History UsefulNotes / NASCAR

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Ruben Garcia Jr
-->'''Current Teams Champion:''' Canel's Racing

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Alon Day (PRO), Liam Hezmans([=EN2=])
-->'''Current Teams Champion:''' Hendriks Motorsport

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Joey Logano

-->'''Current Manufacturers Champion:''' Chevrolet

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Ty Gibbs
-->'''Current Team Owners Champion:''' Joe Gibbs Racing
-->'''Current Manufacturers Champion:''' Toyota

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Zane Smith
-->'''Current Team Owners Champion:''' Front Row Motorsports

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Nick Sanchez
-->'''Current Team Owners Champion:''' Rev Racing
-->'''Current Manufacturers Champion:''' Chevrolet

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Sammy Smith

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Jesse Love
-->'''Current Teams Champion:''' Bill [=McAnally=] Racing

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' John Mckennedy
-->'''Current Teams Champion:''' Tim Lepine Motorsports

(though he never won the Daytona 500 in his career, being known as "The Greatest Driver to Never Win the Daytona 500").

Currently, NASCAR has 13 series under its sanction: 3 major national series (Cup, Xfinity, Truck), 5 regional series (ARCA, ARCA East, ARCA West, Modified, and All-American), 3 international series (Pinty's, Mexico, Euro), and 2 UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming ("[=eNASCAR=]") series (PEAK Antifreeze Series for ''VideoGame/{{iRacing}}'', Heat Pro League for ''NASCAR Heat'').

The 2021 season also saw significant changes to the schedule. The number of road course races jumped from three to six, and for the first time since 1970, a race was held on a dirt track. These changes came mainly at the expense of "intermediate tracks" (those in the 1.5-mile range); most notably, Chicagoland and Kentucky Speedway were removed entirely from ''all three'' national touring series (while the loss of Chicagoland was mourned, Kentucky had developed a reputation as one of the worst tracks ever run by NASCAR, and nobody was sad to see it go).

The most popular form of auto racing in the United States. NASCAR is an acronym for the "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing".

-->--'''Creator/JeffFoxworthy'''

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Connor Halla
-->'''Current Manufacturers Champion:''' Toyot

-->Many local race tracks across the United States and Canada run races under the Whelen All-American Series banner, where the local drivers who compete in the series then race against each other in a formula where the best local track champion of the nation wins the Whelen All-American Weekly Series National Championship. Josh Berry, who grew to fame as a driver hand-picked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself after he impressed Jr. in ''VideoGame/{{iRacing}}'', is the defending champion of the Weekly Series.

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Marc-Antoine Camirand
-->'''Current Teams Champion:''' Jean Claude Paille
-->'''Current Manufacturers Champion:''' Dodge

-->'''Current Drivers Champion:''' Layne Riggs
-->'''Current Manufacturers Champion:''' Chevrolet

(Unfortunately, he never won the Daytona 500 in his career, being known as "The Greatest Driver to Never Win the Daytona 500").

** '''Kyle Busch''' (1985–) drives the #8 Cheddar's Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, joining that team in 2023 after 15 years with Joe Gibbs Racing in the #18 Advertising/MAndMs Toyota. He's one of the winningest—and most hated—drivers in the sport. After growing up around his father and older brother's racing operations in UsefulNotes/LasVegas, he quickly proved to be a can't miss prospect by posting a top-10 finish during his first race in the Truck Series at the age of ''16''. He was chosen to drive the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports full-time in 2005, and that year became the youngest driver to win a Cup race at the age of 20, winning two races that year (since surpassed by Joey Logano, see below). After moving to Gibbs in 2008, he had his breakout season and has continually set records ever since, becoming the winningest driver in all three combined national series with 223, the all-time wins leader in both the Grand National/Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity and Truck Series, a two-time Cup champion in 2015 and 2019, the first driver to win all three top series races in one weekend, and the driver with Cup race wins in the most consecutive seasons (19),[[note]]Busch took sole possession of this last record, previously shared with Richard Petty, by winning at Fontana in 2023 in the last race at that track before its planned conversion to a short track.[[/note]] just to name a few. At the same time, he was almost more well known for an infamous temper and frequent {{Freak Out}}s that were frequently compared by his detractors to childish tantrums. After wrecking the beloved Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the win at Richmond in 2008, he quickly became the most hated driver in the sport, and it's never let up from there, with every single one of his wins or temper-driven incidents like wrecking Ron Hornaday under caution in 2011 bringing out more and more detractors. To his credit, he's embraced his role as NASCAR's biggest heel of the [=21st=] century, as it seems like he enjoys doing things that piss the fans off [[LoveToHate just as much as they enjoy booing him]]. With a surefire Hall of Fame career in the books, it's caused even many of his detractors to have a grudging respect for him, as despite the many things he's done to rankle them over the years, he is nothing if not entertaining. Mars, the maker of [=M&Ms=], announcing it was leaving NASCAR after 2022 led to Busch eventually being signed to Richard Childress Racing beginning in the 2023 season.
** '''Kurt Busch''' (1978–) most recently drove the #45 Monster Energy Toyota for 23XI Racing, but retired from full-time racing after the 2022 season due to post-concussion effects. (He admitted that the 2023 season would have been his last anyway.) He's been one of NASCAR's most respected veterans, but it didn't start out that way for him--when he made his full-time Cup Series debut in 2001, his young age and give-no-flips attitude and driving style quickly rubbed veteran drivers and long-time fans the wrong way. This was emphasized with his ongoing feud with veteran Jimmy Spencer in 2002, where they [[EscalatingWar continued to intentionally wreck each other for several weeks]] until the sanctioning body finally brought the hammer down after Spencer punched Busch in the face hard enough to knock a couple teeth out. While he became the first champion of the Chase for the Cup era in 2004, he was also known for a HairTriggerTemper and a penchant for off-the-track controversy and inability to get along with his bosses and teammates, which along with a DUI in 2005 led to him leaving Roush Racing, joining Penske, then getting fired from them as well in 2011 after FlippingTheBird to ESPN cameras and verbally berating an interviewer. He reached a nadir in 2012, being relegated to driving for backmarker Phoenix Racing, getting put on probation for wrecking Ryan Newman and a post-race confrontation, then getting suspended for swearing at a reporter. He began to turn it around after making Furniture Row Racing a household name in 2013, continuing that trend with Stewart-Haas Racing (ironically, run by long-time rival Tony Stewart) from 2014-18, then driving for Chip Ganassi between 2019-21 before moving to his current ride. Having consistently outperformed his equipment and toned down his temper during the latter years of his career, the fan animosity he used to have has mostly dissipated and he's pretty well-respected today. Fun fact 1: He was the last driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. ever {{flipp|ingTheBird}}ed off (during the 2001 Daytona 500 that took his life). Fun fact 2: He was the last active Cup driver to have raced against Earnhardt.[[note]]Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson both made their Cup debuts in 2001, but not until after Earnhardt's fatal crash.[[/note]]

** Bill's son '''Chase Elliott''' (1995–) has followed in his father's footsteps as an eminently likable, down-to-earth guy...who just happens to be a badass race car driver, with an endearing awkwardness in front of cameras and a willingness to stand up for himself on and off the track that's quickly made him as beloved as his dad. Coming into the Cup Series, he was one of the most hyped-up prospects of the 21st century; while he struggled to perform for quite a while to begin his career, he scored his first Cup victory in 2018. Fittingly, it came on a road course (Watkins Glen), just as his father's first victory did 35 years earlier. He won his first Cup championship in 2020. He drives the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Chase would miss several races during the early part of the 2023 season after breaking his leg in a skiing accident before announcing a planned return for Martinsville.

