What Did the Other NASCAR Greats Accomplish at Jimmie Johnson's Age?
At this point in time, the argument about whether Jimmie Johnson's success is valid is irrelevant. Don't talk about the Chase for the Cup point system or the old Winston Cup point system any more, or if Johnson would have been able to hang with guys like Richard Petty and David Pearson. We've got a definitive answer, and the answer is simple.
Yes.
Yes, his success is valid. Yes, he would have been able to keep pace with the guys that were the focal points of our childhoods. It doesn't matter what point system we use: By 2013, Johnson would have been a multiple-time champion. As a matter of fact, under the old point system he might have been a seven-time champion by now. It's evident in the way Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the No. 48 team manage to bring their A-game in the clutch.
At the age of 38, Johnson has already won more titles than most of the other major names in the history of NASCAR did at that age. He is NASCAR's newest king, and in the following slides, it should be evident where he ranks with the other legends at his age.
Cale Yarborough
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Cale Yarborough's NASCAR debut came in 1957 at the age of 18, when he entered a Pontiac for Bob Weatherly and finished 42nd after starting 44th. For eight years, he toiled around NASCAR, running a race here and there. But it wasn't until 1965 that he earned his first win at Valdosta Speedway in the No. 06 Ford for Kenny Myler at the age of 26. He would go on to finish 10th in points that year.
As Yarborough grew in the sport, so did his success. By the age of 38, he had 48 more wins, including two Daytona 500s and his second Winston Cup championship. Yarborough would ultimately win 83 times in his career, including a grand total of four Daytona 500s and three consecutive championships.
Bobby Allison
2 of 7
Although Bobby Allison made his first NASCAR start in 1961 at the age of 23, it only took him two years to find success, when at age 25 he won three times and finished 10th in points. A year later in 1964, he won six times and finished fourth in points.
He came close to winning a championship several times over the course of his career, including the 1971-72 seasons when he won 21 times and finished second in points the latter year. Overall, he would finish second five times before he won his first championship in 1983...at the age of 45.
Still, 47 wins by the age of 38 is pretty impressive when you consider Allison was racing in the era of Petty, Pearson and Yarborough. Ultimately, Allison would get better with age, winning a total of 85 times, including three Daytona 500s.
Darrell Waltrip
3 of 7
Darrell Waltrip is easily recognized as one of the loudest and most boisterous personalities in NASCAR. Stock car racing's equivalent to John Force, Waltrip made his NASCAR debut in 1972 at the age of 25. Running a limited schedule in his own No. 95 Mercury, he earned a top-five and three top-10s with a best finish of third at Nashville.
In his breakout year of 1975, he won twice and finished seventh in points. He had earned 65 more wins by the age of 38, including three championships. He would race his final race in 2000, having earned a total of 84 wins and three championships.
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Jeff Gordon
4 of 7
While Johnson is NASCAR's current king, his teammate Jeff Gordon was his predecessor. Gordon made his Cup debut in 1992 at the age of 21, won Rookie of the Year in 1993, won twice in 1994 and earned his first championship in 1995.
Gordon is ahead of Johnson in both the win category with 88 wins (although Johnson is quickly catching up with 66 wins) and the Daytona 500 win category, having won three 500s by the time he was 38. But while Johnson is a six-time champion, Gordon is only a four-time champion, winning only six races since turning 38.
Dale Earnhardt
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The most prolific personality in NASCAR history, Dale Earnhardt's career stats boast 76 career wins and seven Winston Cup championships, as well as a win in the 1998 Daytona 500. "The Intimidator" would go on to pilot his black-and-white Chevy to four of his seven championships, while his first three were earned in a blue-and-yellow Chevy.
However, by the age of 38 Earnhardt's success had reached a halfway point. He had earned three Winston Cup championships, including his first in just his second full season, and had earned 39 wins.
David Pearson
6 of 7
Known in NASCAR lore as "The Silver Fox," David Pearson's quiet, focused style made him one of Richard Petty's biggest and most respected rivals on the race track. Currently second on the all-time wins list to Petty with 105 victories, Pearson is one of the biggest legends in NASCAR history.
Although he never raced a full season during his NASCAR career, which began in 1960 at the age of 25, Pearson had won three championships by the time he turned 38. However, he had won the majority of his victories by 38, with 77 wins.
Richard Petty
7 of 7
The legend of Richard Petty transcends all eras of NASCAR. Hailed as "The King," Petty is a figure who has been commended on and off the track. A fan-favorite throughout his career, Petty's 200 wins, seven championships and seven Daytona 500 wins make him NASCAR's greatest driver of all time.
Petty first raced in NASCAR in 1958 and raced until the 1992 season, racking up his immense success in a 35-year span. But along with 2013 Sprint Cup champion Johnson, Petty had racked up six of his championships by the age of 38. But, he had also won 177 races.
So, if Johnson can win his seventh and eighth title before the age of 42 (Petty's age when he won his seventh championship), it looks like Petty still holds an edge over everyone else.
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