Dale Earnhardt Jr. Far From Only Great NASCAR Driver Without Championship

Some say they were not quite good enough, some say it was bad luck.

For whatever reason, NASCAR’s history is filled with great drivers who never won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. And, if he doesn’t turn things around in a hurry, Dale Earnhardt Jr. soon will join the list of legends without a title.

The mere existence of Jimmie Johnson, and his seven Cup championships, is probably the biggest reason for why Earnhardt’s never finished a season on top. But he, like others before him, also has had to overcome excellent competition, inconsistent equipment and, of course, injuries.

With Earnhardt’s career nearing its close, lets look at some of the best NASCAR drivers who never won a Cup championship:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (26 Cup race wins)

The son of the legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Jr. likely will finish his career championship-less, despite multiple impressive runs and being one of, if not the most popular driver the sport’s ever seen. His best overall finish in the Cup Series came in 2003, when he finished third.

Denny Hamlin (30 Cup race wins)

The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry has made things interesting a few times, but still is without a title. A serious back injury in 2013 didn’t help matters, either.

Ultimately, though, Hamlin always has been a top-tier driver, as he’s won a Cup race in every season since 2006. His best Cup series finish came in 2010, when he finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson.

Tim Richmond (13 Cup race wins)

Riding in the No. 25 car during his career, the closest Richmond came to a Cup title was when he finished third overall in 1986. Known for his partying and belligerence off of the race track, Richmond passed away on Aug. 13, 1989, while battling AIDS. He died before he could win his first Cup championship.

Ricky Rudd (26 Cup Series race wins)

Walking away from racing in 2007, “Rooster” never reached the peak of NASCAR. Rudd is most known for his modern-day record of 788 consecutive race starts, while finishing first in 23 Cup races throughout his career. He came extremely close to his first Cup title in 1991, when he finished second overall.

Junior Johnson (50 Cup race wins)

Johnson is the winningest driver never to win a Cup championship, with 50 Cup race victories before he retired in 1966. The closest he ever came to securing a Cup title was in 1955, when he finished sixth.

Mark Martin (40 Cup race wins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wM_-704Xo8

With a record five International Race of Champions titles, it’s pretty shocking that Martin was never able to capture a NASCAR Cup championship. He did finish runner-up in the overall standings five times, which is a big reason why he’s often considered “The greatest driver to never win a championship.”

A.J. Foyt ( Seven Cup race wins)

Whether it was serious crashes or persistent engine problems, Foyt dealt with a lot of problems throughout his career. Despite being the only driver to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans in the same year, the closest Foyt ever got to winning a Cup championship was in 1989, when he finished 40th overall.

Fred Lorenzen (26 Cup race wins)

Lorenzen was able to finish 3rd overall in the 1963 Cup series, but that’s the closest he would get. “Fast Freddie” only raced in 158 NASCAR races throughout his career, but was able to win 26 of them, as well as finish in the top ten a whopping 86 times. The 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee retired in 1972.

Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images