* '''Joey Logano''' (1990–): A two-time Cup Series champion and current driver of the #22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske. Another driver from an unusual state for a NASCAR star, ''Connecticut'', Logano was a racing prodigy who gained high praise from active NASCAR drivers as a {{teen|Genius}}ager. Mark Martin (below) called him "the real deal" and predicted that he would become one of NASCAR's all-time greats, and two-time Busch (now Xfinity) Series champion Randy [=LaJoie=] gave him his nickname of "Sliced Bread" (yes, it's exactly what you think). Logano got off to a flying start in NASCAR in 2008 with Joe Gibbs Racing, becoming the youngest driver ever to win an Nationwide/Xfinity race in his third start in that series. The next year saw him become the youngest-ever Cup race winner with a win in his backyard in New Hampshire. Moving to Penske in 2013, where he's stayed to this day, he broke out in 2014 with five Cup race wins and a top-5 series finish, followed by six race wins in 2015 including the Daytona 500. He had a chance to win his first season title in 2016 before a crash near the end of the season finale at Homestead took him out, missed the playoffs in 2017, and finally broke through completely with his first series title in 2018. Logano claimed his second Cup championship in 2022, and entered the 2023 season with 31 Cup wins.

The organization (and sport of stock car racing) has its roots in the American DeepSouth and UsefulNotes/{{Appalachia}} during the Prohibition period, when "[[HillbillyMoonshiner moonshiners]]," as they were called, would soup up their cars so they could smuggle moonshine whiskey and outrun the police. After Prohibition ended, these moonshiners found themselves out of a job and instead of looking for more illegal activity, began racing against each other. It also has roots in Daytona Beach, UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}, where some people would race on the hard-packed sand beaches. Many speed records were in fact broken on those beaches. By the 1940s, these races with the former moonshiners became popular entertainment in the rural areas of the South. After years of having to put up with (some) unscrupulous and (more) unorganized promoters, several drivers and promoters, headed by Bill France Sr., founded the organization in Daytona Beach in 1948. It's that rare North American sports organization that has never had its predominance challenged (viz. USFL, World Hockey Association, ABA, innumerable attempts at new [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} major leagues]], etc.), which is testimony to France's business clout, vision, and force of personality.[[note]]And to the fact that most of the tracks NASCAR uses (in other words basically every oval track in America 1/2 mile or larger) are owned either by the France family or their crony Burton Smith (who owns Speedway Motorsports Inc., or SMI), making a competitor series all but impossible.[[/note]]

** '''Michael Waltrip''' (1963–), Darrell's younger brother, is one of NASCAR's biggest examples of OvershadowedByAwesome. Debuting in 1985 and running his first full season in 1986, he never finished higher than 12th in the series standings, but did one-up his brother in one respect: two of his four Cup Series wins were in the Daytona 500. Sadly, the first is all but forgotten as it was also the one in which his car owner, the elder Dale Earnhardt, had his fatal crash just before Waltrip took the checkered flag. (The second was in 2003.) Even after running his last full-time season in 2009, he remained active as a Cup driver, mostly running only the Daytona 500, until 2017. During that time, he also ran his own NASCAR team, but had a NeverLiveItDown episode in 2013 when the team was one of three involved in a scheme to manipulate the results of the last pre-Chase race. Now races in SRX. As an aside, he's easy to spot at a racers' event, as he is 6 feet 5 inches tall (196 centimeters for metric folks), large for anyone but absolutely ''huge'' for a race driver.

** '''Lee Petty''' (1914–2000): Patriarch of the Petty dynasty, he won 3 Cup Series titles, 54 races, and the first Daytona 500 in 1959. He also founded Petty Enterprises (1949–2008)[[labelnote:*]]predecessor to today's Richard Petty Motorsports[[/labelnote]], which was the most successful racing team of NASCAR's first 50 years, claiming 268 Cup wins, a record that lasted until Hendrick Motorsports broke it in 2021. Entered the NASCAR HOF in 2011, a year after his son Richard.

