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Stock-car racing has some of the top NASCAR teams in its history competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, from legendary organizations like the Pettys and Wood Brothers to current powerhouses Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.
There has never been a period in racing history when there have been so many legendary NASCAR teams competing against the sport’s modern-day dynasties. Eight current team owners are already in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Two of the sport’s oldest NASCAR teams are still racing in Wood Brothers Racing (99 career wins) and the team that bears Richard Petty’s name. Petty Enterprises won a record 268 Cup races and seven championships, all with Petty behind the wheel. Spin-off organization Richard Petty Motorsports has not been as successful (5 career wins), but it is still carrying on.
Richard Childress Racing, a dynasty in the 1980s and ’90s with Dale Earnhardt, and Roush Fenway Racing, a perennial contender in the ‘90s and 2000s with Mark Martin and other top drivers, are trying to recapture past glory.
Hendrick Motorsports is the most successful NASCAR team in history with 263 wins and a record 13 championships, seven by Jimmie Johnson. Joe Gibbs Racing has emerged as a worthy challenger with 185 wins and five championships, two by Kyle Busch. Penske Racing (125 wins, two championships) are serious challengers and Stewart-Haas Racing (65 wins, two championships) is coming on strong.
Daytona 500 Preview: Joe Gibbs Racing
Those NASCAR teams employ the top drivers in NASCAR’s top series and battle week to week for race wins and the series championship. The 16 drivers in the 2020 NASCAR playoffs drive for seven of those eight NASCAR teams.
Here’s a breakdown of top 10 NASCAR teams:
Joe Gibbs Racing's NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell
Hamlin, Busch and Truex give the former NFL head coach three championship contenders. They will try to deliver the organization’s sixth Cup Series title in 2021. New driver Christopher Bell might be the team’s next young star.
Penske Racing's NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney
The Captain also has three title contenders in Keselowski and Logano, both Cup champions, and rising star Ryan Blaney. All three made the playoffs last season with Keselowski and Logano advancing to the championship round.
Hendrick Motorsports' NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Kyle Larson
Daytona 500 Preview: Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick was once the sport’s elite NASCAR teams with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson combining for 11 Cup championships. With Johnson retiring, a youth movement is in full force. Elliott, the 2020 Cup champion, is only 25. Bowman, who finished sixth in points last year, is 27, while William Byron, another playoff driver, is just 23. They will be joined this year by 28-year-old Kyle Larson, who has six career wins and loads of talent. Elliott could defend his title while the other three should all make the playoffs.
Stewart-Haas Racing's NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe
Daytona 500 Preview: Stewart-Haas Racing
Tony Stewart’s NASCAR teams are not as deep as the big three, but he has one of the top championship contenders in Harvick, the 2014 champion. Harvick won a series-high nine races last year and just missed the championship four. Almirola is a playoff driver and good points racer, but he has just one win in three years at SHR. Cole Custer won as a rookie. They are joined by another rookie Chase Briscoe, a big winner in the Xfinity Series.
Richard Childress Racing's NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick
This once-proud organization has suffered a long, hard fall. The NASCAR teams that helped Dale Earnhardt to a record-tying seven championships has won just four races in the last seven years and has not had a top-10 points finish since 2014. It could bounce back, however, with two young drivers. Dillon has three career wins) and Reddick is a two-time Xfinity champion.
Daytona 500 Winners: Records, upsets, big moments
Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Kurt Busch, Ross Chastain
Ganassi, the IndyCar giant, has had some big-name NASCAR drivers but hasn’t been able to give them the cars to win consistently. He lost a gem in Kyle Larson but could win another race or two with Busch, the 2004 champion. He’ll give Chastain, 28, a shot in Larson's No. 42 car.
Roush Fenway Racing's NASCAR Teams
Drivers: Ryan Newman, Chris Buescher
As hard as the fall has been for RCR, Jack Roush’s once-formidable NASCAR teams have plummeted even farther. The team that once featured Hall of Famer Mark Martin and produced champions Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth has won just two races since 2014. It now features the 43-year-old Newman and Buscher, a five-year journeyman.
Wood Brothers Racing's NASCAR Team
Driver: Matt DiBenedetto
One of the oldest NASCAR teams keeps hanging around and running competitively. The iconic team has just two wins since 2001 but the No. 21 team is competitive again thanks to its affiliation with Penske Racing. DiBenedetto, 29, gave them a good run last year as the team made the playoffs for just the second time.
Richard Petty Motorsports' NASCAR Team
Driver: Erik Jones
RPM is another one of the historic NASCAR teams trying to hang on through several reorganizations, new partners and driver changes. It hasn’t won since Aric Almirola’s victory in 2014 and will try another young driver this year in Jones. The 24-year-old who won two races with Joe Gibbs.
23XI Racing's NASCAR Team
Driver: Bubba Wallace
The new team formed by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan has a shot to be competitive in its inaugural season thanks to its affiliation with Gibbs, where Hamlin is a star and perennial title contender. Wallace, 27, is winless in 112 career Cup starts but has the talent to win if he’s got a fast car.
