Owner-Driver (NASCAR)

An Owner-Driver in NASCAR is a NASCAR driver who owns the car he is driving. The practice has been established since the beginning of NASCAR in 1949. However, Owner-Drivers are almost extinct today. One notable exception is Tony Stewart, who won the 2011 NSCS title as an owner-driver, but he was only a half owner (Gene Haas being the other half). The main reason Owner-Drivers do not exist today is the expense involved and the fact that you "have to be your own boss", essentially having two jobs in one.^[1] Owner-Driver is not to be confused with a driver who owns a separate team, such as Dale Earnhardt, who raced his own team but still drove for RCR.

History

When NASCAR started in the late 1940s nearly all drivers owned their cars and would drive their car to the track. While sponsorship was useful, it was not essential to win at this time, leaving less burden for the driver. But by the 1970s and 80's more and more drivers would drive for another team. From 1980 to now, with the exception of Alan Kulwicki and Tony Stewart (1992 and 2011) no NASCAR champion was an owner driver.

Notable owner-drivers in NASCAR's top series

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The following list is a list of owner-drivers:^[2]

• Lee Petty 1949–1961
• Herb Thomas 1949–1955; 1956
• Buck Baker 1949–1957
• Neil Castles 1957–1976
• Richard Petty 1958–1983; 1986-1992
• Wendell Scott 1961–1973
• John Sears 1964–1973
• Junior Johnson 1965
• James Hylton 1966–1993
• Cecil Gordon 1968–1985
• Richard Childress 1969–1981
• Darrell Waltrip 1972; 1991–1997
• Alan Kulwicki 1986–1993
• Cale Yarborough 1986–1987
• Geoff Bodine 1993–1997
• Joe Nemechek 1993; 1995; 2009–present
• Ricky Rudd 1994–2000
• Bill Elliott 1995–2000
• Robby Gordon 2005–2011
• Tony Stewart 2009–present

References