# The 16 Greatest Short-Track Racers in NASCAR History

> Half a mile, no room, and a bumper as a tool. Superspeedway reputations do not survive contact with this list.

*By YPB Team · Published September 11, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-16-greatest-short-track-racers-in-nascar-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Richard Petty** — score 1000/1000
   Won 15 times at Martinsville and 43 more on half-mile tracks.
2. **Junior Johnson** — score 892/1000
   Made his name on dirt bullrings before paving gave way to superspeedways.
3. **Darrell Waltrip** — score 821/1000
   Twelve Bristol wins, including seven in a row.
4. **Cale Yarborough** — score 719/1000
   Won on the bullrings through three straight championship seasons.
5. **Denny Hamlin** — score 513/1000
   Five Martinsville grandfather clocks and counting.
6. **Jimmie Johnson** — score 434/1000
   Won nine times at Martinsville during his championship run.
7. **Bobby Allison** — score 434/1000
   Won at Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Richmond across two decades.
8. **Kyle Busch** — score 434/1000
   Won at Bristol eight times and swept a weekend there more than once.
9. **Ricky Rudd** — score 434/1000
   Won at Martinsville, Richmond and North Wilkesboro over a 32-year career.
10. **Christopher Bell** — score 342/1000
   A modern short-track specialist who came up through dirt midgets.
11. **Martin Truex Jr.** — score 342/1000
   Won four straight at Richmond in the late 2010s.
12. **Harry Gant** — score 342/1000
   Won at Martinsville and Richmond in his forties and fifties.
13. **Jeff Gordon** — score 233/1000
   Won nine times at Martinsville, more than anyone in the modern era.
14. **Dale Earnhardt** — score 103/1000
   Nine Bristol wins and a bumper used as a steering aid.
15. **Rusty Wallace** — score 103/1000
   Nine Bristol wins and a short-track style built on the bumper.
16. **Tony Stewart** — score 103/1000
   Won at Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond, and started on dirt.

Tags: usa, drivers, nascar, motorsport, short track