Who is greatest NASCAR driver of all time?

Since NASCAR’s inception in 1949, the sport has seen a plethora of celebrities grace its racing tracks. Drivers such as Herb Thomas and Lee Petty dominated the sport in the early days.

Richard Petty is the all-time greatest NASCAR driver. He is the most accomplished driver in the sport’s history, and one of the most revered characters in motorsports in general

Richard Lee Petty competed in the previous NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series now known as the NASCAR Cup Series from 1958 to 1992, most notably driving the No. 43 Plymouth/Pontiac for Petty Enterprises.

He was the first driver to win the Cup Series championship seven times a record now shared by Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson, as well as win a record 200 races in his career. This featured a record seven Daytona 500 victories and a record 27 races 10 of which were consecutive in one season (1967).

Petty set a record with 123 poles and almost 700 top 10 finishes in 1,184 starts throughout his 35-year career, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971 to 1989. Matt Kenseth joined Petty as the first driver to win in his 500th race start in 2013.

In 2010, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the first time.