Gordon 78 wins & 4 championships & Earnhardt Sr. 76 wins & 7 championships--who is better? some will say Jeff & others will say Sr. Both are great. If it is measured by championships than ponder this thought. Dan Marino holds most of the passing records in football & zero super bowl victories---Doug Williams has won 1 super bowl victory does that make him a better QB than Marino? The Sr & Gordon debate will go on forever though.
2007-05-30 07:10:17 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
I would say that it is a combination of both. But I would also say that so far The Intimidator is the better driver !
2007-05-30 07:14:31 · answer #1 · answered by David G, Jeff Gordon Rules !!!!! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Measuring a driver, or any athlete in any sport, isn't about wins or championships. We may never know who could have been the greatest in any sport simply because the player who had the potential, did not have the opportunity. You must judge a driver by potential and circumstance rather than by their accomplishments. A racing legacy is much like a single racing season. One could argue that Denny Hamin is the best driver this year, and yet he has zero wins so far. Does that mean that assumption is wrong? No. He very well might be the best driver this year, but because his circumstances and predicaments left him short, he isn't considered for the title. As for Gordon v. Earnhardt, the battle will rage on. Does Gordon's 78 wins to Earnhardt's 76 make Gordon the better driver? No. Does Earnhardt's 7 championships to Gordon's 4 make Earnhardt a better driver? No. Accomplishments by athletes will vary under different circumstances. We can only guess who the best is or was, but we can never truly know.
2007-05-30 14:34:16 · answer #2 · answered by Sir Bobber 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
wins or championships. I think its the person who left the biggest impact on the sport. Dale Sr. had his driving style. I don't care what anyone says, NOBODY can drive a car like he did. I don't know if anyone can ever get more than the 7 titles. Gordon would have 5 right now if they didn't change the points. Gordon and Earnhardt Sr. are the best there are. Along with several other drivers. I think wins have a lot to do with the best, and so do championships. But The best is who was respected more and who left the biggest impact on the sport. Petty, Earnhardt, Waltrip. Gordon, Pearsons, Allison, Kalwickie. All Greats. All Heroes.
2007-05-30 14:16:17 · answer #3 · answered by GODSMACK#1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dale Senior and Richard Petty are the two best drivers in the terms of Championships with seven each. Petty has 200 wins and David Pearson has 105 wins, second most all-time. Either way Gordon has a lot to do to get to those numbers. So Dale Sr. is better than Gordon in Championships, but also, if Sr didn't die in 2001, he would have more wins right now instead of Gordon.
2007-05-30 14:23:04 · answer #4 · answered by radwarstorm 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on the Fan or the Commentator you are talking to. It is a debate that will rage on and on in every sport. You compared the Senior vs. Gordon debate with Marino and Williams. I guarntee no one here would ever pick Williams for an all-times great list despite his Championship.
This is more like comparing Aikman to Montana. Montana has four Super Bowls and Aikman has 3; but Aikman broke every single Super Bowl QB record. There is a debate every Super Bowl week who was the greatest at what position.
There are just too many variables; to much preference to really say who is better. What is not debateable is that that both Gordon and Dale Sr. each defined the era in which they raced and have left a permenant mark in the Racing World.
2007-05-30 17:34:35 · answer #5 · answered by Gene L 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
its a combination of both some consider dale sr. the best because he has tied petty with 7 championships but has come far short of 200 wins i think wins in this era of racing are harder to come by then in the past and with the new chase format championships will be easier to come by a driver can do ok during the first 26 weeks and be 600 points behind the points leader but still in 12th place then when the chase begins have a good 10 races and no dnf's and win the title i like the old format better
go #24 drive for five
2007-06-01 08:41:03 · answer #6 · answered by simone219 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a great question. If you're DW you say wins but if you're Sr you would say championships. You really have to factor both in to see the big picture. I would probably lean towards championships but there is something to be said for wins. My beloved Minnesota Vikings were one of the most feared teams in the 70s. The Purple People Eaters dominated their division and often times the NFC but they could never close the deal in the Super Bowl. They were still great and Bud Grant was an awesome coach but they will never be remembered as the team that dominated the regular season but as the team that choked every time they got to the big one. To sum it up, wins are great and all the drivers want them but to perform at a high level consistently is more important than flashes of brilliance. You can be called a really good driver if you win a bunch of races but you can never be great without a championship.
2007-05-30 15:20:11 · answer #7 · answered by Tregosteevo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think that championships are more important, because to win a championship means being consistant the entire season, not just being good for that one race. A championship shows that you were the best that season, not just the best for one race.
Personally I think that Sr. and Gordon can't fairly be compared. Yes, they raced together, but for the most part they came from different eras.
2007-05-30 15:53:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Having more wins will bring in more money than having more championships.
Throughout most of Earnhardt's career, the seasons were about 33% shorter than they are these days.
Nearly half of Gordon's wins came at the end of the race when put another driver into the wall to steal the victory.
2007-05-30 14:21:04 · answer #9 · answered by Retired From Y!A 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Championships... Alot of drivers go through hot streaks where they win several races (Kasey Kahne last year)... But championships require you to be much more consistent... Its not about winning every race, but about having good strong finishes throughout the whole year!
I think most everyone will agree that they would rather not win a single race all year and win the championship than win 6, 8, 10, however many races and loose the championship!
2007-05-30 14:14:44 · answer #10 · answered by shaggy 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would say championships. Look at Kasey Kahne's 6 wins last year. The championships last longer than anyone remembering #9's wins.
2007-05-30 20:55:50 · answer #11 · answered by kevo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