* '''Brad Keselowski''' (1990–) is the current driver of the #6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, which he is also a part-owner of. The son of former ARCA and Truck Series driver Bob Keselowski, nephew of 1970s NASCAR driver Ron and younger brother of former Xfinity driver Brian; Brad began his NASCAR career at age 20 driving for the family team in the Truck Series in 2004; and after two full-time seasons in the Truck Series, Brad moved to the Busch Series full-time in 2007; finishing 20th in points after bouncing around teams[[note]]Brad's original team, Keith Coleman Racing, went out of business mid-season; then later substituted for a suspended Ted Musgrave before finishing with Dale Earnhardt Jr's JR Motorsports[[/note]]. 2008 would see Keselowski racing for Dale Earnhardt Jr's JR Motorsports for the newly-renamed Nationwide Series, winning his first 2 races and finishing 3rd in points (the highest for a full-time Nationwide Series driver; as the championship that year went to Clint Bowyer, running in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series - permissible at the time but derided with the term "Buschwhacking") while making his Sprint Cup debut that year in 2 races driving for Hendrick Motorsports[[note]]Brad's first Cup appearances were as a standby driver for an ill Jeff Gordon in Kansas and for expectant father Casey Mears at Talladega[[/note]]. Keselowski continued driving full-time in the Nationwide Series for 2009, adding three wins while collecting his first Cup win as a part-time driver when he - driving for James Finch's Phoenix Racing - collected his (and the team's) first win at Talladega by leading just the final lap despite being involved in a crash earlier in the race where his car went airborne (eight fans were injured by debris, most seriously a woman who suffered a broken jaw); only for his aggressive driving to lead to a rivalry with Denny Hamlin in the Nationwide Series (who wrecked Brad in the season finale at Homestead in retaliation for Keselowski punting Hamlin in the previous race in Phoenix) and an incident at the second Talladega race where he triggered the "Big One" after bumping Kurt Busch, leading to a 15-car wreck that also collected Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin (who was also clipped by Martin Truex Jr.). Hendrick Motorsports lacked a ride for Keselowski in 2010, resulting in his being fired for his first full-time Cup Series ride by Team Penske, becoming a Buschwhacker in the process driving the #22 Dodge Charger for Penske in Nationwide and the #12 in the Cup Series, inadvertently tapping Carl Edwards in the spring Nationwide race at Atlanta that resulted in Joey Logano being collected in the collision and Edwards retaliating in the fall race by deliberately wrecking Keselowski, resulting in Edwards being booed in Victory Lane and NASCAR placing both drivers on probation, with Keselowski also involved in a rivalry with Kyle Busch. On a plus side, Keselowski won 6 races and the 2010 Nationwide championship. Kurt Busch's departure in 2011 opened up Penske's flagship #2 Miller Lite car for Keselowski; who improved from a disappointing 2010 Cup season with 3 wins[[note]]including the inaugural STP 500 in Kansas[[/note]] en route to making the Chase for the first time, finishing 11th in points. 2012 saw Keselowski start his own Truck Series team in addition to running in Cup and selected Nationwide races, and had success in winning the first Nationwide Series race at Indianapolis while winning 5 races (including becoming the first Dodge driver since Dave Marcis in 1976 to win at Talladega) en route to clinching the 2012 Cup championship (famously celebrating with a few sips of sponsor Miller Lite during an interview on ''Series/{{SportsCenter}}'') as well as Dodge's first championship since Richard Petty's 1975 championship. Despite the championship, Dodge left NASCAR after 2012; resulting in Team Penske returning to Ford for 2013. Keselowski would have a significant championship hangover, missing the Chase and not getting a victory until the fall race at Charlotte. 2014 saw Brad rebound with a career-high 6 victories (though he failed to make the final round of the Chase) along with his first career Truck Series win despite a pair of odd incidents[[note]]including when a trash bag landed in the grille during the final restart at Pocono, and despite an attempt to use Danica Patrick's car to blow the trash bag off the grille, that provided an opening for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win. Later, Keselowski cut Jeff Gordon's tire during contact at Texas; resulting in a pit road confrontation that (aggravated by a shove by eventual 2014 champion Kevin Harvick) led to a brawl between Gordon, Keselowski and their respective pit crews[[/note]]. 2015 would see Keselowski try his hand at broadcasting working a handful of races for what was by now the Xfinity Series for Creator/{{Fox}} while finishing with one win and of his nine Top 5's, a heartbreaking five were second place. 2016 saw Keselowski finish with 4 wins (including the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona) and advance to the Round of 8. 2017 would see Keselowski win twice, including the first win for Ford at Martinsville since 2002 and advance to the Championship 4 - his best season since 2014. 2018 would see Keselowski collecting back-to-back wins with his first Crown Jewel victory in Darlington's Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 along with a Las Vegas win that marked the 500th total motorsports victory for team owner Roger Penske en route to advancing to the Round of 12. 2019 saw Keselowski win once and make it to the Round of 12 again; but 2020 saw a rebound as he won 4 races including his first win at the Coca-Cola 600 en route to finishing 2nd in points to Chase Elliott. Keselowski would win once in 2021 at Talladega and made it to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs before leaving to replace Ryan Newman in the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, with Keselowski becoming a part-owner in the process. Keselowski would have a disappointing 2022 with his new team, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and failing to win a points-paying race since his first full-time Cup season in 2010.

* '''Jeff Gordon''' (1971–) is a retired NASCAR driver with four Cup championships and a modern-era record 93 Cup race victories between 1993 and 2015. Hailing from California, Gordon helped spread NASCAR's popularity beyond the South, and his rainbow-colored #24 [=DuPont=] Chevrolet was one of the most recognizable paint schemes of the 1990s. However, his performance combined with his background made him as hated among long-time Southern NASCAR fans as he was loved by new ones. He retired after the 2015 season and joined the Fox broadcasting booth beginning in 2016. He was inducted into NASCAR's HOF in 2019.

