NASCAR: The Five Greatest Active Drivers Never To Win A Championship
For a while the best driver in NASCAR without a championship was Kyle Busch. In 2015 he took care of that which means that argument is open for debate once again heading into 2017.
With that argument beginning anew; who is the best active driver in the Cup series who has yet to win a championship? The following are five drivers who potentially fit the bill. Who the best is depends on your point of view. Some of these drivers have struggled in the Chase while others have the consistency but not the wins needed to get them to that championship level. Each driver is on this list for a different reason but they all share the common thread of not winning a title in their Cup Series careers.
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Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Denny Hamlin
There is little doubt that Denny Hamlin can win a championship, possibly as soon as 2017. With his teammate Kyle Busch winning the 2015 Sprint Cup, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has to be feeling added pressure going into the 2017 season, especially with 2/4 of JGR being in the final-four in 2016.
In his 12 seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, Hamlin has won 29 times, the highest number of victories for an active driver without a championship. His highest finish in the standings is second which came during the 2010 season. The Chesterfield, Virginia driver will have to avoid bad luck and injuries that have nagged him the past three seasons.
The good news for Hamlin is that there is no sign that he or his team are going to slow down in 2017 or beyond. The other bit of good news from Hamlin is that after his successful 2016 campaign, he should enter 2017 with a lot of momentum on his side.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It might comes as a surprise to some people but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the driver who is second to Denny Hamlin with 26 NASCAR Cup Series wins and no championship. Though his finish in the point standings doesn’t reflect it, Earnhardt had a career year in 2015 to match his career year in 2014 but it still didn’t result in a title. Of course we all know how 2016 ended for the driver of the No. 88 machine, thus making last season a wash.
In 2015 Earnhardt won three times and tied career bests in a season in top-five’s and top-10’s. In fact among all drivers, Earnhardt earned the fourth most points in 2015. These accomplishments came during crew chief Greg Ives rookie season as a Cup crew chief. Earnhardt Jr. has gotten better and better the last two seasons but the window might be closing soon for him.
With Ives having two full years of experience under his belt, Earnhardt, Jr. fans have a lot to look forward to in 2017 but soon the question will become how much more time do they have to look forward. Earnhardt Jr. has already gone on the record as saying he want to end his career driving for his own team. 2017 will be the first year fans look at and wonder if it will be his last, a championship might help make that decision easier for him.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Carl Edwards
Note: This piece was put together prior to Edwards announcing his retirement from NASCAR. Out of respect to Edwards and the fact that he still might race again, we will keep him on the list.
Carl Edwards has come as close as a driver possibly can to winning a Cup championship without doing it. His loss to Tony Stewart for the title in 2011 was due to a tiebreaker with Stewart’s five wins superior to Edwards lone victory that season.
2015 was a very good year for Edwards. In his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Edwards won twice and finished fifth in the standings. Edwards’ probably wishes that the current championship system were in its former incarnation as he would have won the 2015 championship under the previous rules for the Chase. In 2016 Edwards was a non-caution away from potentially winning a championship.
Following the 2016 season, Edwards came into 2017 as an early favorite to win the title. Of course that was before last week when he announced he was stepping away from the sport. Edwards refused to use the word retire at his press conference which is allowing for his fans to maintain hopeful that he will return to NASCAR. That being said, he will not be here in 2017 which means this will not be the season for him to finally win a title.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle’s 2015 was without question his worst in his 14 seasons as a NASCAR Cup Series driver. Biffle finished in the top-five only three times during the season as he finished a dismal 20th in the final standings. Biffle’s 2016 campaign was slightly better but it was still far from his success in the mid 2000’s.
There is no doubt that the Vancouver, Washington driver has the talent necessary to be a champion in the Cup series. He’s won 19 times in his 15 year career and finished second in the standings in 2005. However his time is running out as the 45-year-old driver will have to work hard to regain the speed and consistency he once had.
The good news for Biffle is that RFR looked like it was finally turning a corner late in 2016. The team began to qualify better and overall the cars began to have better finishes. The bad news is that Biffle will not be with RFR in 2017 and his current 2017 plans are still up in the air.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Newman
In the past two out of three seasons, Ryan Newman has been the best driver in the Richard Childress Racing stable. Though he has not scored a victory, Newman finished second in the standings in 2014 and also made the Chase in 2015 before missing it in 2016.
In the past few seasons the wins have gone away for Newman but his consistency has dramatically improved. That improved consistency has helped put Newman in the Chase numerous times but it has become clear that the lack of wins is keeping him from getting over the championship hump.
In his 15 seasons as a full-time driver, Newman has won 17 times in the Cup series including a Daytona 500 win in 2008. The Hoosier native has proven that he has what it takes to be successful as a champion in NASCAR, it’s just a matter of all the elements coming together. If Newman and his team can find the speed that he was once known for, he would instantly become a threat to win a title. Wins and consistency are what you need and Newman is currently lacking one of them.
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