With a rich history spanning over 75 years, many drivers throughout the decades have earned the right to call themselves a NASCAR Cup Series race winner.
However, only a select few have truly gone on to dominate the sport and their respective eras, redefining expectations and cementing their place among the all-time NASCAR greats along the way.
Indeed, whether it’s legendary figures such as Richard Petty and David Pearson, or modern-day icons like Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, or those in between, this group below are the finest drivers to ever grace a stock car.
Some have won multiple championships, others have won zero, but their consistent ability to dominate their rivals and win races has seen them make the list and made their greatness undeniable. Let’s get into the list.
Which drivers have won the most NASCAR races?
The current top 10 on the all-time Cup Series wins list looks like this:
1. Richard Petty - 200 wins
Nicknamed “The King” for a reason, Richard Petty is the most successful driver in NASCAR Cup Series history. And it isn’t even close.
Active as a driver from 1958 to 1992, Petty dominated multiple decades of action, winning seven Cup Series championships throughout his career - a record he shares with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson.
Where Petty separates himself, though, is when it comes to Cup Series victories, with the Level Cross, North Carolina native amassing an incredible 200 career wins, including seven Daytona 500s.
Looking back, 1967 was a particularly dominant campaign for Petty, winning a colossal 27 races that season on his way to his second NASCAR Cup Series championship - then known as the Grand National Series.
2. David Pearson - 105 wins
Whilst Petty was ‘The King’, David Pearson was ‘The Silver Fox’, a simultaneous nod to his smart and strategic driving and his grey hair.
During his career, the Spartanburg, South Carolina native registered 105 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series as well as three Cup Series championships, and remarkably, did so without ever completing a full season in the sport.
Indeed, whilst he is 95 short of Petty’s 200-win total, Pearson’s victories came in only 574 race starts - less than half of Petty’s 1,184.
Take nothing away from Petty, though. He and Pearson struck up an intense rivalry that produced some legendary battles over the years, including at the 1976 Daytona 500, where Pearson won the event for the only time after what is widely considered one of the most dramatic NASCAR finishes of all time.
3. Jeff Gordon - 93 wins
Jeff Gordon’s 93 Cup Series victories over the years have cemented his place as a great of the sport, along with his four NASCAR championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001.
Three of Gordon’s victories came at the Daytona 500, and like Petty and Pearson before him, his success ultimately led him to become one of the most recognizable faces in the sport and inspire the next generation of drivers to come.
A one-team man at Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 24 Chevrolet during his full-time Cup Series days, the Vallejo, California native’s on-track rivalry with Dale Earnhardt is one of the things people remember him for most, with their battles having captured the imagination of the public in the 1990s and driven the sport further into the mainstream.
Ultimately, 1998 proved to be the most successful season of Gordon’s NASCAR career, with the then 26-year-old winning 13 races that year on his way to beating Mark Martin to the championship.
4. Bobby Allison - 85 wins
Known as one of the fiercest competitors NASCAR has ever seen, Bobby Allison won a total of 85 races during his Cup Series career, five of which came in 1978, the year of his sole championship win.
Despite being a Miami, Florida native, Allison went on to become a member of the ‘Alabama Gang’ - a group of NASCAR stars based out of Hueytown, Alabama that included his brothers Bobby and Donnie, as well as family friend Red Farmer.
Allison’s legacy in the sport also extends to safety, with a horrible crash of his at Talladega in 1987 directly leading to NASCAR adopting restrictor plates at superspeedways to try and help reduce the likelihood of airborne wrecks.
The accident also accelerated improvements to the seatbelt, roll cage, and helmet, all enhanced to protect drivers further during high-speed impacts.
5. Darrell Waltrip - 84 wins
Making the top five on this list and another driver considered an all-time NASCAR great is Darrell Waltrip, who won 84 Cup Series races during his illustrious career.
Having won so many races, it is hardly surprising that Waltrip was able to pick up several championships along the way, winning the Cup Series title in 1981, 1982 and 1985.