* William Caleb '''"Cale" Yarborough''' (1939–) developed a love for stock-car racing at an early age by managing to sneak into the 2nd running of the Southern 500 at Darlington in Yarborough's native South Carolina. After being a high-school football star who briefly played semi-pro football and becoming a Golden Gloves boxer; Yarborough first attempted to enter the Southern 500 as a teenager but was caught lying about his age and disqualified; resulting in his waiting until 1957 (at the same event) to make his debut. Yarborough would not get a full-time ride until 1963 and collected his first victory in Valdosta, GA in 1965. Yarborough would find consistent success and stability in 1968 after joining the Wood Brothers team, and despite running in only 17 races[[note]]NASCAR schedules were much longer prior to 1972, considered to be the start of the sport's modern era; with multiple races in a week being common and thus few true "full-time" racers due to many drivers working other jobs[[/note]], won 6 races; including the Daytona 500[[note]]holding off Lee Roy Yarborough - no relation to Cale[[/note]]; the Firecracker 400 on July 4 and his first Southern 500 victory on Labor Day[[note]]until 1984; the Southern 500 was held on Labor Day due to South Carolina blue laws prohibiting sporting events on Sundays[[/note]]; remaining with Wood Brothers until 1970 due to Ford withdrawing manufacturer support, and after four races driving Plymouths for Ray Fox in 1971; Yarborough turned his focus to U.S. Auto Club racing, or USAC, before returning to NASCAR full-time for 1973, making every race[[note]]the 2nd year of the modern-era with a more consistent, less demanding schedule[[/note]] driving for Howard & Edgerton Racing as well as being the first driver to lead every lap in a Cup Series race at the spring Bristol race. 1974 would see Yarborough win a career-high 10 races but finish 2nd by nearly 600 points to Richard Petty[[note]]that season saw NASCAR introduce a [[ObviousRulePatch short-lived points system change]] - done in reaction to Benny Parsons winning the 1973 championship despite only one victory - where one would take purse winnings, multiply by number of starts and divide by 1,000. After much criticism - including the 1974 Southern 500 (won by Cale Yarborough) where Darrell Waltrip openly criticized the fact that Petty, despite crashing out early, managed to get more points than any other driver save for Cale. In 1975; this system would be changed to the system created by statistician Bob Latford that would be used in some fashion until 2013[[/note]]; a season that saw Junior Johnson buy the team. 1975 saw Yarborough struggle until gaining sponsorship by poultry supplier Holly Farms[[note]]since absorbed into Tyson Foods[[/note]] before hitting his stride in the late 1970s; winning 9 races in 1976 and 1977 (including his 2nd Daytona 500; Yarborough would also become the first of only two drivers to win the championship and finish every race; a feat matched only by Bobby Labonte in 2000) and tying a career-high 10 wins in 1978; winning the Winston Cup championship all three years. 1979 would see Yarborough finish 4th in the points, though that season was best remembered for his last lap crash with Donnie Allison at the Daytona 500 and the subsequent fight between the two and Donnie's brother Bobby. 1980 would mark Cale's last season with Junior Johnson and last full-time season; but he went out strong, winning 6 races and a modern-era record 14 pole positions; narrowly losing the championship by 19 points to 2nd-year driver Dale Earnhardt. Despite moving to a part-time career; Cale would collect 5 wins in a 2-year span with M.C. Anderson (including his final Southern 500 victory in 1982) before moving to the Hardee's-sponsored Ranier-Lundy Racing after the Anderson team shuttered; racing there from 1983-86, including winning the 1983 and 1984 Daytona 500s to become the second driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s[[note]]what made the 1983 win even more impressive was Cale's regular car, a Chevy Monte Carlo, having been totaled in qualifying. The team then found a Pontiac [=LeMans=] painted like the regular car outside a nearby Hardee's; got it in racing condition and entered the car at 8th position to start[[/note]], the 1984 Winston 500 at Talladega (which had a then-record 75 lead changes) and his final victory in the fall Charlotte race in 1985 for a total of 83 victories. After buying Jack Beebe's Race Hill Farm team in 1986; Yarborough ran his final two seasons as an owner-driver, bringing the Hardee's sponsorship with him before retiring after 1988. Yarborough would have much less success as a car owner, with only one victory in the 1997 Pepsi 400 in Daytona before selling the team in mid-2000 due to financial troubles. Outside of NASCAR; Yarborough dabbled in local politics as the first Republican member of Florence County's County Council since Reconstruction in 1972 (though he would later be re-elected as a Democrat and was a close supporter of UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter during Carter's successful campaign for President in 1976); won the International Race of Champions title in 1984 and ran 4 Indianapolis 500's in 1966-67 and 1971-72, with the last race being his best Indy finish at 10th place. Yarborough would be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012.
* [=LeeRoy=] Yarbrough was a tragic case of a driver whose career was cut short. He never ran a full season in his brief tenure, but his 1969 season was his best as he finished 16th in the standings while winning 7 of the 30 races he entered, including the Daytona 500 and a sweep of the Darlington events while racing for Junior Johnson. In 1970, he was the victim of bad circumstances involving Ford withdrawing factory support and a terrible crash that left him in a memory lock as he remembered nothing from 1970 onwards. He retired in 1973, but his health continued to worsen. In 1980, he was found not competent to stand trial in the attempted strangulation of his mother and an assault on a police officer, forcing him to live out the remainder of his life in mental hospitals until he died in 1984 from a seizure that caused internal bleeding in his brain.

* William Caleb '''"Cale" Yarborough''' (1939–) developed a love for stock-car racing at an early age by managing to sneak into the 2nd running of the Southern 500 at Darlington in Yarborough's native South Carolina. After being a high-school football star who briefly played semi-pro football and becoming a Golden Gloves boxer; Yarborough first attempted to enter the Southern 500 as a teenager but was caught lying about his age and disqualified; resulting in his waiting until 1957 (at the same event) to make his debut. Yarborough would not get a full-time ride until 1963 and collected his first victory in Valdosta, GA in 1965. Yarborough would find consistent success and stability in 1968 after joining the Wood Brothers team, and despite running in only 17 races[[note]]NASCAR schedules were much longer prior to 1972, considered to be the start of the sport's modern era; with multiple races in a week being common and thus few true "full-time" racers due to many drivers working other jobs[[/note]], won 6 races; including the Daytona 500[[note]]holding off Lee Roy Yarborough - no relation to Cale[[/note]]; the Firecracker 400 on July 4 and his first Southern 500 victory on Labor Day[[note]]until 1984; the Southern 500 was held on Labor Day due to South Carolina blue laws prohibiting sporting events on Sundays[[/note]]; remaining with Wood Brothers until 1970 due to Ford withdrawing manufacturer support, and after four races driving Plymouths for Ray Fox in 1971; Yarborough turned his focus to U.S. Auto Club racing, or USAC, before returning to NASCAR full-time for 1973, making every race[[note]]the 2nd year of the modern-era with a more consistent, less demanding schedule[[/note]] driving for Howard & Edgerton Racing. 1974 would see Yarborough win a career-high 10 races but finish 2nd by nearly 600 points to Richard Petty[[note]]that season saw NASCAR introduce a [[ObviousRulePatch short-lived points system change]] - done in reaction to Benny Parsons winning the 1973 championship despite only one victory - where one would take purse winnings, multiply by number of starts and divide by 1,000. After much criticism - including the 1974 Southern 500 (won by Cale Yarborough) where Darrell Waltrip openly criticized the fact that Petty, despite crashing out early, managed to get more points than any other driver save for Cale. In 1975; this system would be changed to the system created by statistician Bob Latford that would be used in some fashion until 2013[[/note]]; a season that saw Junior Johnson buy the team. 1975 saw Yarborough struggle until gaining sponsorship by poultry supplier Holly Farms[[note]]since absorbed into Tyson Foods[[/note]] before hitting his stride in the late 1970s; winning 9 races in 1976 and 1977 (including his 2nd Daytona 500; Yarborough would also become the first of only two drivers to win the championship and finish every race; a feat matched only by Bobby Labonte in 2000) and tying a career-high 10 wins in 1978; winning the Winston Cup championship all three years. 1979 would see Yarborough finish 4th in the points, though that season was best remembered for his last lap crash with Donnie Allison at the Daytona 500 and the subsequent fight between the two and Donnie's brother Bobby. 1980 would mark Cale's last season with Junior Johnson and last full-time season; but he went out strong, winning 6 races and a modern-era record 14 pole positions; narrowly losing the championship by 19 points to 2nd-year driver Dale Earnhardt. Despite moving to a part-time career; Cale would collect 5 wins in a 2-year span with M.C. Anderson (including his final Southern 500 victory in 1982) before moving to the Hardee's-sponsored Ranier-Lundy Racing after the Anderson team shuttered; racing there from 1983-86, including winning the 1983 and 1984 Daytona 500s to become the second driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s[[note]]what made the 1983 win even more impressive was Cale's regular car, a Chevy Monte Carlo, having been totaled in qualifying. The team then found a Pontiac [=LeMans=] painted like the regular car outside a nearby Hardee's; got it in racing condition and entered the car at 8th position to start[[/note]], the 1984 Winston 500 at Talladega (which had a then-record 75 lead changes) and his final victory in the fall Charlotte race in 1985 for a total of 83 victories. After buying Jack Beebe's Race Hill Farm team in 1986; Yarborough ran his final two seasons as an owner-driver, bringing the Hardee's sponsorship with him before retiring after 1988. Yarborough would have much less success as a car owner, with only one victory in the 1997 Pepsi 400 in Daytona before selling the team in mid-2000 due to financial troubles. Outside of NASCAR; Yarborough dabbled in local politics as the first Republican member of Florence County's County Council since Reconstruction in 1972 (though he would later be re-elected as a Democrat and was a close supporter of UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter during Carter's successful campaign for President in 1976); won the International Race of Champions title in 1984 and ran 4 Indianapolis 500's in 1966-67 and 1971-72, with the last race being his best Indy finish at 10th place. Yarborough would be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012.

