NASCAR: The 18 Biggest 1-Hit Wonders in Stock Car History

Not everybody in NASCAR can be as talented or lucky as Jimmie Johnson. The five-time Chase for the Sprint Cup champion will always be known as one of the best of his era, an all-time legend and a future Hall of Famer. There are plenty of other legends still racing, too—Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart come to mind.

But there are some folks who aren't quite so lucky. Sure they have their moment in the sun, but beyond that they never really do much. Some were simply moonlighting in the sport; others had multiple opportunities to succeed, but just couldn't pull it off. We're here to celebrate those folks today, as we detail 17 drivers (and one manufacturer) who had that one shining moment.

Red Byron, 1949 Champion

Byron was the first champion of NASCAR's Strictly Stock series, which has evolved through the years into what we now know as Sprint Cup. His only two wins came during that 1949 season, and declining health forced him out of a car for much of the 1950s. He went into race team management until passing away in 1960.

Pontiac, 1962 Manufacturer's Champion

Behind race wins from such legends as 1962 drivers' champion Joe Weatherly, Jack Smith and Daytona 500 champion Fireball Roberts, Pontiac took its lone manufacturer's championship in NASCAR in 1962.

The brand would continue to compete into the mid-2000s, but as General Motors put much of its focus into the Chevrolet brand, Pontiac's lineup would never be as deep again. The brand would, however, win drivers' championships again in 1963 (Weatherly), 1989 (Rusty Wallace), 2000 (Bobby Labonte) and 2002 (Tony Stewart).

Mario Andretti, 1967 Daytona 500 Winner

Andretti's lone NASCAR win came in the sport's biggest race in 1967. Despite losing that season's IndyCar Championship to A.J. Foyt (also pictured), Andretti parlayed a successful season stateside (eight wins in 19 IndyCar starts plus the Daytona win for Holman-Moody) into a Formula One ride with Colin Chapman's powerful Lotus team. He never again competed in NASCAR after 1969.

Bobby Isaac, 1970 Champion

Driving the high-winged Dodge Daytona and running with the backing of K&K Insurance, Isaac won the 1970 Grand National Championship on the strength of 11 race victories. Isaac was the driver to beat in the late 1960s and early 1970s before deciding to dramatically scale back his participation after a strange "voice" in the car told him to retire during a 1973 Talladega race. Isaac died of a heart attack during a late model race in 1977.

Mark Donohue, 1973 Riverside Winner

Driving an AMC Matador for Roger Penske, Donohue took his lone NASCAR win (in six starts) in the season-opening Riverside event in 1973.

The previous season had seen him win the Indianapolis 500; the rest of the 1973 season would see him dominate the Can-Am Series and win the first IROC Championship. Donohue would retire after the season, only to return to racing with a Penske-run Formula One team in 1975. That season, Donohue would succumb to a cerebral hemorrhage related to a practice incident in Austria.

J.D. Stacy, 1-Time NASCAR Owner

Stacy, a Southern coal-mining magnate, was known for something unfortunate: sponsoring teams that he couldn't pay. In 1982, in fact, he sponsored seven cars in the Daytona 500. He owned the No. 2 and No. 5 cars, while sponsoring up to five others at a time that he didn't own.

By the next season, however, Stacy disappeared, leaving many drivers and teams holding an empty bag. For modern NASCAR fans, think of Stacy as a predecessor to Camping World, except for the fact that Camping World paid their bills.

Greg Sacks, 1985 Firecracker 400 Winner

Driving a research and development car for DiGard Motorsports, which was in the thick of the championship fight with Bobby Allison, Sacks would win the 1985 Firecracker 400 (allegedly with an over-sized engine that was never caught).

This actually led to the disintegration of the team; Allison left, angry that the team was focusing its attention elsewhere, and when Sacks couldn't score any more victories, the team became a driver carousel, folding in 1987. Sacks would never win again, but occasionally competes in Nationwide races.

Bobby Hillin, 1986 Talladega Winner

Hillin became the youngest driver to win a modern-era Winston Cup race when he took his lone career victory at Talladega in 1986.

