Who in thier right mind would consider Jeff Gordon to be the best in NASCAR? I sure don't if you wanna know the truth it has got too bee these two men, they dominated the sport. The King Richard Petty and of course the only man to start out driving a pink car Dale Earnhardt (The Intimadator) Don't ever place Jeff Gordon in with these legends, because there is NO ONE like Petty or Earnhardt!
2007-10-28 04:41:59 · 20 answers · asked by deadmanwalkin322004 1 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
No matter the stats which can be argued pro and con till the cows come home--Richard Petty is My Favorite Driver--He is and Always will be the KIng-- He is the Greatest Nascar Driver Ever!!!!
2007-10-28 05:15:35 · answer #1 · answered by Ed P 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, to compare drivers is really a tough thing to do since the rules have changed, the cars have changed, and even the number of races per season have changed. Even some of the tracks have changed!
Statistics are tough because under the old system Gordon has 6 championships and if all years were under the Chase, Earnhardt only has 4 and not 6 championships and Gordon would only have 2 instead of 4 (not counting this year if Gordon wins).
Everyone says that the competition has gotten so much tougher these days... then what really is being said is that Gordon is competing against better drivers than Earnhardt and Petty. (Hey, I am not saying it, I am just quoting other responses and answers!). So if that is true, would Petty have 200 wins against today's talent? Would Earnhardt? And what would have happened if all three drivers had raced in the same era? We know Petty never won another Championship against Earnhardt once Earnhardt won his first and the same goes for Earnhardt after Gordon won his first. It's not exactly like these drivers never raced against each other in some way..... except maybe Gordon and Petty other than that race in Atlanta 15 years ago.
Gordon has raced 15 years.... Petty raced over 30 years. Earnhardt might have raced several more years had he not had that terrible accident.
The NBA did this same debate for years when Jordan was called the best... so many people wanted to argue it. There is no way to prove it either way as FACT. Petty doesn't race anymore, Earnhardt is gone, and Gordon is still racing BUT under a Chase format which takes his advantage away. (Yes, I know they all know the rules BEFORE the season). That doesn't mean that the dominance of Gordon in 2004 and this year was washed away in the new point system in a way Earnhardt and Petty never experienced.
The stats show Petty as the best... but that is over 30+ years. Gordon in 15 years has 6 Championships.... so take his 15 years and times it by 2, you end up with 12! LOL And there is no doubt that Gordon already has more wins than Earnhardt.
The truth is... pick who you want... but there is no answer to this debate that cannot be argued one way or the other. ALL three were great and will always be legends. Do you really think Gordon will be forgotten? He will be talked about for years to come and the stats will show him as one the best ever. And IF Gordon wins another 25+ races and another Championship or two.... you may just have to accept it.
2007-10-29 23:48:02 · answer #2 · answered by Ms Betty 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would like to qualify this answer by stating that I am not a Jeff Gordon fan, however, he does have a pretty incredible record with several years left to race. Do the records really indicate who is best? I think they are just one part of the puzzle, you have to look at an entire driving record, starting from the country dirt tracks, and other events that they have driven in, you have to add in the fan factor and other drivers reactions. You also need to look at this is a different era in racing, who knows how the King or Earnhardt would have done in this COT car or other factors that add in nowadays. Both Petty and Earnhardt are legends and will remain so always. No one is going to take that away from them. Who is the best of all time is something that almost everyone has an opinion on and there are a lot of great racers from the past - Allison, Pearson, Yarborough, etc. plus great racers now - Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, etc. I believe that it will always be a matter of personal opinion on who is the greatest and I don't think of all time is even important.
2007-10-28 12:57:34 · answer #3 · answered by loco-mama 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Look at the numbers: they speak for themselves.
All three of these drivers are arguably the best OF THEIR ERA.
When Petty was racing, most teams towed their cars to the track behind their pick-up trucks. Petty Enterprises was one of the first big money teams. And this was in the day of 50 & 60 race seasons. Easy to chalk up a bunch of wins (200 wins, 7 Championships) when you're running that many events with top equipment over 35 years. Even so, Richard was, & always will be "The King".