** '''Bobby Hamilton Jr.''' (1978–) got his interest in racing in the local tracks; racing a Ford Pinto his father, Bobby Sr., had given him. By 1998; he had moved to ARCA before entering the Busch Series, where like his father he had an entertainment-themed connection (one of his early sponsors: ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'') before making his Winston Cup debut at the Homestead race in 2000; driving for his father. 2001 saw Bobby Jr. make his debut for his father's Truck Series team while driving a handful of races in the Cup Series as a teammate with his father for Andy Petree Racing while Joe Nemechek was recovering from an elbow injury and then move to Bobby Sr's previous ride at Morgan-[=McClure=] Motorsports. 2002 saw Bobby Jr. move to Team Rensi Motorsports in the Busch Series[[note]]co-owned by former UsefulNotes/{{McDonalds}} CEO Jim Rensi[[/note]] and collect his first win at New Hampshire; followed by winning 4 races in 2003 and finishing a career-high 4th in points, occasionally driving in the Cup Series for the team as well. However; Bobby Jr. significantly regressed from that point, failing to collect a win before leaving Rensi to return to the Cup Series, taking over the PPI[[note]]Precision Performance Inc.[[/note]] Motorsports #32 Tide-sponsored Chevrolet after Ricky Craven was fired. Bobby Jr. performed well enough to be hired full-time in 2005 failed to finish higher than 11th and missed three races, resulting in his ouster. 2006 would see him bounce around before being tapped to replace his father in the Truck Series after Bobby Sr's cancer diagnosis; but after the elder Hamilton's death Bobby Jr. declined to take ownership of Bobby Hamilton Racing in 2007; with the team closing down a year later. The younger Hamilton then returned to Team Rensi, this time driving the UsefulNotes/{{McDonalds}}-sponsored #35 only for Mickey D's to pull their sponsorship in 2008; causing that team's demise following a solid 2007 (3 Top 10's; 6th in points) and Hamilton to move back to the #25 (with Smithfield backing). Eventually, Bobby Jr. would buy a partial interest in the team (renamed Rensi-Hamilton Racing). Hamilton would spend most of the remainder of his career in the ARCA series while going into business and the track where he began his racing career, Highland Rim Speedway, as well as the rights to operate Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway (both of those ending when Hamilton filed for bankruptcy in January 2012) and dabbling in broadcasting, replacing his father on a local NASCAR-themed radio show called "The Driver's Zone" alongside co-host Liz Allison Hackett[[note]]widow of Davey Allison[[/note]] for a time in the late 2000s.

** '''Bobby Hamilton Jr.''' (1978–) got his interest in racing in the local tracks; racing a Ford Pinto his father, Bobby Sr., had given him. By 1998; he had moved to ARCA before entering the Busch Series, where like his father he had an entertainment-themed connection (one of his early sponsors: ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'') before making his Winston Cup debut at the Homestead race in 2000; driving for his father. 2001 saw Bobby Jr. make his debut for his father's Truck Series team while driving a handful of races in the Cup Series as a teammate with his father for Andy Petree Racing while Joe Nemechek was recovering from an elbow injury and then move to Bobby Sr's previous ride at Morgan-[=McClure=] Motorsports. 2002 saw Bobby Jr. move to Team Rensi Motorsports in the Busch Series[[note]]co-owned by former UsefulNotes/{{McDonalds}} CEO Jim Rensi[[/note]] and collect his first win at New Hampshire; followed by winning 4 races in 2003 and finishing a career-high 4th in points, occasionally driving in the Cup Series for the team as well. However; Bobby Jr. significantly regressed from that point, failing to collect a win before leaving Rensi to return to the Cup Series, taking over the PPI[[note]]Precision Performance Inc.]] Motorsports #32 Tide-sponsored Chevrolet after Ricky Craven was fired. Bobby Jr. performed well enough to be hired full-time in 2005 failed to finish higher than 11th and missed three races, resulting in his ouster. 2006 would see him bounce around before being tapped to replace his father in the Truck Series after Bobby Sr's cancer diagnosis; but after the elder Hamilton's death Bobby Jr. declined to take ownership of Bobby Hamilton Racing in 2007; with the team closing down a year later. The younger Hamilton then returned to Team Rensi, this time driving the UsefulNotes/{{McDonalds}}-sponsored #35 only for Mickey D's to pull their sponsorship in 2008; causing that team's demise following a solid 2007 (3 Top 10's; 6th in points) and Hamilton to move back to the #25 (with Smithfield backing). Eventually, Bobby Jr. would buy a partial interest in the team (renamed Rensi-Hamilton Racing). Hamilton would spend most of the remainder of his career in the ARCA series while going into business and the track where he began his racing career, Highland Rim Speedway, as well as the rights to operate Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway (both of those ending when Hamilton filed for bankruptcy in January 2012) and dabbling in broadcasting, replacing his father on a local NASCAR-themed radio show called "The Driver's Zone" alongside co-host Liz Allison Hackett[[note]]widow of Davey Allison[[/note]] for a time in the late 2000s.

