The HEMI engine was a mechanical marvel that was so successful it was banned from NASCAR after its first year. By 1963, the 426-cubic-inch Wedge engine used in NASCAR was deemed to have hit its limit for horsepower.
But if none of these drivers can find victory lane before the season ends, history says they won't be crowned champion come mid-November. Only one driver has won a championship without winning a playoff race during the playoff era, and that was Tony Stewart.
After years away from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Dodge will announce later this week of plans to return to NASCAR.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Petty has a net worth of $65 million.
10 drivers with most career Premier Series starts
- By Tom Jensen. Sunday at Watkins Glen International, four-time champion Jeff Gordon will make his 800th career NASCAR Premier Series start.
- Michael Waltrip, 783 career starts.
- Jeff Gordon, 799.
- Darrell Waltrip, 809.
- Bill Elliott, 828.
- Kyle Petty, 829.
- Mark Martin, 882.
- Dave Marcis, 883.
Playoff StructureAfter the third playoff race, there will be 12 drivers. After the sixth playoff race, the field will drop to eight drivers, and following the ninth playoff race, only four drivers will remain in championship contention.
Let's hit it.
- Martin Truex Jr. 12 of 12. Chuck Burton/Associated Press.
- Brad Keselowski. 11 of 12. Chuck Burton/Associated Press.
- Kyle Busch. 10 of 12. Chuck Burton/Associated Press.
- Kevin Harvick. 9 of 12. Chuck Burton/Associated Press.
- Chase Elliott. 8 of 12.
- Kurt Busch. 7 of 12.
- Matt Kenseth. 6 of 12.
- Denny Hamlin. 5 of 12.
NASCAR final four driversThe drivers in the Championship 4 are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott. Logano, who won the Cup Series in 2018, was the only one who could be comfortable this past Sunday at Martinsville.
After losing his ride with Roush in 2018, Bayne opened and currently operates Mahalo Coffee Roasters in Knoxville, Tennessee.
William Byron entered Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway – the final regular season race of the NASCAR Cup Series season – four points ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate and 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson for the 16th and final playoff spot.
Gordon, along with Rick Hendrick, co-owns the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won seven Cup championships from 2006 to 2010, 2013, and in 2016. Gordon also has an equity stake in the No. 24 team.
Most of the drivers don't use the diaper while racing. This is because drivers go to the bathroom before the race. Drivers also use salt tablets to avoid dehydration so the drivers don't have enough urine left to use a diaper.
Jimmie Johnson has an estimated net worth of $160 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Besides his racing salary and winnings, Johnson has racked up millions from endorsement deals, having worked with such brands as Gatorade, Seiko Watch Corporation, Blue Bunny, and Chevrolet over the course of his career.
If the 2020 edition has a similar share, the winner of the Daytona 500 will take home about $2.06 million. It would likely be the first NASCAR race to award the winner upward of $2 million.
Finally, crash-tacular Talladega Superspeedway delivered a handful of exciting crash-free laps at the very end of today's NASCAR Cup Series race. Only 14 cars survived until the very end of the race, with Brad Keselowski ultimately finishing out in front.
