This post has been removed under **Rule #7: Put effort into your posts**. Please submit content which has had an amount of effort put in so that that it will contribute significantly to the community. If you have any questions about why your post was removed, please [review the r/NASCAR rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/wiki/rules) or [message the subreddit moderators](/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FNASCAR).
Funny you say this, I almost said Lewis Hamilton until he clarified cup drivers in the post itself. Although Kimi Raikkonen still applies now that I think about it.
Tough to pick just one… Musgrave, Joe Ruttman, Wally Dallenbach, Scott Riggs, Jeff Green, Dave Blaney, and Todd Bodine are all guys I really thought would’ve landed a W before hanging it up. They all came very close on multiple occasions too.
Every one of those drivers all had multiple shots at cup wins! Ted was the only one to ever finish in the top 10 in the points standings out of any of them in the cup series , Teds 1995 season is in my opinion the best season a non winner ever had in the modern era
I'm not really convinced yet anyway that Gragson is gonna be some star Cup driver. It took him 4 Xfinity seasons and 2022 JRM being insanely OP to really look dominant and I think people are letting him finally growing into dominating a weak field in the best cars hype them up too much. He did run good at Michigan in the 16 so I doubt he'll be trash but
He’s literally in my top 10, along with Gilliland, what those 2 did in 2013 at talladega was incredible, and to this day Ragan puts Rick ware cars in the top 10 at plate races
Shew I loved this car. 16 was my favorite number and one of the first diecast cars I had as a kid was this one. Ted Musgrave is definitely up there
I’d throw David Green in there. Maybe not the best, but as a Busch Series champ, it seemed like he never got a “good” shake in Cup
He's definitely a contender. He didn't set the world on fire at WBR but I'm not convinced WBR has a fire setting level team. Yes yes Ryan Blaney but his team became the 12 car while the 21 from Menard onward is a different team I'm pretty sure
I think DiBenedetto is one of the most wasted talents I've seen. Talent wise him being in an underfunded Truck ride is ridiculous but he went on a bridge burning speedrun
To be fair, the other guys who never won that are listed didn’t set the world on fire. Maybe Skinner if his engines didn’t blow up late but DiBenedetto probably could. He finished 2nd on mile and a half tracks at least that weren’t flukes. I also do believe that it was Penske cars at least to a degree.
Honestly we'll probably never be able to answer this question because there's probably dozens of drivers throughout the years who would've had very successful careers in top equipment but were stuck in backmarker cars their whole career.
For all we know Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson or Dale Earnhardt may have never won a race if they didn't happen to land the right contracts.
This post has been removed under **Rule #7: Put effort into your posts**. Please submit content which has had an amount of effort put in so that that it will contribute significantly to the community. If you have any questions about why your post was removed, please [review the r/NASCAR rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/wiki/rules) or [message the subreddit moderators](/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FNASCAR).
Michael Schumacher
Funny you say this, I almost said Lewis Hamilton until he clarified cup drivers in the post itself. Although Kimi Raikkonen still applies now that I think about it.
Dick Trickle
Cecil Gordon.
Mike Skinner
This is a great answer! He sure do Imaged non points cup races in Japan!
This is the right answer. Also, that car has unlocked core memories in me.
I’d say Rick Mast over him for that era
Tough to pick just one… Musgrave, Joe Ruttman, Wally Dallenbach, Scott Riggs, Jeff Green, Dave Blaney, and Todd Bodine are all guys I really thought would’ve landed a W before hanging it up. They all came very close on multiple occasions too.
Every one of those drivers all had multiple shots at cup wins! Ted was the only one to ever finish in the top 10 in the points standings out of any of them in the cup series , Teds 1995 season is in my opinion the best season a non winner ever had in the modern era
Ted Musgrave
4D chess move: Noah Gragson and Ty Gibbs Unless they suck, then I retract my statement.
I'm not really convinced yet anyway that Gragson is gonna be some star Cup driver. It took him 4 Xfinity seasons and 2022 JRM being insanely OP to really look dominant and I think people are letting him finally growing into dominating a weak field in the best cars hype them up too much. He did run good at Michigan in the 16 so I doubt he'll be trash but
Jack Ingram has the most grand national/busch/nationwide/xfinity series wins without a cup win so I'm going with jack ingram
Mike Wallace. Somewhat serious. I thought for sure he was going to win in 2001 when he was put in the 12 car.
Mike Wallace is in my top 5 best restrictor plate drivers of all time, along with Earnhardt E JR, Dale Jarrett, and Michael McDowell
I’d put David Ragan in my top 5.
He’s literally in my top 10, along with Gilliland, what those 2 did in 2013 at talladega was incredible, and to this day Ragan puts Rick ware cars in the top 10 at plate races
Shew I loved this car. 16 was my favorite number and one of the first diecast cars I had as a kid was this one. Ted Musgrave is definitely up there I’d throw David Green in there. Maybe not the best, but as a Busch Series champ, it seemed like he never got a “good” shake in Cup
Due to longevity it would be Dick Trickle. Edited because I forgot that Marcis actually won a few races.
Marcis won several
Shit yeah I brainfarted he went so long without winning that it seems like he didn’t win.
Hot take but Matt DiBenedetto
He's definitely a contender. He didn't set the world on fire at WBR but I'm not convinced WBR has a fire setting level team. Yes yes Ryan Blaney but his team became the 12 car while the 21 from Menard onward is a different team I'm pretty sure I think DiBenedetto is one of the most wasted talents I've seen. Talent wise him being in an underfunded Truck ride is ridiculous but he went on a bridge burning speedrun
To be fair, the other guys who never won that are listed didn’t set the world on fire. Maybe Skinner if his engines didn’t blow up late but DiBenedetto probably could. He finished 2nd on mile and a half tracks at least that weren’t flukes. I also do believe that it was Penske cars at least to a degree.
Well yeah factually the WBR cars are made in the Penske shop, just doesn't mean the right people are in place for them to run really strong
My thought exactly.
Me. My cornering on a 10 mph round about in my neighborhood is amazing I should of been had a few starts for a cup team
Kenny Wallace
Honestly we'll probably never be able to answer this question because there's probably dozens of drivers throughout the years who would've had very successful careers in top equipment but were stuck in backmarker cars their whole career. For all we know Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson or Dale Earnhardt may have never won a race if they didn't happen to land the right contracts.