** Bill's son '''Chase Elliott''' (1995–) has followed in his father's footsteps as an eminently likable, down-to-earth guy...who just happens to be a badass race car driver, with an endearing awkwardness in front of cameras and a willingness to stand up for himself on and off the track that's quickly made him as beloved as his dad. Coming into the Cup Series, he was one of the most hyped-up prospects of the 21st century; while he struggled to perform for quite a while to begin his career, he scored his first Cup victory in 2018. Fittingly, it came on a road course (Watkins Glen), just as his father's first victory did 35 years earlier. He won his first Cup championship in 2020. He drives the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

The 1960s and 70s were a time of growth for the organization and the sport of stock car racing. This is the time when the sport and organization really began to gain attention around the country and the world. Despite some races run in the Northern United States (and Canada) in the early years, stock car racing was still considered a Southern sport. However, with TV coverage, the sport began to find some popularity outside the South. The 1972 season was a GenreTurningPoint for the series—NASCAR established a minimum distance of 250 miles (about 400 km) for points-paying Cup races.[[note]]It was shortened to 300 km (188 miles) in 1974 due to the then-current energy crisis, but returned to 250 miles the next year.[[/note]] This in turn led to the elimination of shorter races, some of which were as short as 50 miles, from the Cup schedule, dramatically reducing the number of races in the season. NASCAR considers that season to be the start of its "modern era". In the 1960s, the Daytona 500 was usually taped and presented in heavily edited form as part of ABC's ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'' package. However, in 1974, ABC began to broadcast the race itself live, starting with the halfway point at lap 101. The first live, flag-to-flag coverage of the race was done in 1979 by CBS, which included a memorable last-lap crash between Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough, which resulted in a fistfight between the two drivers and Donnie's brother Bobby. This race happened to coincide with a major winter storm that paralyzed much of the Northeast and parts of the Midwest, which noticeably increased the potential TV audience. The 60s and 70s were dominated by UsefulNotes/RichardPetty, who later became known as "The King", winning 7 Grand National (now Cup Series) championships and 200 races total. (Even now, almost thirty years after his retirement, no driver has even come '''close''' to that number of wins; second-place goes to Petty's early days rival David Pearson, with 105).

In 2011, the Car of Tomorrow received a slight redesign to the nose, once again allowing the grille area to resemble their street counterparts. This led to a new form of racing known as the two-car tandem, which was heavily criticized, even though it did create two first-time winners at Daytona (Trevor Bayne in the Daytona 500, and David Ragan in the Coke Zero 400) and a photo-finish at Talladega, as well as first-time winners in Regan Smith at Darlington, Paul Menard at UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, and Marcos Ambrose at Watkins Glen, plus the most competitive title fight since 1992 that ended in a tie between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards (Stewart ultimately won the tiebreaker by virtue of having five wins that season, while Edwards only had one). The cars received a new superspeedway package in 2012 that made the tandem all but impossible, though it remained prevalent in the Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) until a crash at the 2013 [=Drive4COPD=] 300 that saw Kyle Larson fly into the catchfence at the end of the race, ripping out the front of the car and injuring 33 fans. That same year, the Car of Tomorrow was replaced with the Gen-6 car, which is not only much faster but has more clear-cut differences between the Chevy, Ford, and Toyota models (Dodge left the sport after 2012 when Penske switched back to Ford, and no other major teams would switch, though they did design a new Charger model; Dodge cars continued running unsupported in the Nationwide/Xfinity Series until 2018, ARCA until 2019, and the Truck Series via the Ram Trucks brand until 2016; a few Dodge-engined cars are still running in the Whelen Modified Tour, many Dodges can still be found in the Whelen All-American Racing Series, and the Pinty's Series in Canada is dominated by factory-supported Dodge cars, since Fiat Automobili, S.p.A. supports it via its Canadian arm).

* '''Neil Bonnett''' (1946–1994) was a member of the Hueytown-based "Alabama Gang" and a protege of the group's leader, Bobby Allison. After working on Bobby's cars; Neil made his debut as a driver in 1974. Bonnett bounced around several teams until landing with the K&K Insurance team driving the #71 Dodge Charger (which was bought out during the season by J.D. Stacy), collecting his first two victories later in the season at Richmond and the Ontario Speedway in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles[[note]]Bonnett's victory in the latter race would be the last win for a Chrysler brand until Dodge returned in 2001[[/note]]; only for 1978 to become a disappointing year with the Dodge Magnum which replaced the 1974-era Dodge Charger proving underwhelming[[note]]this also led to Richard Petty ending his long relationship with the by-now ailing Chrysler Corporation that same season[[/note]] and Stacy's penchant for not paying his people (resulting in crew chief Harry Hyde suing Stacy) led to his departure. After bouncing around with various teams during the balance of 1978 and early 1979 including Rod Osterlund's team and a one-off return to J.D. Stacy, Bonnett then landed with the Wood Brothers team after longtime driver David Pearson abruptly left following the spring race at Darlington, going to collect a career-high 3 wins (including the Firecracker 400 Independence Day race at Daytona) that season. Bonnett would drive primarily with the Wood Brothers through 1982 (including tying his career-high with 3 wins in 1981, among them the Southern 500 at Darlington and also winning the 1982 World[[note]]now Coca-Cola[[/note]] 600 race on Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte) before joining the [=RahMoc=] Enterprises[[note]]the name being a portmanteau of the names of Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock[[/note]] for 1983 in a one-off deal, winning twice, including his second consecutive World 600 win while finishing 6th in points; the best in his career up to then. By 1984, he moved to Junior Johnson's team; and after a winless campaign that year rebounded to win twice while finishing a career-best 4th in points while teammate Darrell Waltrip won his 3rd and final championship, adding one more victory in 1986 before both Bonnett and Waltrip left Junior Johnson (Bonnett returning to [=RahMoc=] Enterprises, while Waltrip moved to emerging power Hendrick Motorsports). [[GlassCannon Injuries]] would impact Bonnett's later career; as he would miss the last three races of 1987 following a crash at the fall race in Charlotte. 1988 would see Bonnett collect what turned out to be the final victories of his career, winning at Richmond[[note]]that race, the last before the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway track was reconfigured into the present-day Richmond Raceway, would see Bonnett hold off Richard Petty for the win; significant both in being the last Top 5 for the King (and following a frightening crash at the previous week's Daytona 500) and - with this taking place during the first round of the Goodyear vs. Hoosier tire wars - Bonnett driving on Hoosier tires for the first victory for a car with tires other than Goodyear since Firestone withdrew from NASCAR after 1974[[/note]] and Rockingham along with becoming the first winner of a race held outside of North America in an exhibition race at the Goodyear NASCAR 500[[note]]the 500 here refers to kilometers, translating to 310 miles - roughly the length of an Xfinity Series race[[/note]] Thunderdome in Melbourne, UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}. Bonnett would rejoin the Wood Brothers for 1989 but had his career abruptly ended when he was nearly killed after being caught up in a 14-car crash at the 1990 [=TranSouth=] 500 race in Darlington[[note]] triggered when Ernie Irvan - 10 laps down - lost control of his car after making contact with Ken Schrader and in the chaos Bonnett's car was hit hard by Sterling Marlin[[/note]]; leaving Bonnett with amnesia and forcing him to retire. Bonnett would then move to the broadcast booth, working races for Creator/{{CBS}}; Creator/{{TBS}} and [[Creator/ParamountNetwork TNN]] while hosting a show called "Winners" on the latter network and dabbling in acting. Bonnett was cleared to resume driving in 1992 and began testing cars for Richard Childress Racing and Bonnett's close friend and hunting partner Dale Earnhardt; making his return to racing at the 1993 [=DieHard=] 500[[note]]that race, the first for the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford after Davey Allison, son of longtime friend and Alabama Gang leader Bobby, was killed in a helicopter crash while attempting to land the chopper to watch Neil's son Christopher practice to attempt his Busch Series debut. Fellow Alabama Gang member Red Farmer was injured in the crash but survived[[/note]]; only to crash out during the race (upon being cleared at the infield care center; Bonnett returned to the CBS booth and joked that he wanted to make sure no one gave away his job) and the season-ending Hooters 500 at Atlanta; running only three laps in what was said to be a blown engine but may have been one of the first "start and park" attempts in NASCAR[[note]]Earnhardt entered that race in a tight battle for the championship with Rusty Wallace; entering the finale needing to finish no worse than 34th to clinch his 6th championship regardless of what Wallace did[[/note]]. For 1994; Bonnett had signed a deal to return as a part-time driver for the #51 Country Time-sponsored Chevrolet Lumina for James Finch's Phoenix Racing. Sadly; Bonnett would lose his life on February 11, 1994 during the first Daytona 500 practice session when Bonnett crashed head-on into the wall on Turn 4. Bonnett was 47 years old and would be one of two fatalities in the practice session for Speedweeks, as defending Goody's Dash[[note]]running 4-cylinder engines[[/note]] champion Rodney Orr would lose his life 4 days later.[[note]]suspicion initially fell on the fact that both Bonnett and Orr had Hoosier tires; as Hoosier had returned to NASCAR for the 1994 season. Out of sympathy, Hoosier withdrew from the Daytona 500. It was ultimately determined that both cars suffered from broken shock mount absorbers that caused the drivers to lose control[[/note]]. Bonnett would be posthumously named as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers for the 50th anniversary season in 1998 and be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