Earnhardt. 7 championships, 76 wins in 23 years. A large percentage of those races were won by punting other cars out of his way. If he tried that in today's NASCAR, he'd be parked & penalized for "overly aggressive driving". Take away the Championships by default: (Martin getting a questionable late-season penalty & losing by just a few points, and Davey Allison getting himself killed when he had a commanding lead in the standings) and he's down to five.
Gordon: 81 Wins, 4 championships (6 without the Chase format, using actual points) over 15 years. Add to this the fact that he's only 36, & could have another 10 good years left in him. And the competition's getting tougher every year.
Note: Petty's championship days ended when Dale Sr hit the track. Dale Sr never won another championship after Gordon came on the scene.
And somebody else will be there to pick up where Gordon will leave off.
Leave the hate at the door, Dude. Look at things like win percentage, average start & finish, the changing times.
2007-10-28 12:33:24 · answer #4 · answered by schizophreniabeatsdiningalone 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Anyone is going to think that their driver is the best of all time. The bootleggers that started this sport would have to be the best of all. The started something that is so widespread right now, how could they ever have imagined. Jeff Gordon s a good driver, at times. Just like any of the other drivers. I don't think driving the car should really define what makes you the best driver though. There is so much more to it than that. Dale jr. he is a good driver, he knows what needs to be done but until he find the spot that he is comfortable at and comfortable with living in his daddy's shadow he will only be good. He can be an awesome racer till his time comes to an end. maybe this team will move him in a way to make him "the best" or what about Tony Stewart? He is the "bad boy" of nascar. The way he was and acted only a few years ago would have put him into the "best "category when nascar started. He had the guts to go out there and be who he was. He didn't think he should change to fit everyones politically correct image of a race car driver. What did he have to do, if he wanted to continue racing he had to change who he was. With all opf these fastors in mind how can you say any of the drivers are the best with out really knowing what they are made of?
2007-10-28 12:13:14 · answer #5 · answered by taby20 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many of the fans here did not watch Richard Petty race, and many missed Dale Sr drive.
In 1998, they created a list of the 50 Greatest drivers. Not 1 or 2 but 50. Richard and Dale were great drivers in the eras.
Jeff Gordon is one of, if not the best of the "Current" era. This Era includes The Chase and the COT. Many people feel, "What have you done for me lately?" and Jeff has.
2007-10-28 12:30:47 · answer #6 · answered by Charles 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
While I agree with you right now, and I'm far from a Gordon fan, you have to admit that with the success he's had thus far, and his age, he has the potential to be one of the top 2 or 3 all time great NASCAR drivers. I don't think he'll ever threaten Petty's 200 wins, but with his talent and Hendrick backing the potentials there for 7, perhaps even 8 championships, and if he does achieve 8 in his career, you have to put him up there as an all time great. The question is going to be his longevity and commitment.
2007-10-28 15:07:26 · answer #7 · answered by JustJoshin999 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That's right. Jeff is protected by the rules these days. Dale and Petty, now that was some real racing back then. No penalties for spinning someone out or cussing or anything like that. Just get out there and go balls to the wall racing!!!!!!!!!!! And by the way Earnhardt would never get parked for punting someone out of his way!!! He would never have let NASCAR go down the road it is going now!!!
2007-10-28 12:48:00 · answer #8 · answered by Redneck5 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree that there is no one like Richard Petty or like Dale Earnhardt. Jeff isn't trying to be like them, he is great in his own way. He will rightly be known as one of the greatest in Nascar history when he retires.
2007-10-28 12:14:01 · answer #9 · answered by beth 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Petty era shouldn't even count, but the numbers speak for themselves. Dale at age 36 had 31 wins & 3 championships. Jeff at age 36 has 81 wins & 4 championships, and it would been 6 in the old point scheme. Like him or not. He IS ONE OF THE 3 BEST OF ALL TIME RIGHT NOW. And I believe when its all said and done, he will be considered the greatest by many, many people. So for all you haters, go wipe your eyes, change your diaper, put your lil E t-shirts away, sit back and watch Jeffy win his 5 series title
2007-10-28 14:43:12 · answer #10 · answered by King_71 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