10. Bobby Labonte (2000-2009)- 358 starts; 9 wins; 58 top five finishes; 101 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 2.5; 1,518 laps led; 2000 champion
Labonte opened the decade with his championship run in 2000. In fact, Labonte was a perennial frontrunner for the first-half of the decade. His struggles began in 2005, and left Joe Gibbs Racing for Petty Enterprises. He has not won a race since 2003, but his championship in 2000 made it difficult to discount him from the top ten.
9. Mark Martin (2000-2009)- 334 starts; 9 wins; 85 top five finishes; 159 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 2.7; 3,282 laps led; finished 2nd in 2002 and 2009 championship standings
Martin is always a model of consistency, whether he drives full-time or a partial schedule. He left Roush Fenway Racing in 2006 to drive part-time for Ginn Racing and then DEI. He returned to full-time competition in 2009 with Hendrick Motorsports, and proceeded to win five races. He marginally edged out other non-champions such as Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick who won more races and had better winning percentages.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr (2000-2009)- 358 starts; 18 wins; 88 top five finishes; 141 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 5.0; 6,528 laps led; finished 3rd in 2003 championship standings
Regardless of your opinion of Earnhardt Jr, he enjoyed some solid seasons in the 2000’s, especially 2001 to 2004. His finest moments of the decade included his first win at Texas in 2000, his emotional win at Daytona in July of 2001, as well as his Daytona 500 triumph in 2004. He left DEI following the 2007 season to join Hendrick Motorsports.
7. Carl Edwards (2004-2009)- 193 starts; 16 wins; 61 top five finishes; 99 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 8.3; 2,599 laps led; finished 2nd in 2008 championship standings
Edwards replaced Jeff Burton in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford late in the 2004 season. His finest moments include his first win at Atlanta in March of 2005, as well as his nine wins in 2009. He won four races and tied Greg Biffle for second in the standings in 2005, his first full season in Cup.
6. Kyle Busch (2004-2009)- 186 starts; 16 wins; 56 top five finishes; 85 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 8.6; 4,401 laps led; finished 5th in 2007 championship standings
The flamboyant young driver followed the same path as big brother Kurt. He began driving Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets in the Busch Series in the fall of 2003, and in the Cup Series in 2005. He became the youngest winner in September of 2005, a record that was later broken by Joey Logano in 2009. The 2005 rookie of the year left HMS to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, and won a career-high eight races.
5. Kurt Busch (2000-2009)- 328 starts; 20 wins; 71 top five finishes; 136 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 6.1; 5,535 laps led; 2004 champion
Kurt Busch won the 2004 championship, the first under the Chase for the Championship, by eight points over Johnson. He replaced Rusty Wallace in the famed No. 2 Dodge in 2006 after five seasons with Roush Fenway Racing.
4. Matt Kenseth (2000-2009)- 358 starts; 18 wins; 95 top five finishes; 174 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 5.0, 5,679 laps led; 2003 champion
Kenseth cruised to his first title in 2003, the final season under the previous championship format, despite winning only a single race. Many would contend that NASCAR altered the format because of Kenseth’s championsnhip performance. Kenseth led the series in victories in 2002, earned the 2000 rookie of the year award, and won the 2009 Daytona 500.
3. Jeff Gordon (2000-2009)- 358 starts; 33 wins; 145 top five finishes; 217 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 9.2; 10,455 laps led; 2001 champion
Gordon fans will argue that he should be ranked ahead of Stewart. It was nearly a draw, as the two legends shared similar statistics throughout the decade. Gordon won the 2005 Daytona 500, and bypassed Dale Earnhardt for sixth on the all-time win list in 2007. He led the series with six wins in 2001.
2. Tony Stewart (2000-2009)- 358 starts; 34 wins; 132 top five finishes; 209 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 9.5; 9,423 laps led; 2002 and 2005 champion
You could make a case for both Stewart and Jeff Gordon for runner-up, as they are practically even. However, Stewart’s second title in 2005 gave him a slight edge. He is the only driver to win a title in both championship formats. He led the series with six wins in 2000.
1. Jimmie Johnson (2001-2009)- 291 starts; 47 wins; 117 top five finishes; 180 top ten finishes; winning percentage of 16.2; 9,681 laps led; 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 champion
Johnson made his Sprint Cup debut in 2001, and competed for the rookie of the honors in 2002. Since his full-time career began, he has yet to finish outside of the top five in the championship standings. He captured the 2006 Daytona 500 trophy. Johnson and his team left the competition in the dust throughout the second half of the decade with his four consecutive titles and counting.
Honorable mentions include Greg Biffle (14 wins), Kevin Harvick (11 wins), Ryan Newman (13 wins), Dale Jarrett (10 wins), Jeff Burton (10 wins), Kasey Kahne (11 wins), Denny Hamlin (8 wins), Rusty Wallace (6 wins)
Decade in review articles:
Top five most significant moments
Top ten confrontations of the decade, part I
Top ten confrontations of the decade, part II
Top ten finishes of the decade, part I
Top ten finishes of the decade, part II
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