* '''Neil Bonnett''' (1946–1994) was a member of the Hueytown-based "Alabama Gang" and a protege of the group's leader, Bobby Allison. After working on Bobby's cars; Neil made his debut as a driver in 1974. Bonnett bounced around several teams until landing with the K&K Insurance team driving the #71 Dodge Charger (which was bought out during the season by J.D. Stacy), collecting his first two victories later in the season at Richmond and the Ontario Speedway in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles[[note]]Bonnett's victory in the latter race would be the last win for a Chrysler brand until Dodge returned in 2001[[/note]]; only for 1978 to become a disappointing year with the Dodge Magnum which replaced the 1974-era Dodge Charger proving underwhelming[[note]]this also led to Richard Petty ending his long relationship with the by-now ailing Chrysler Corporation that same season[[/note]] and Stacy's penchant for not paying his people (resulting in crew chief Harry Hyde suing Stacy) led to his departure. After bouncing around with various teams during the balance of 1978 and early 1979 including Rod Osterlund's team and a one-off return to J.D. Stacy, Bonnett then landed with the Wood Brothers team after longtime driver David Pearson abruptly left following the spring race at Darlington, going to collect a career-high 3 wins (including the Firecracker 400 Independence Day race at Daytona) that season. Bonnett would drive primarily with the Wood Brothers through 1982 (including tying his career-high with 3 wins in 1981, among them the Southern 500 at Darlington and also winning the 1982 World[[note]]now Coca-Cola[[/note]] 600 race on Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte) before joining the [=RahMoc=] Enterprises[[note]]the name being a portmanteau of the names of Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock[[/note]] for 1983 in a one-off deal, winning twice, including his second consecutive World 600 win while finishing 6th in points; the best in his career up to then. By 1984, he moved to Junior Johnson's team; and after a winless campaign that year rebounded to win twice while finishing a career-best 4th in points while teammate Darrell Waltrip won his 3rd and final championship, adding one more victory in 1986 before both Bonnett and Waltrip left Junior Johnson (Bonnett returning to [=RahMoc=] Enterprises, while Waltrip moved to emerging power Hendrick Motorsports). [[GlassCannon Injuries]] would impact Bonnett's later career; as he would miss the last three races of 1987 following a crash at the fall race in Charlotte. 1988 would see Bonnett collect what turned out to be the final victories of his career, winning at Richmond[[note]]that race, the last before the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway track was reconfigured into the present-day Richmond Raceway, would see Bonnett hold off Richard Petty for the win; significant both in being the last Top 5 for the King (and following a frightening crash at the previous week's Daytona 500) and - with this taking place during the first round of the Goodyear vs. Hoosier tire wars - Bonnett driving on Hoosier tires for the first victory for a car with tires other than Goodyear since Firestone withdrew from NASCAR after 1974[[/note]] and Rockingham along with becoming the first winner of a race held outside of North America in an exhibition race at the Goodyear NASCAR 500[[note]]the 500 here refers to kilometers, translating to 310 miles - roughly the length of an Xfinity Series race[[/note]] Thunderdome in Melbourne, UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}. Bonnett would rejoin the Wood Brothers for 1989 but had his career abruptly ended when he was nearly killed after being caught up in a 14-car crash at the 1990 [=TranSouth=] 500 race in Darlington[[note]] triggered when Ernie Irvan - 10 laps down - lost control of his car after making contact with Ken Schrader and in the chaos Bonnett's car was hit hard by Sterling Marlin; leaving Bonnett with amnesia and forcing him to retire. Bonnett would then move to the broadcast booth, working races for Creator/{{CBS}}; Creator/{{TBS}} and [[Creator/ParamountNetwork TNN]] while hosting a show called "Winners" on the latter network and dabbling in acting. Bonnett was cleared to resume driving in 1992 and began testing cars for Richard Childress Racing and Bonnett's close friend and hunting partner Dale Earnhardt; making his return to racing at the 1993 [=DieHard=] 500[[note]]that race, the first for the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford after Davey Allison, son of longtime friend and Alabama Gang leader Bobby, was killed in a helicopter crash while attempting to land the chopper to watch Neil's son Christopher practice to attempt his Busch Series debut. Fellow Alabama Gang member Red Farmer was injured in the crash but survived[[/note]]; only to crash out during the race (upon being cleared at the infield care center; Bonnett returned to the CBS booth and joked that he wanted to make sure no one gave away his job) and the season-ending Hooters 500 at Atlanta; running only three laps in what was said to be a blown engine but may have been one of the first "start and park" attempts in NASCAR[[note]]Earnhardt entered that race in a tight battle for the championship with Rusty Wallace; entering the finale needing to finish no worse than 34th to clinch his 6th championship regardless of what Wallace did[[/note]]. For 1994; Bonnett had signed a deal to return as a part-time driver for the #51 Country Time-sponsored Chevrolet Lumina for James Finch's Phoenix Racing. Sadly; Bonnett would lose his life on February 11, 1994 during the first Daytona 500 practice session when Bonnett crashed head-on into the wall on Turn 4. Bonnett was 47 years old and would be one of two fatalities in the practice session for Speedweeks, as defending Goody's Dash[[note]]running 4-cylinder engines[[/note]] champion Rodney Orr would lose his life 4 days later.[[note]]suspicion initially fell on the fact that both Bonnett and Orr had Hoosier tires; as Hoosier had returned to NASCAR for the 1994 season. Out of sympathy, Hoosier withdrew from the Daytona 500. It was ultimately determined that both cars suffered from broken shock mount absorbers that caused the drivers to lose control[[/note]]. Bonnett would be posthumously named as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers for the 50th anniversary season in 1998 and be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