Unfortunately, Hillin later admitted that this victory led to a downward spiral in his career, rendering him too cocky to take advice from other drivers and his competitors unwilling to help him anyway. Hillin would finish ninth in the 1986 championship and drive at NASCAR's top levels until 2000.

Rob Moroso, 1989 Busch Series Champion

Moroso became the youngest champion in NASCAR history by winning the 1989 Busch Series Championship over series veteran Tommy Houston. He parlayed it into a move to Winston Cup the following season, driving for his father. Moroso passed away during the 1990 season after a head-on collision near Mooresville, NC, but was awarded Winston Cup Rookie of the Year posthumously.

Derrike Cope, 1990 Daytona 500 Winner

This team, owned by Bob Whitcomb, was formed from the remains of the DiGard team mentioned earlier in the slideshow. Cope took his first career win by passing Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the 1990 Daytona 500 after Earnhardt cut a tire. Cope would actually win another race that season, taking the checkered flag at Dover, but would not win again at any level until 1994.

Alan Kulwicki, 1992 Champion

Driving a self-owned Ford "Underbird," Kulwicki came into the final race of the 1992 season as one of six drivers mathematically eligible to win that year's Winston Cup Championship. Kulwicki would finish second in the Hooters 500 to Bill Elliott, but that was barely good enough to steal the championship from Elliott by 10 points, the smallest margin in NASCAR history at that point. Sadly, Kulwicki wouldn't have the chance to defend his championship after perishing in a plane crash on April 1, 1993.

Mike Skinner, 1995 SuperTruck Champion

Skinner is now well-known and respected as a research and development driver or fill-in for Sprint Cup teams, but he originally made it to the top after winning the inaugural championship in NASCAR's Truck Series for Richard Childress.

He was promoted to Winston Cup in 1997 and had a handful of decent seasons before bouncing around and heading back to the trucks. He now drives a second entry for Germain Racing in Sprint Cup on a race-by-race basis.

Dale Earnhardt, 1998 Daytona 500 Winner

How does a seven-time Winston Cup champion and one of NASCAR's greatest drivers ever make this list? By winning the Daytona 500 only once, in 1998, after a series of near-misses. It took Earnhardt 20 starts to finally win the biggest race at a track where he otherwise dominated, and as most fans know he would never win the race again.

Jeremy Mayfield, 2004 Chase Participant

Mayfield earned the final spot in the inaugural Chase for the NEXTEL Cup after dramatically winning the final regular season race of 2004 at Richmond, setting a precedent for others to follow in subsequent seasons. He would make the Chase again in 2005, but following issues with his Evernham Motorsports team in 2006 lost control over his career. Mayfield has since dealt with suspension from NASCAR and drug issues.

Kurt Busch, 2004 Chase Champion

Busch won the first Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by only eight points, the closest finish in NASCAR history. He was parked for the final two races of the following season, however, after a traffic incident and his decision to leave Roush Racing for Penske Racing in 2006. He has made the Chase again four times since leaving Roush, but his best subsequent points finish was fourth in 2009.

Casey Mears, 2007 Coca-Cola 600 Winner

Mears' lone win at NASCAR's highest level came in the series' longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, in the 2007 season. It seemed to be the payoff after bouncing between three different cars in three years, but Mears hasn't won again since. He's continued to bounce between teams before landing a Sprint Cup ride with Germain Racing.

Trevor Bayne, 2011 Daytona 500 Winner

Bayne became the first driver to win in his second Sprint Cup start since Jamie McMurray in 2002, scoring a surprise victory in this year's Daytona 500 at just 20 years old. It was the first win for the Wood Brothers since Elliott Sadler in 2001 and their first Daytona 500 win since David Pearson crossed the finish line first in a wrecked car in 1976.

Bayne has continued to run a limited schedule for the Woods while also running for the Nationwide Series Championship with Roush Fenway Racing.

Regan Smith, 2011 Southern 500 Winner

Smith's maiden Sprint Cup victory came at this year's Southern 500. He's come close to victory before, nearly winning at Talladega in 2008 before NASCAR rendered his last-lap pass of Tony Stewart illegal, but Smith held off a hard-charging Carl Edwards while running on older tires to take the win.

Smith has proven a tough competitor in the sport's crown jewel races, finishing seventh in this year's Daytona 500 and third in the Brickyard 400.