Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson are the drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series championship wins tied at seven titles each as of the 2025 season.
A total of 36 drivers have won the championship since 1949, shaping the pinnacle of stock car racing through decades of intense competition, strategic brilliance, and sheer dominance on ovals across America.
Top 10 drivers with most NASCAR Cup Series championship wins
Richard Petty, affectionately known as “The King,” secured seven NASCAR Cup Series championships in 1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979, tying him for the most in series history.
Petty’s dominance began in the mid-1960s with his family-run team, Petty Enterprises, which propelled him to record 200 career wins and 123 poles in 1,185 starts – achievements that earned him NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in 2010.
Dale Earnhardt matches Petty’s seven titles after winning in 1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994, with a total of 76 Cup race wins over the course of his 26-year career.
Jimmie Johnson also claimed seven NASCAR Cup Series championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2016, becoming the first driver to win four or more consecutive titles in history.
Jeff Gordon captured four championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001, ranking fourth all-time with 93 wins in the modern era.
The next tier of multiple winners includes three-time champions Lee Petty (1954, 1958. 1959), Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985), Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978), David Pearson (1966, 1968, 1969), Tony Stewart (2002, 2005, 2011), and Joey Logano (2018, 2022, 2024).
NASCAR Cup Series Champions by year
| Year | Driver | Car | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 2024 | Joey Logano | Ford | 4 |
| 2023 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 3 |
| 2022 | Joey Logano | Ford | 4 |
| 2021 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2020 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2019 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 5 |
| 2018 | Joey Logano | Ford | 3 |
| 2017 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 8 |
| 2016 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2015 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 5 |
| 2014 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2013 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 2012 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | 5 |
| 2011 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2010 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 2009 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 2008 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 2007 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2006 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2005 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2004 | Kurt Busch | Ford | 3 |
| 2003 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 1 |
| 2002 | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 3 |
| 2001 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 2000 | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 4 |
| 1999 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 4 |
| 1998 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 1997 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 1996 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 1995 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 1994 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 1993 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 1992 | Alan Kulwicki | Ford | 2 |
| 1991 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 1990 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 1989 | Rusty Wallace | Pontiac | 6 |
| 1988 | Bill Elliott | Ford | 6 |
| 1987 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 1986 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 1985 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 1984 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 1983 | Bobby Allison | Buick | 6 |
| 1982 | Darrell Waltrip | Buick | 12 |
| 1981 | Darrell Waltrip | Buick | 12 |
| 1980 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 1979 | Richard Petty | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 1978 | Cale Yarborough | Oldsmobile | 10 |
| 1977 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 1976 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 1975 | Richard Petty | Dodge | 13 |
| 1974 | Richard Petty | Dodge | 10 |
| 1973 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | 1 |
| 1972 | Richard Petty | Plymouth | 8 |
| 1971 | Richard Petty | Plymouth | 21 |
| 1970 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge | 11 |
| 1969 | David Pearson | Ford | 11 |
| 1968 | David Pearson | Ford | 16 |
| 1967 | Richard Petty | Plymouth | 27 |
| 1966 | David Pearson | Dodge | 14 |
| 1965 | Ned Jarrett | Ford | 13 |
| 1964 | Richard Petty | Plymouth | 9 |
| 1963 | Joe Weatherly | Pontiac | 3 |
| 1962 | Joe Weatherly | Pontiac | 9 |
| 1961 | Ned Jarrett | Chevrolet | 1 |
| 1960 | Rex White | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 1959 | Lee Petty | Plymouth | 10 |
| 1958 | Lee Petty | Oldsmobile | 7 |
| 1957 | Buck Baker | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 1956 | Buck Baker | Chrysler | 14 |
| 1955 | Tim Flock | Chrysler | 18 |
| 1954 | Lee Petty | Chrysler | 7 |
| 1953 | Herb Thomas | Hudson | 11 |
| 1952 | Tim Flock | Hudson | 8 |
| 1951 | Herb Thomas | Hudson | 7 |
| 1950 | Bill Rixford | Oldsmobile | 1 |
| 1949 | Red Byron | Oldsmobile | 2 |
READ MORE:
All-time NASCAR Cup Series winners list
Meet the beautiful NASCAR Cup drivers wives and girlfriends of 2025
