About This Quiz
NASCAR, or the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, has been around since the 1940s, and in the decades that have followed, the series has led to innovation in performance, safety, style and speed. We owe it all to the brave race car drivers who are willing to get behind the wheel and give it all they've got for a spot on the podium or, better yet, the chance to cross that finish line before every other car. It is a sport that tests the very mettle of its drivers, pushes them to the limit and asks fans and racers alike: How important is it really to come in first place? One glance at the incredible speeds that these vehicles reach shows that it is very important, indeed.Â
With so many years of history and so many racers, cars, sponsors and powerful teams, there are a lot of important names and faces to remember and support through NASCAR's upcoming season. Do you think you have what it takes? Put your knowledge of this classic American pastime to the test and see just how much you know about racers past and present in this ultimate NASCAR race car driver test. How fast will you take it?Â
Joey Logano currently races the Number 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, but he had his first major NASCAR win at the Kentucky Speedway in 2008, becoming the youngest driver to win the Nationwide Series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most famous names in NASCAR. Not only does he come from a family legacy of racing, but he is a five-time champion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 2-time Daytona 500 winner and 2017 recipient of the Bill France Award of Excellence.
In addition to racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Larson is also a World of Outlaws Sprint Car team owner. He was an overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona Race in 2015.
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Kevin Harvick currently races the Number 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing and has nine wins at Phoenix International Raceway. In addition to having the nickname "The Closer" he is also called "Happy Harvick".
Martin Truex Jr. is a man on fire. He won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2017 and the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in both 2004 and 2005. He now races for Joe Gibbs Racing.
As if being a three- or five-time champion isn't enough, Jimmy Johnson is actually a seven-time champion in the NASCAR Cup Series. He currently drives the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports.
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Like many other racers, Chase Elliott comes from a racing family. His father was Bill Elliott, who was the 1988 Winston Cup Series champion, and Chase has followed in his footsteps. He was named the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Bubba Wallace is considered one of the most successful African American racers in NASCAR history and is the highest-finishing African American driver in the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400.
Kurt Busch comes from one successful racing legacy family. While his father Tom Busch was a successful racing champion, as is his brother Kyle, Kurt is the one who has been at it the longest, since 2000.
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While he currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Brendan Gaughan has had several stages to his racing career, including pickup truck, two-wheel and off-road racing.
Aric Almirola is a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who drives the number 10 Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. His racing nickname is the Cuban Missile and he has competed in more than 300 races in the last 12 years.
Family legacies are common in motorsports and Austin R. Dillon comes from one of the best. In addition to being both son and brother to well-known racers and personalities, he is the grandson of Richard Childress and currently races for Richard Childress Racing.
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While the other racers raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017, Christopher Bell won the driver's championship. He now drives the No. 95 Toyota Camry for Leavine Family Racing.
William Byron currently races for Hendrick Motorsports. He won both the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award in 2017. He is currently 22 years old.
Ryan Blaney has racing blood in his family, as both his father and grandfather were notable race car drivers. He currently drives the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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John Hunter Nemechek currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series racing the Number 38 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports and he comes from a racing legacy family, with his father being driver Joe Nemechek.
While Kurt Busch has a long and successful career in racing and has raced with all of these teams at some point during the years, he now drives the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro Z1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Chris Buescher has quite a racing legacy, and it runs in the family. He is the cousin of champion racer James Buescher and he's run nearly 75 races in the last four years, including those two championship wins.
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In 1993, at 51 years, four months and 27 days old, Morgan Shepherd became the second-oldest race winner, after Harry Grant. He is the oldest racer to start in a Sprint Cup Race, at 72 years old.
Tyler Reddick currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. He was the NASCAR Xfinity Series champion in 2018 and 2019.
At the moment, Keselowski races the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, but he has quite a successful racing and race team history, including owning Brad Keselowski racing and being one of just four racers to win both a Cup and Xfinity championship.
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Chase Briscoe's first career win took place at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the same season when he landed a pole award at Dover International Speedway. He currently drives for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Ryan Newman has a remarkable racing background and has raced with several big-name organizations over the years. He currently races the Number 6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing.
As if racing some of the most powerful vehicles available today wasn't enough, Stanton Barrett is also a stuntman in Hollywood. He is the son of stuntman Stan Barrett and began racing NASCAR in the 1990s.
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Michael Annett has raced in over 100 events over the last three years and currently drives the No. 1 Chevy Camaro for JR Motorsports. His first NASCAR race was in the Camping World Truck Series at the Milwaukee Mile.
In addition to being named Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year in 2010, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was also named Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2013. He currently races for JT Daugherty Racing.
In 2010, Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing. If that wasn't enough, he also won the Brickyard 400 in the same year. He was one of only three racers to ever do so.
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Ryan Preece was a Northeastern Midget Association Champion and began racing in the Nationwide Series in 2013. In 2013, he also won the Whelen Modified Tour Championship after two close calls.
In addition to the nickname EJ, based on Erik Jones' initials, he also has the nickname "That Jones Boy," which was coined by announcer Ken Squier. Jones saw the name trending on Twitter before he realized it was him.
Stewart-Haas Racing is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas and was formed in 2002. Its current roster includes big names like Chase Briscoe, Kevin Harvick and Cole Custer. Matt DiBenedetto races for Wood Brothers Racing.
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Clint Bowyer has raced with some very successful teams, including HScott Motorsports for a year, Michael Waltrip Racing for four years, and Richard Childress Racing for eight years. He currently races the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Austin Theriault began racing in 2007 at the age of 13. In 2016, he was named the K&N Pro Series East Most Popular Driver and then in 2017 he won the ARCA Series Racing Championship.
Corey LaJoie currently races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 32 Ford Mustang for Go Fas Racing. In addition to being the son of racing champion Randy LaJoie, he also worked as a developmental driver for Richard Petty Motorsports.
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Denny Hamlin currently races the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His more than 30 racing wins include the 2016 and 2019 Daytona 500.
Timmy Hill is another legacy driver, with both his father, Jerry Hill, and his brother, Tyler Hill, making their own marks on racing history. He has quite a lot of experience himself and currently races for MBM Motorsports.
In 2007, Gase won the modified B championship at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin, but he wasn't done. Two years later he was the youngest winner of the late-model championship at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. He currently races for Rick Ware Racing.
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Michael McDowell currently races the No. 34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports but he has a long career of racing bikes, carts, open-wheel and Grand Am racing. And that doesn't even begin to take his NASCAR successes into account.
James Davison is an Australian driver whose father raced in the Formula 5000 and whose grandfather raced in the Australian Grand Prix. Davison has raced open-wheel, Indy, Sports Car and NASCAR to name a few.
In 2011, Brennan Poole made his ARCA debut in the No. 55 Chevrolet for Venturini Motorsports at Salem Speedway in Indiana. He currently drives the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro for Premium Motorsports.
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J.J. in J.J. Yeley is a nickname for Jimmy Jack, the names of his father and a close family friend. J.J. Yenley's full name is Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yenley and he currently races for Rick Ware Racing.