Although several top NASCAR teams have had shining moments and long stretches of success over the years, one organization—Hendrick Motorsports—stands out as the best team in the history of the sport.
The numbers tell the story: Hendrick teams have won 301 Cup Series point races and 14 Cup championships—both records. The team that began rather humbly in 1984 on uncertain footing has been stock car racing’s kingpin for years.
The bulk of the teams wins came from two of the all-time greats of the sport—Jeff Gordon posted 93 wins and Jimmie Johnson 83 for Hendrick. These days, the team is still racking up victories with with a stable of drivers that includes Chase Elliott (18 wins), Kyle Larson (17), William Byron (10) and Alex Bowman (7).
This explains in part why team owner Rick Hendrick will be celebrated as the honoree at the annual The Amelia car collector event in Amelia Island, Florida Feb. 29-March 3. Hendrick is an avid collector of new and classic automobiles and also is one of the nation’s leading auto dealers.
Although Hendrick has been and remains the major force in the NASCAR team structure, there are challengers when taking a hard look at successful Cup organizations over the sport’s 75-year history.
The blockbuster team prior to the 40-year run of success by Hendrick Motorsports is no surprise: Petty Enterprises.
The team, started in 1949, the Cup Series’ first year, by sport pioneer Lee Petty recorded 268 victories before dissolving in 2008. A total of 196 of those wins came courtesy of Richard Petty (who won four races with other teams to total a record 200).
In 1967, the Petty group enjoyed one of the grandest seasons in NASCAR history as Richard Petty won 27 races, including an astonishing 10 in a row.
Among other drivers who raced under the Petty banner are Buddy Baker, Marvin Panch, John Andretti and Pete Hamilton.
Third on the win list, at 208, is Joe Gibbs Racing, a relatively young team entry, having run its first race in 1991. Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell have driven JGR cars.
From there, the win totals drop precipitously. Junior Johnson and Associates, headquartered at Johnson’s famous Ingle Hollow, North Carolina shop (now shuttered), won 153 races with strong years in the 1970s and 1980s. Champions Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip were among winners in Johnson cars.
Cale Yarborough, left, and Jimmie Johnson
Next are Team Penske (142 wins) and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (141), then there’s a dropoff to Richard Childress Racing, whose win list of 116 is dominated by Dale Earnhardt.
Wood Brothers Racing will reach the century mark with its next win.
Hendrick reached some milestones in the 2023 season. William Byron’s September win at Texas Motor Speedway gave the organization its 300th Cup victory. In the season’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, former champion Kyle Larson won to score the 500th NASCAR national series win for Hendrick’s engine department, which builds powerplants for Hendrick cars and for other teams.
At some point in 2024, the team is likely to reach 80,000 laps led in Cup racing. Hendrick drivers need only 243 laps to hit that number. Superstar drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson combined to lead almost 44,000 laps for Hendrick.
Most Wins, NASCAR Cup Teams
(Through 2023 Season)
- Hendrick Motorsports 301
- Petty Enterprises 268
- Joe Gibbs Racing 208
- Junior Johnson and Associates 153
- Team Penske 142
- Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing 141
- Richard Childress Racing 116
- Wood Brothers Racing 99
Read the full article here