Top NASCAR Drivers from the 2000s

The decade of the 2000's was somewhat of a rollercoaster ride in the world of NASCAR. The sport continued to gain new fans in the early 2000's. However, a series of unwelcomed changes, such as the championship points system, as well as an economic recession likely triggered a decline in race attendance and television ratings. Nevertheless, the sport remained one of the United State's most beloved. Below are the top drivers from the decade of the 2000's.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson immediately made a bold statement in NASCAR when he won the Daytona 500 pole award as a rookie in 2002. Johnson entered NASCAR as Jeff Gordon's prot©g© at Hendrick Motorsports. He won three races during his rookie campaign. Despite his instantaneous success, few expected him to make a historic run later in the decade. In 2008, Johnson became the second driver in NASCAR to win three consecutive championships joining Cale Yarborough on the elite list. In 2009, Johnson became the first drive to clinch four successive championships. In 2007, he earned a career-high 10 wins. Johnson won 47 races in 291 starts during the 2000's. Johnson won his first Daytona 500 in 2006.

Tony Stewart

Stewart earned a reputation as a hard-charging racer early in his career. As a rookie in 1999, he won three races. In 2002, he held off Mark Martin to earn his first Winston Cup championship. Three years later in 2005, he clinched his second title. Stewart became the first driver to win the championship under the previous season-long championship format, as well as the Chase for the Championship format. In 358 starts, Stewart won a total of 34 races. Stewart drove for Joe Gibbs Racing until 2009 when he endeavored in the venture of ownership, co-owing Stewart-Haas Racing. He won at least one race in every season during the 2000's.

Jeff Gordon

Gordon enjoyed another decade of success in the 2000's, though he was not near as dominant as he was during the 1990's. Gordon won the 2001 Winston Cup championship, his fourth overall. That was his only championship during the decade. He finished second to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Johnson in 2007, winning six races. Under the traditional championship format, Gordon would have cruised to another championship. He won his third Daytona 500 in 2005. Gordon won 33 races in 358 starts throughout the decade.

Honorable mention includes Matt Kenseth; Kurt Busch; Bobby Labonte; Dale Jarrett; Mark Martin; Dale Earnhardt Jr

Resource: Racing Reference