The NASCAR Cup Series is the highest tier of racing in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing or NASCAR. First organized in 1949, it is the oldest national series organized by NASCAR, as of February 2025. The format involves a 36-race season every year. In the first part, 26 races are held to whittle the grid down to 16 drivers for the 10-race playoffs. Four drivers are eliminated after every three races in the playoffs leaving four title contenders for the Championship 4 grand finale. The winner in the final race wins the Championship.
Robert “Red” Byron won the inaugural title in 1949 racing in an Oldsmobile, while Joey Logano won the latest championship in 2024, driving a Ford. There have been 36 different champions to date but the distinction for most Cup Series titles is jointly held by Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson with seven each. Johnson also holds the record for the most number of consecutive championships when he won for five straight years from 2006 to 2010. Bill Rexford’s title win in 1950 meant that he was the youngest-ever champion at just 23 years old. Harry Grant became the oldest-ever champion at 52 years. Herbert “Herb” Thomas became the first multiple-winner of the Cup Series in 1953. In 1957, Elzie Wylie “Buck” Baker became the first driver to successfully defend their title. Richard Petty won the most number of races in a single season with 27 on his way to clinch the 1967 Cup Series.
List of NASCAR Cup Series champions year-by-year
The NASCAR Cup Series started its 77th seasons in 2025 with William Byron snatching the first win of the Regular season at the Daytona 500. Logano will be defending his Cup Series title in 2025 after winning his third championship in 2024, as per Racing Reference.
| Year | Driver | Team(s) | Manufacturer(s) | Wins |
| 1949 | Red Byron | Raymond Parks | Oldsmobile | 2 |
| 1950 | Bill Rexford | Julian Buesink | Oldsmobile | 1 |
| 1951 | Herb Thomas | Herb Thomas, Marshall Teague, Leonard Tippett, Hubert Westmoreland | Hudson, Plymouth, Oldsmobile | 7 |
| 1952 | Tim Flock | Ted Chester | Hudson | 8 |
| 1953 | Herb Thomas | Herb Thomas Racing | Hudson | 12 |
| 1954 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 7 |
| 1955 | Tim Flock | Carl Kiekhaefer, Hubert Westmoreland | Chrysler, Chevrolet | 18 |
| 1956 | Buck Baker | Carl Kiekhaefer, James Satcher, John Whitford | Chrysler, Dodge, Ford | 14 |
| 1957 | Buck Baker | Buck Baker, Hugh Babb | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 1958 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 7 |
| 1959 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile, Plymouth | 11 |
| 1960 | Rex White | Rex White, L.D. Austin, Beau Morgan, Scotty Cain | Chevrolet, Ford | 6 |
| 1961 | Ned Jarrett | Ned Jarrett, B.G. Holloway | Ford, Chevrolet | 1 |
| 1962 | Joe Weatherly | Bud Moore, Fred Harb | Pontiac, Ford | 9 |
| 1963 | Joe Weatherly | Bud Moore and 8 more teams | Pontiac, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge | 3 |
| 1964 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 9 |
| 1965 | Ned Jarrett | Bondy Long, Jabe Thomas | Ford | 13 |
| 1966 | David Pearson | Cotton Owens | Dodge | 15 |
| 1967 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 27 |
| 1968 | David Pearson | Holman-Moody, Roy Trantham | Ford | 16 |
| 1969 | David Pearson | Holman-Moody | Ford | 11 |
| 1970 | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | Dodge | 11 |
| 1971 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 21 |
| 1972 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge, Plymouth | 8 |
| 1973 | Benny Parsons | L.G. Dewitt | Chevrolet, Mercury | 1 |
| 1974 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 10 |
| 1975 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 13 |
| 1976 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 1977 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 1978 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Oldsmobile | 10 |
| 1979 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Chevrolet, Oldsmobile | 5 |
| 1980 | Dale Earnhardt | Osterlund Racing | Chevrolet, Oldsmobile | 5 |
| 1981 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet, Buick | 12 |
| 1982 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick | 12 |
| 1983 | Bobby Allison | Digard Motorsports | Chevrolet, Buick | 6 |
| 1984 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 1985 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 1986 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 1987 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 1988 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 1989 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 6 |
| 1990 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 1991 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 1992 | Alan Kulwicki | Alan Kulwicki Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 1993 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 1994 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 1995 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 1996 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 1997 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 1998 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 1999 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 2000 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 4 |
| 2001 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 2002 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 3 |
| 2003 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 1 |
| 2004 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 2005 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2006 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2007 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2008 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 2009 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 2010 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 2011 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2012 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Dodge | 5 |
| 2013 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 2014 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2015 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 2016 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2017 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 2018 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 2019 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 2020 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 2021 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2022 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 2023 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 2024 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
FAQs on NASCAR Cup Series
A. The record for most Cup Series wins is jointly held by Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson with seven titles each.
A. The Cup Series, the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series are the three main national series held annually in the U.S.
A. Yes, Austin Dillon in the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series and Matt Krafton in the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series are the only two instances of a NASCAR Series champion winning the title without winning a race in that year.
A. Yes, there have been multiple F1 drivers who have won NASCAR races. Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya are the only three drivers ever to have won at least one race in Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR.