* '''Neil Bonnett''' (1946–1994) was a member of the Hueytown-based "Alabama Gang" and a protege of the group's leader, Bobby Allison. After working on Bobby's cars; Neil made his debut as a driver in 1974. Bonnett bounced around several teams until landing with the K&K Insurance team driving the #71 Dodge Charger (which was bought out during the season by J.D. Stacy), collecting his first two victories later in the season at Richmond and the Ontario Speedway in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles[[note]]Bonnett's victory in the latter race would be the last win for a Chrysler brand until Dodge returned in 2001[[/note]]; only for 1978 to become a disappointing year with the Dodge Magnum which replaced the 1974-era Dodge Charger proving underwhelming[[note]]this also led to Richard Petty ending his long relationship with the by-now ailing Chrysler Corporation that same season[[/note]] and Stacy's penchant for not paying his people (resulting in crew chief Harry Hyde suing Stacy) led to his departure. After bouncing around with various teams during the balance of 1978 and early 1979 including Rod Osterlund's team and a one-off return to J.D. Stacy, Bonnett then landed with the Wood Brothers team after longtime driver David Pearson abruptly left following the spring race at Darlington, going to collect a career-high 3 wins (including the Firecracker 400 Independence Day race at Daytona) that season. Bonnett would drive primarily with the Wood Brothers through 1982 (including tying his career-high with 3 wins in 1981, among them the Southern 500 at Darlington and also winning the 1982 World[[note]]now Coca-Cola[[/note]] 600 race on Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte) before joining the [=RahMoc=] Enterprises[[note]]the name being a portmanteau of the names of Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock[[/note]] for 1983 in a one-off deal, winning twice, including his second consecutive World 600 win while finishing 6th in points; the best in his career up to then. By 1984, he moved to Junior Johnson's team; and after a winless campaign that year rebounded to win twice while finishing a career-best 4th in points while teammate Darrell Waltrip won his 3rd and final championship, adding one more victory in 1986 before both Bonnett and Waltrip left Junior Johnson (Bonnett returning to [=RahMoc=] Enterprises, while Waltrip moved to emerging power Hendrick Motorsports). [[GlassCannon Injuries]] would impact Bonnett's later career; as he would miss the last three races of 1987 following a crash at the fall race in Charlotte. 1988 would see Bonnett collect what turned out to be the final victories of his career, winning at Richmond[[note]]that race, the last before the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway track was reconfigured into the present-day Richmond Raceway, would see Bonnett hold off Richard Petty for the win; significant both in being the last Top 5 for the King (and following a frightening crash at the previous week's Daytona 500) and - with this taking place during the first round of the Goodyear vs. Hoosier tire wars - Bonnett driving on Hoosier tires for the first victory for a car with tires other than Goodyear since Firestone withdrew from NASCAR after 1974[[/note]] and Rockingham along with becoming the first winner of a race held outside of North America in an exhibition race at the Goodyear NASCAR 500[[note]]the 500 here refers to kilometers, translating to 310 miles - roughly the length of an Xfinity Series race[[/note]] Thunderdome in Melbourne, UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}. Bonnett would rejoin the Wood Brothers for 1989 but had his career abruptly ended when he was nearly killed after being caught up in a 14-car crash at the 1990 [=TranSouth=] 500 race in Darlington[[note]] triggered when Ernie Irvan - 10 laps down - lost control of his car after making contact with Ken Schrader and in the chaos Bonnett's car was hit hard by Sterling Marlin; leaving Bonnett with amnesia and forcing him to retire. Bonnett would then move to the broadcast booth, working races for UsefulNotes/{{CBS}}; UsefulNotes{{TBS}} and [[UsefulNotes/ParamountNetwork TNN]] while hosting a show called "Winners" on the latter network and dabbling in acting. Bonnett was cleared to resume driving in 1992 and began testing cars for Richard Childress Racing and Bonnett's close friend and hunting partner Dale Earnhardt; making his return to racing at the 1993 [=DieHard=] 500[[note]]that race, the first for the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford after Davey Allison, son of longtime friend and Alabama Gang leader Bobby, was killed in a helicopter crash while attempting to land the chopper to watch Neil's son Christopher practice to attempt his Busch Series debut. Fellow Alabama Gang member Red Farmer was injured in the crash but survived[[/note]]; only to crash out during the race (upon being cleared at the infield care center; Bonnett returned to the CBS booth and joked that he wanted to make sure no one gave away his job) and the season-ending Hooters 500 at Atlanta; running only three laps in what was said to be a blown engine but may have been one of the first "start and park" attempts in NASCAR[[note]]Earnhardt entered that race in a tight battle for the championship with Rusty Wallace; entering the finale needing to finish no worse than 34th to clinch his 6th championship regardless of what Wallace did[[/note]]. For 1994; Bonnett had signed a deal to return as a part-time driver for the #51 Country Time-sponsored Chevrolet Lumina for James Finch's Phoenix Racing. Sadly; Bonnett would lose his life on February 11, 1994 during the first Daytona 500 practice session when Bonnett crashed head-on into the wall on Turn 4. Bonnett was 47 years old and would be one of two fatalities in the practice session for Speedweeks, as defending Goody's Dash[[note]]running 4-cylinder engines[[/note]] champion Rodney Orr would lose his life 4 days later.[[note]]suspicion initially fell on the fact that both Bonnett and Orr had Hoosier tires; as Hoosier had returned to NASCAR for the 1994 season. Out of sympathy, Hoosier withdrew from the Daytona 500. It was ultimately determined that both cars suffered from broken shock mount absorbers that caused the drivers to lose control[[/note]]. Bonnett would be posthumously named as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers for the 50th anniversary season in 1998 and be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.