NASCAR is entering its 75th anniversary season in 2023 and there is sure to be more looks back to the history of the sport than ever before. So today we are going to kick this kind of history look back with a fun concept. Looking at drivers who should be recognized more for their greatness by the general NASCAR public. These are 7 NASCAR drivers who deserve more recognition.
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41 comments
What NASCAR drivers do you think deserve more recognition?
Tim Richmond
Harry Gant
Ricky Rudd
I’m shocked that nobody remembers how good Geoff Bodine was. He was the guy that was able to make Hendrick Motorsports stick around because of his win at Martinsville in 1984.
Steve Park ., the Burton Brothers and the Bodine Brothers yeah I said the Bodine Brothers
Ward Burton, Matt Kenseth, Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd, and Greg Biffle
I think Ted Musgrave is someone who is constantly overlooked, even though he never won a race. He always seemed to get a lot of top 10 finishes and solid points finishes as well.
Sterling Marlin is someone that I’m surprised is forgotten. A back-to-back Daytona 500 champion shouldn’t be that underrated but The Silver Bullet is. Really is a shame.
I think the Silver Bullet thing is pretty much all he’s known for to more recent fans.
Either that, or the fact that he was the guy that Dale sr tried to block which resulted in his death…
@Angel Muñoz it wasn’t a concussion, it was some form of neck/ spinal injury
I think had he not gotten hurt and known for his injury and Jamie mcmurrays win in 2nd start I think sterlings performance would be remembered more than just the unfortunate side
@RACINGUS95
Broken neck.
@Angel Muñoz if he had more horsepower he would have beat Gordon at the brickyard that 1 year he just didn’t have the power because he had a better handling car
I always wondered what would have happened if Bobby Labonte stayed at Joe Gibbs Racing. Would he have ever won another race. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I couldn’t see a reason why he would have moved to Petty Enterprises considering that Joe Gibbs has just won the championship with Tony Stewart in 2005.
Terry Labonte was one of the first drivers that got me into the sport. I remember collecting those little diecast cars of his whenever I would have Frosted Flakes in the morning!
Love Sterlin Marlin and the Silver Bullet, even if his wins came sparingly. Wish he could’ve caught better luck with the whole neck injury situation.
I think Greg Biffle should be recognized more. Mainly because even though he never really won a Cup Series championship, but from 2003 to 2013, he racked up 19 wins and stayed consistent during that time. Even though his final year in 2016 was awful, he still came back in 2019 and won in the Truck Series in that one-off event at Texas.
Imagine Biffle getting in cup at the age of some of these guys now. Multiple time champion.
He won the truck and xfinity championship though, and most of the reason he fell off at the end was because Roush as a whole fell off. If Biff had jumped of the sinking ship a few years before his retirement, he probably would’ve had a resurgence and been around a few more years
He won a truck championship, won a Busch championship, and finished 2nd in cup points. That’s the closest that any driver has ever came to winning all 3.
@Tristin471 I meant Cup championship
@Cito Browne 2nd is no small feat
I’ll never forget Terry Labonte. He was my favorite driver when I was little. Then Jr. came along. I had a bunch of #5 stuff growing up.
Bobby Labonte was a driver who wasn’t flashy by any means. He had some of the best equipment and consistently ran up front with JGR throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. A solid driver. As for Sterling Marlin He was a championship level threat with Ganassi in 2002 before his injury derailed it. Yeah he occasionally ran well after but he wasn’t the same.
I really think Tim Richmond doesn’t get enough recognition. Had he lived longer no doubt he would’ve won a championship. He was the only one who at the time could go head to head with Earnhardt
Yup
And sr said he was a better talent than he could be
Ricky Rudd he had 23 career wins but consistently in the top 5 and 10 in points most of his carrier, most races ran in a riw and raced with his eyes duct taped open after injury,
Ricky was a top contender for many years and I pretty much never see his name anywhere.
Kasey Kahne is my pick, he was ever like elite elite, but man could drive pretty much anything and was pretty consistent
Jamie Mac is definitely that guy for me. While he never racked up the wins, he took some cars that were upper mid pack to the lead and was always up there with the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth.
I so badly wish McMurray had won that 2018 Roval race…he came up one spot short
He didn’t have a high win total, but the wind he did have were big races. Also is one of the few to win the Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Daytona. As well as the Brickyard 400.
Neil Castles is another name that comes to mind for me. Having almost 200 top 10s and almost 500 starts was phenomenal, considering he came from an era where names like Petty, Allison, Isaac, and Pearson ruled. Even though he never got the win, he was always up towards the front.
Possibly why I’ve never heard of that guy is he’s never won
I’m surprised that the Labonte brothers isn’t recognized as much like other drivers. I do admit though that when I think of Terry Labonte, I think about that Bristol night race back in the day. When I think of Bobby Labonte, I remember him being the driver of the #18 before Busch came along.
That was a cool little nugget about James Hylton! You’re right at first I was like who??? But after explanation I totally agree he was definitely deserving.
But as far as guys who didn’t get the recognition they deserve… I think you nailed everyone I would have put on the list. Loved Bobby Lobonte! But maybe Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards? Biff was Championship caliber for several years and has both a Truck and Busch (xfin) Championship as well. Carl Edwards should have been a Champion in a lot of people eyes and was worthy of at least 1 but that’s a different story! Jeff Gordon fans (as I am) will probably relate…
Bobby Labonte is literally the reason I started to watch NASCAR, my favorite driver of all time, he really does deserve a lot more recognition
Same!
I haven’t even watched this video (yet) but I surely hope Greg Biffle is listed. That man is the definition of underrated that was overshadowed by his loyalty to Roush. He sank with the ship.
One driver that deserves recognition is Ricky Rudd. Even though he never won a title, he did win a number of races including the Brickyard 400 & what makes that win remarkable is the fact that he won that race with his own team. He is one of the last owner-drivers to win in NASCAR. Now when it comes to other series, one driver that deserves recognition is Gil de Ferran as he is one of a handful of drivers to have won in both CART & the IRL as the peak of his career came during “The Split” & he won the 2003 Indy 500. He also set the fastest ever speed at a closed track (which still stands today) across all series in 2000 at Auto Club Speedway when he went 241.4 mph.
Geoff Bodine. Won a lot of races in the late 80s and gave Hendrick his first win when the team was on the brink of closing down. Won as an owner driver. Heck he was fast enough to win half the races in 94 if it weren’t for crap luck.
To add on to James Hylton, he still holds the record for the highest finishing position by a rookie over a season in NASCAR history in that 1966 season (Note: NASCAR didn’t start rookie of the year honors until 1954). That alone is an impressive feat, and I’m kinda surprised NASCAR didn’t really push the potential narrative when Cindric won the Daytona 500 last year. Since of course now they’re able to finish higher in the standings than they may deserve to be