Sprint Cup Series: Five Drivers Who Have Never Won a Championship
By Travis Smith ,
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has had many great champions represent the sport, from Dale Earnhardt to Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson.
A driver lucky enough to win a points championship is put on a higher plateau because, in the eyes of the fans, they have won it all.
Now folks may deem the chase as a horrible way to determine a champion, but you still have to be great to win a championship in today's current system.
No matter what, if you win a points title, you will go down as one of the greatest in the sport.
However, there have been a lot of unlikely drivers to win a championship in the sport—guys like Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Alan Kulwicki, and Matt Kenseth.
This list presents the top five drivers who have never won this championship on the highest level in all of stock car racing.
If you have any comments, or would like to recognize other drivers, please submit them below in the comment box!
It seems like Mark Martin has won in every form of auto racing, from the Sprint Cup Series, to the IROC series, to ASA. Martin has won it all, except he has never won a Sprint Cup Title.
Martin has won 40 times in his Sprint Cup career, and has been second in points a record five times.
Folks respect Martin on the track because he isn't a dirty racer, and he always treats drivers and fans with a great deal of respect.
Mark Martin most likely will go into the NASCAR Hall of Fame once his driving career is over. He may also go down in history as the greatest NASCAR driver to have never won a Sprint Cup Series Title.
Career Stats: 40 Wins, 261 Top Fives, 422 Top 10's, and five times he has finished second in Sprint Cup points standings.
The Ironman of NASCAR was Ricky Rudd.
Ricky drove for many great owners, and did great things in the Sprint Cup Series.
Rudd won at least one race per season for 16 consecutive seasons, he performed while hurt, and there is no doubt that Rudd also dealt with plenty of heartache throughout his career.
He was simply one of the best on the race track no matter what car he was in.
Rudd never spoke much, allowing his driving to speak instead, but fans respected him for his never-give-up attitude, and the ruthless aggression he used to get a point across.
Some fans may not consider Rudd to be one of the greats, but in my opinion he is one of the best drivers to have never won a championship.
Career Stats: 23 Wins, 194 Top Fives, 374 Top 10's, and started in 906 races.
Jeff Burton is known as The Mayor of NASCAR because he represents a lot of the drivers out there when speaking about making the sport better.
Burton has been in the Sprint Cup since 1994. Over the course of his career he has had some memorable wins in some big-time events.
He is known as one of the most gentle people in the sport and he is also well respected by other drivers for his clean driving.
Burton is still in search of his first Sprint Cup Title and even though he may never win one, he has to be viewed as one of the best in the sport today.
Career Stats: 21 Wins, 125 Top Fives, 227 Top 10's, and has won a race at New Hampshire in 2000 where he led every single lap.
Mr. September, Harry Gant never won a Sprint Cup Championship, but he was an amazing driver in the Sprint Cup Series.
Gant drove so well in the Cup that he notched off four wins in a row back in September of 1990. He was also known for always running a high groove known as the "Gant groove."
People respected Gant for his wonderful skills behind the wheel, as well as his charm off the track.
The driving styles and winning ways of Harry Gant and Mark Martin are often compared. One major difference lies in the fact that Gant (who is retired) will never win a Cup Title, while Mark may still succeed in his quest.
Career Stats: 18 Wins, 123 Top Fives, 207 Top 10's, and once a runner up for the Sprint Cup Title.
Davey Allison was a tough little guy who would race no matter what kind of pain he was in because he wanted to be the best.
Allison was a fan favorite and member of the famed "Alabama Gang," who always took the time to thank his fans for giving him the support needed to be popular in NASCAR.
Allison came very close to winning the 1992 Series title. Instead of succumbing to the setback, he went out and tore up the NASCAR scene in 1993.
Davey was the points leader at the time of his untimely death, and was well on his way to the first of what could have been many Sprint Cup Series titles.
Davey Allison was one of the greatest in NASCAR history and he is sure to be in the Hall of Fame one day.
Career Stats: 19 Wins, 92 Top 10's, and 1992 Daytona 500 Champion
Buddy Baker, Geoff Bodine, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch, Fireball Roberts, Carl Edwards, Ernie Irvan, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Tim Richmond, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Donnie Allison, and Dave Marcus.
