Who will round out NASCAR's 75 greatest drivers list?

Who will round out NASCAR's 75 greatest drivers list?,In recent weeks, NASCAR has been announcing various additions to its 75 greatest drivers list, in conjunction with the 75th season of the NASCAR Cup Series. Who are the most likely candidates to claim the final spots?

Who will round out NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers list?

In recent weeks, NASCAR has been announcing various additions to its 75 greatest drivers list, in conjunction with the 75th season of the NASCAR Cup Series. The list was initially formed in 1998 with 50 drivers, and has been expanded to include (mostly) new names from the 21st century.

On Thursday, Weekly Series legend Larry Phillips was announced as an unexpected addition to the list, leaving seven spots left up for grabs. It would be very shocking if six of those aren’t reserved for Cup champions Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.

So realistically, there’s only one remaining selection that’s still a mystery. Who will it be? Here are five possible candidates.

Sam Ard

Ard, a NASCAR Xfinity Series legend, probably should have been on the original 1998 list. He is officially credited with two championships and 22 wins in NASCAR’s secondary series between 1982 and 1984, but it’s widely believed he racked up many more that have been lost to history.

It seems unlikely that Ard will be included, however, as Randy LaJoie was already announced as what is believed to be the one token addition from what is now the Xfinity Series. There’s still a chance, though, and Ard is certainly as deserving as anyone.

Clint Bowyer

Of the names that have yet to be selected and aren’t expected as locks, Bowyer has probably been the most successful 21st century Cup Series driver. He won 10 career races at the top level between 2007 and 2018, and also has an Xfinity Series title in 2008.

Bowyer might seem like an underwhelming addition, as a driver who was good but never great. However, Sterling Marlin also made the list with the same number of wins, so it’s certainly possible. Wendell Scott

If NASCAR wanted to go for the trailblazer angle, Wendell Scott is a no-brainer. He was the first (and until 2021, only) African-American man to win a Cup Series race, and he did it as an independent owner-driver who served as his own crew chief, mechanic and even pit crew.

Scott frequently received threats — even from fellow drivers — and was initially not credited with his win at Jacksonville in 1964 because NASCAR didn’t want him kissing the white trophy queen in victory lane. His barrier-breaking courage paved the way for modern black drivers such as Bubba Wallace, Bill Lester and Rajah Caruth.

Tyler Reddick

Reddick would be an unconventional choice, given that he has only four career Cup Series wins and has only been racing at the top level since 2020. However, he did win back-to-back Xfinity titles in 2018 and 2019, and combined with a very promising Cup career, he has a legitimate case.

Reddick may seem like a reach right now, and he probably hasn’t yet done enough in his career yet to justify a selection. But there’s a very good chance that 25 years from now when NASCAR is adding 25 more drivers for its 100th season, nobody will be questioning his status as one of the greats. Frank Kimmel

NASCAR’s Xfinity, Truck, Modified and Weekly Series have all now had one legend selected to the list. That leaves only ARCA as a touring series without a selection, and Kimmel, with 80 wins and 10 championships (including a stretch of eight in a row between 2000 and 2007), is the undisputed GOAT at that level.

Here’s the caveat, though: despite many of its drivers graduating to NASCAR, ARCA was not an official NASCAR-sanctioned series until 2018, by which point Kimmel was retired. So unless they decide to retroactively include his results as NASCAR results, he probably won’t make the cut.