DECADE IN REVIEW: Drivers of the decade in NASCAR 2000-2009
Tony Stewart celebrates his win in the 2007 Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the ceremonial kissing of the bricks at the start/finish line. // Mark Sluder, NASCAR Scene
The past 10 years have offered some of the most competitive racing in NASCAR history.
It has also seen the rise of drivers such as Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart, men who challenged the reign of Jeff Gordon atop the standings. There's a new generation coming into play as well, drivers capable of reeling off a series of victories over the course of a season.
This is the era when NASCAR changed from counting seasonlong points to determine a championship, adopting the format now known as the Chase For The Sprint Cup in 2004 in which the top drivers compete for the title over the course of the final 10 races.
Here's NASCAR Scene's take on the best drivers of the decade:
1. Jimmie Johnson: The Hendrick Motorsports driver has won 47 Sprint Cup races since his full-season debut in 2002 and four consecutive Cup titles from 2006 through 2009. The 34-year-old native of El Cajon, Calif., has won most of NASCAR's major races at least once, including the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Brickyard 400 and Darlington Raceway’s event. According to Scene, he "may be the best of the past three decades."
2. Tony Stewart: Stewart started the decade driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and ended it as co-owner/driver for the Stewart-Haas Racing organization. The 38-year-old native of Columbus, Ind., has earned 34 wins in this decade and won the 2002 and 2005 championships. He's the only driver to win titles under both the Chase format and the old system. He also has two Cup wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
3. Jeff Gordon: The Hendrick Motorsports driver won three of his four titles in the previous decade, but he remained a consistent challenger throughout the 2000s. The 38-year-old native of Vallejo, Calif., has 33 wins this decade and won the 2001 season title with crew chief Robbie Loomis. Gordon might not have been as powerful as in the 1990s, but he finished in the top 10 in the standings in all but one season this decade.
4. Matt Kenseth: The Roush Fenway Racing driver earned 18 wins this decade and won his first NASCAR Cup title, in 2003. He's the last winner of a title under the old point system. The 39-year-old native of Cambridge, Wis., who completed his first full season in 2000, finished in the top 10 in the standings six times this decade.
5. Kurt Busch: Busch raced his first full Cup season in 2001, driving for team owner Jack Roush, and went on to win the 2004 title, the first championship determined by the new Chase format. The 31-year-old native of Las Vegas moved to Penske Racing in 2006. He has 20 wins this decade.
6. Carl Edwards: The Roush Fenway Racing driver debuted full time with what is now Roush Fenway Racing in 2005. The 30-year-old native of Columbia, Mo., has finished in the top 10 in three of his five full seasons was second in the standings in 2008 and third in 2005. Edwards has 16 career Cup wins and a career-best nine-win season in 2008.
7. Kyle Busch: Busch started his full-time Cup career with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 and to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. The fiery driver has earned 16 wins since his debut, including eight in 2008, and finished in the top 10 in the standings three of his five full seasons. The 24-year-old native of Las Vegas has a top finish of fifth in the standings.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt Jr. began driving full time for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the Cup series in 2000 and moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. The 35-year-old native of Kannapolis, N.C., has 18 career wins and a top points finish of third, which came in 2003. He has finished in the top 10 in four seasons.
9. Kevin Harvick: The Richard Childress Racing driver stepped into his full-time ride in 2001, replacing the late Dale Earnhardt. Harvick won in his third career start, at Atlanta. The 34-year-old native of Bakersfield, Calif., has also won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. Overall, he has 11 wins this decade. Harvick has a top points finish of fourth, which came in both 2006 and 2008.
10. Mark Martin: Martin started the decade with what is now Roush Fenway Racing, cut back to a part-time role with Ginn Racing, which merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc., and then returned to full-time racing with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009. The 50-year-old native of Batesville, Ark., made an incredible comeback in 2009, challenging for the title and finishing as runnerup for the fifth time of his career and second of the decade. He has nine wins this decade.
Honorable mention: Greg Biffle, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Ryan Newman, Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace.
