Comparing Current Cup Drivers to the GOATs of the Modern-Era

We're going to do something a little different today. We're going to compare a few of today's biggest Cup drivers to some of the GOATs at their respective points in their careers in terms of number of wins. Let's compare them with, lets say.... Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt. 

All drivers in this comparison are suggestions from followers on FB and Twitter.

(Note: SInce Dale Earnhardt's career never spanned full-time between 1975 & 1979, we will call his full-time career 1980-2000 for simplicity of this) 

At Darlington Raceway, Jeff Gordon went to Victory Lane for the third time in four races. Photo courtesy of Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Kyle Busch Rookie Year - 2005

Kyle Busch could today be deemed the second coming of the the King of NASCAR. 228 combined wins makes him #1 on the All-time win list. But we're talking about Cup wins today, and Kyle has 63 of them in a career spanning 2 decades with 646 starts to his name. So let's compare. 

• Jimmie Johnson at this point in his career had 83 Cup wins. 
• Jeff Gordon at this point in his career had 83 Cup wins.
• Dale Earnhardt at this point in his career had 72 Cup Wins. 

Kyle Larson Rookie Year - 2014

Kyle Larson has at this point in his career has had just over 8.5 full-time seasons under his belt. He now sits at 21 career victories over a period of 311 Starts. 6 of those wins came before the pandemic and his suspension and the remainder came with Hendrick since 2021. So let's compare. 

• Jimmie Johnson at this point in his career had 52 Cup wins.
• Jeff Gordon at this point in his career had 57 Cup wins. 
  
• Dale Earnhardt at this point in his career had 33 Cup wins. 
  

Kevin Harvick Rookie Year - 2001

As he retires this season, Kevin Harvick has had one hell of a Cup Series career. Filling in for the late Dale Earnhardt, it is only fitting we take a look at their careers on this list. Harvick has run 803 races and is on his 23rd full-time season in Cup scoring a total of 60 trips to victory lane. So let's compare. 

• Jimmie Johnson at this point in his career had 83 Cup wins and retired. 
• Jeff Gordon at this point in his career had 92 Cup wins.
• Dale Earnhardt at this point in his career had 76 wins and sadly had passed 

Joey Logano Rookie Year - 2009

One of only 12 multi-time champions in the sport's history, Joey Logano has spanned a career of closing on 15 years with 32 victories over 517 races. Logano is a consistent threat year after year, and that's hard to do for more than just a few seasons. So let's compare. 

• Jimmie Johnson at this point in his career had 77 Cup wins.
• Jeff Gordon at this point in his career had 81 Cup wins.
• Dale Earnhardt at this point in his career had 66 Cup wins. 

Chase Elliott Rookie Year - 2016

The 5x Fan favorite and 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott took over from Jeff Gordon in the HMS No. 24 car in 2016. He has run 7 full-time season and is currently on his 8th although he has missed a majority of the 2023 season to suspension and injury. He has 18 Cup victories in 261 starts. So let's compare.

• Jimmie Johnson at this point in his career had 41 Cup wins.
• Jeff Gordon at this point in his career had 51 Cup wins.
• Dale Earnhardt at this point in his career had 27 Cup wins.