One thing to note about Waltrip was his exceptional ability to win on short tracks, where his skill and aggressive style made him a consistent threat. Indeed, the vast majority of his career victories came on this sort of layout.
Despite that, Waltrip did also tick off the Daytona 500 as a career accolade in 1989 with Hendrick Motorsports - his 12th attempt at the Great American Race.
T-6. Jimmie Johnson - 83 wins
Another of NASCAR’s modern-day legends, Jimmie Johnson finished his full-time Cup Series career on 83 wins. However, he continues to race in the odd event to this day, and almost added to that tally when he came third at the 2025 Daytona 500.
What separates Johnson apart from some of the names above him on this list is the number of championships he was able to capture during his career, with his seven title victories a joint record he holds with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
Known for his smooth driving style and consistency, Johnson dominated on some of the sport's most iconic tracks during his career, winning multiple races at Charlotte (9), Dover (9), Martinsville (9), and Las Vegas (6) to name just a few.
Johnson’s 83 wins also included two Daytona 500s, his first success in 2006 followed by further joy in 2013.
T-6. Cale Yarborough - 83 wins
Active from the late 1950s through to the late 1980s, Cale Yarborough won a total of 83 Cup Series races during his career.
Excelling on superspeedways and short tracks alike, Yarborough earned victories at a number of iconic tracks such as Daytona, Darlington, and Bristol, including winning the Daytona 500 on four occasions.
Yarborough’s victories helped him earn an accolade that no other driver had yet achieved during his career, too, with the Timmonsville, South Carolina native becoming the first star to win three consecutive championships in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Jimmie Johnson is the only other driver to have matched this feat.
8. Dale Earnhardt - 76 wins
Dale Earnhardt is undoubtedly one of the most iconic drivers to ever grace the sport, earning 76 Cup Series victories during his racing days.
That tally took him to seven championships in total, becoming the first to match the record that had been previously set by Richard Petty, and earned him the nickname ‘The Intimidator’ along the way, with his commanding presence, ruthless racecraft and relentless desire to win making him one of the sport’s most respected competitors.
After several near misses over the years, on his 20th attempt at the Daytona 500, Earnhardt finally got his first win in the Great American Race in 1998. By that stage, he had nothing to prove to anybody, but it was another fine accolade added to an illustrious career.
Tragically, Earnhardt lost his life in February 2001 after suffering a basilar skull fracture after a collision on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, with his loss sending shockwaves through the sport.
Earnhardt’s tragic passing prompted sweeping NASCAR safety reforms, and ultimately, his legacy lives on not only through his records and iconic career but also in the lives saved by the safety innovations his tragic passing helped inspire.
9. Kyle Busch - 63 wins
Kyle Busch is NASCAR’s most-winningest driver of all-time, bar none, with 232 victories across the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series.
Specifically in the Cup Series, the Las Vegas, Nevada native is a two-time title winner, winning championships in 2015 and 2019 and 63 races during his career so far.
Whilst his success can not be denied, neither can the fact that he has proved a polarizing figure over the years, picking up the nickname ‘Rowdy’ due to his fiery intensity and fearless driving style out on the track.
Tragically, Busch passed away at the age of 41 on May 21, 2026. His legacy remains and he will be remembered forever.
10. Denny Hamlin - 62 wins
Despite having never won a Cup Series championship, Denny Hamlin’s 60 Cup Series victories have firmly cemented his legacy as one of the greatest drivers of all time, never mind this era.
Having turned 44 in 2025, the Joe Gibbs Racing star continues to show that age is just a number when it comes to NASCAR racing, winning a total of six races on his way to another appearance in the Championship 4.
At Phoenix, Hamlin looked on for that elusive first title win. He was the quickest driver on the day, led for over 200 laps, and was cruising to victory when a late caution came out with three to go, ultimately allowing Kyle Larson to snatch the title away due to a better strategy call ahead of overtime.
Having signed to JGR through 2027, Hamlin tasted his first victory of 2026 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking 10th spot outright and bumping Kevin Harvick off this list. His 62nd victory followed at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1.
