesome. Give me your thoughts...

Remember, my questions are "BASH FREE" zones. Thanks.

Answer 1

fifty or more

Answer 2

I think somewhere between 15 to 20 wins, but a championship cancels all that out.

Answer 3

Actually it depends on how many races he wins on driving skill. Some wins come because the driver in front of the eventual winner has a problem and either wrecks or has to pit. For example, Bill Elliott had the 2003 Homestead race sewed up. However his tire went flat on the last lap which allowed Bobby Labonte to pick up the win.

(I am not bashing anyone, I'm just pointing out some races are won by pure luck. Kasey Kahne, one of my favorite drivers, won by pure luck at Charlotte after Stewart lost a tire.)

Answer 4

i would say "around" 25+ for any driver who never wins a "biggie" - kurt busch is considered to have accomplished something and he has only 17 wins, but he has a championship.  

for others with championships: tony stewart has won 32 times and has two championships, jimmie johnson has like 34.  and of course jeff with what 83 now (he's one short of DW no?) and four championships.  i'd think kenseth, labonte, jarett - guys with championships, it doesn't really matter how many races they've won.

but for those without championships, i'd say those who have won 25+ have really accomplished something.  some people can have fewer, as long as one or more of those wins are the daytona 500, a win at the brickyard, or even a win at a non-points race - the all-star race.

that's my $0.18.

Answer 5

I think 30+....   More importantly though would be their average finishing spot.

Answer 6

I think anything over 15 is good because it's so hard to win now in the sprint cup series. with the c.o.t it's ever harder to win now so anything over 15 should be considered good.

Answer 7

There are only 174 drivers that have ever won a race in NASCAR's highest series and of those more than half of them have won 4 races or less.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the top 22% of drivers, using his 17 wins or more as the criteria.  He has accomplished a lot regardless of what other people say about him or his ability.    Don't let the pests get to you when they try and discredit his accomplishments.  They found their niche this year, especially with the recent success of Kyle.  Most of the people bad mouthing Jr aren't even race fans, just your garden variety of bored +r0!!.  He is finally at a place where he can thrive and I would be surprised if he doesn't win a championship or 2.  I am still not convinced that Shrub became THE premier driver in NASCAR all of a sudden, let's see where he FINISHES.  There is still plenty of time for him to implode and all of you Jr fans to have the last laugh.  This early in the season it's good to just bite your tongue and see where they all are after the final race at Homestead, that's the only stat that really matters.

3 STR8 N 08!!!

Answer 8

you've just stated some good facts and I agree with the 25 or more races conclusion to, "How many races a driver has to win during his career to be considered as having accomplished something" Although I would never discredit all the other drivers and their performances. You could be a NASCAR driver for a short time and be better than everyone else, and maybe at one moment be the best, and still not accumulate a record to "make you look good". So you can also be considered one of the greats and not even have that many wins.

Answer 9

Quite honestly I feel that anyone who wins more than 10 races has to be considered a great driver in this day and age. In the day where Petty won all his races there really wasn't that much competition but I am not taking anything away from the king. #3 is awesome and there is no arguing that but in this day and age with so much competition coming from all over the world, this is no longer a Southern thing and the fight is on each and every week. I am not crazy about Kyle Busch but that son of a gun can drive. People say that Jr. is living off of his fathers name but he has 17 wins and that averages out to a victory about every 18 starts...........That is still pretty darn impressive considering all of the talent out there...........................By the way, this is a great question!!

Answer 10

i think 30+ is the diffrence from good and all time great some exceptions can be made of drivers with fewer then 30 wins.

Answer 11

Yo guyz 30 wins is to easy it has to be 80 or more DOG!!!!!!!!

Answer 12

The OLD Minnesota Vikings (stick with me) had a lot of wins, but no Super Bowl ring. To have accomplished something in NASCAR, I think it will be number of CUPS, not number of wins, that will be the most memorable. Junior has 17 wins. Jeff has 81 - so they don't compare at all. Jeff has four Cups ... and THAT, my friend of the asphalt, is an accomplishment of which only two men can rival - Mr. Petty and the late, great #3. Good question!

Answer 13

With all the fans and media attention Jr. has, he will have to win 80+ to be considered great in my book. He is undeserving of all these fans he has if you ask me.

Answer 14

Apparently 17 is some great accomplishment worthy of hero worship and favoritism..

Answer 15

You know it's tough nowadays to win a race.  The competition and cars are better I don't think anyone will ever get close to Waltrip,Gordon or Earnhardt let alone win 50.

I used to think that Gordon would win 100 before he retired but I don't think he will now.  I think 20 to 25 wins would put a driver in the company of the great legends.  50 would be a awesome feat

Answer 16

I'd say 25-30 is an impressive amount of wins.

Answer 17

To be perfectly honest with you 17 is great - as long as your name isn't Dale Earnhardt Jr. It's pathetic that people expect him to be the second coming of his father. There are many great drivers who never won a bunch of races or the championship (Think Mark Martin). There are plenty of crappy drivers who have accidentally won races (not throwing out any names in this group of wolves). The point is that any driver who wins a race in today's era obviously deserves to be there, at least for the time being. This new, almost-IROC version of NASCAR seems to favor one driver at a time. It's been Jimmie Johnson for two years and now that Toyota has their stuff together it's Kyle Busch this year. Who will be next? Only time will tell. I have to agree with you that the 25-30 number is about right to deem a driver "great" by today's standards.

Answer 18

I don't consider Gordan or Earnhardt to have accomplished much .when you can match Pearson or Petty then you have something to brag about.and don't forget back then there wasn't anything as power steering or cool suits and we wont even mention radial tire versus bias tires! also that was before the team sport so you didnt get help from teammates like they do now.

Answer 19

It's more along the lines of average finish rather than wins. If it's better than 15, you have definately accomplished something.

I mean, a driver can win 30 RP races, that doesn't mean they are great at any non-RP track.

Answer 20

if some of them could just win one it would be an accomplishment

Answer 21

It's so hard to win in Nascar cup racing today that I don't even think we will see another 40 plus wins for a cup driver! So I'll say any driver that can win 25 races in his career, even without a championship, is going to be looked back on as a great driver!!

In other words I agree with you!!

Answer 22

I'd say 25 wins would be a "good" driver. (honorable mention maybe?) 50 or more would unarguably be a "great" driver. With the chase the way it is, I don't put to much stock in championships anymore.