David Pearson or Dale Earnhardt who's the Greatest sprint cup driver ever. The Finals

Pick one, the poll is set for 7 days, plenty of time to vote carefully.

  • Pearson, David 105 wins, 3 titles, 18.29 winning %

    Votes: 20 60.6%

  • Earnhardt, Dale Sr. 76 wins, 7 titles, 11.24 winning %

    Votes: 13 39.4%
  • Total voters
    33
  • Poll closed .
Greg

Greg

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David Pearson or Dale Earnhardt who's the Greatest sprint cup driver ever. The Finals


Pick one, the poll is set for 7 days, plenty of time to vote carefully.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I think we all know what the results of this poll will be.
Click to expand...

sadly, yes...

As I said when I saw that Dale was leading Richard, Game Over.

None the less, Greg, a great fun experience it was! Thanks for all of your hard work. :beerbang:
 
robbybee said:
sadly, yes...

As I said when I saw that Dale was leading Richard, Game Over.

None the less, Greg, a great fun experience it was! Thanks for all of your hard work. :beerbang:
Click to expand...

good job Greg
But it won't change my opinion
 
My opinion on the vote.
If you were to take a poll on age at this forum or Nascar fans in general I would bet that at least 70% are age 40 or less.
If they started watching at age 15 that would only give them 25 years of knowledge,
So what have they seen in 25 years.
Earnhardt, Gordon and JJ.
Pearson retired 86
Petty 92 but never won after 84
Allison retired 88
Cale retired 88 but never won after 85
Even DW retired 2000 but never won after 92
The new fans never saw them so how could they vote for them? Stats ONLY. Not only these but others also.
Not to take away from Earnhardt Gordon or JJ I think all three are in the top 10. But greatest not.
I still think Pearson was the best with Allison a very close second in fact if the vote was Pearson VS Allison I could not vote.
 
I had to mull this vote over for a while...


FFF, your assessment is right on, I think! But I would still have a hard time NOT voting for The King.
 
A lot of folks have thanked me for the contest, I do appreciate the kinds words and thoughts.

But this has been a joint effort



First the biggest thanks imo belongs to this website itself racing-forums.
My work or energy involved about one month.
Their (owner, admin, mods) doing the grunt work 365 days, 24/7 nonstop.

This is the first forum I have been involved with, that had the participation, maturity and the owners patience to allow such a consuming contest.


Without the owners, builders, and moderators it would have been impossible.



Thanks to Texas Race Lady with the "sticky thread" help. Giving the polls headline status made it better and easier.



As participants give your selves a pat on the back, for being adults while being passionate

[please two soapbox minutes]


On a former racing forum I chose to leave due to the petty juvenile food fights.
On another one there was maturity, but not enough posters, to make it work.



We have a great thing or balance going on here at racing-forums. We get to celebrate the racing we love with lots of freedom, while not being disgusted by some of the idiocy that occurs at other pages.


Those conditions don't happen by accident, they must be nurtured.


Thanks again racing-forums, and participants.
 
Good Job Greg!

I voted for David Pearson ... hoping he wins!
 
Gotta say, after I saw that documentary on David Pearson on YouTube, gotta vote for the Silver Fox.
 
The man only ran full time, or near it, four times. Three of them resulted in championships and the other a 3rd. It's an easy choice. Pearson's the greatest of all time.
 
Greg said:
A lot of folks have thanked me for the contest, I do appreciate the kinds words and thoughts.

But this has been a joint effort



First the biggest thanks imo belongs to this website itself racing-forums.
My work or energy involved about one month.
Their (owner, admin, mods) doing the grunt work 365 days, 24/7 nonstop.

This is the first forum I have been involved with, that had the participation, maturity and the owners patience to allow such a consuming contest.


Without the owners, builders, and moderators it would have been impossible.



Thanks to Texas Race Lady with the "sticky thread" help. Giving the polls headline status made it better and easier.



As participants give your selves a pat on the back, for being adults while being passionate

[please two soapbox minutes]


On a former racing forum I chose to leave due to the petty juvenile food fights.
On another one there was maturity, but not enough posters, to make it work.



We have a great thing or balance going on here at racing-forums. We get to celebrate the racing we love with lots of freedom, while not being disgusted by some of the idiocy that occurs at other pages.


Those conditions don't happen by accident, they must be nurtured.


Thanks again racing-forums, and participants.
Click to expand...

But it's nice to be the admin TRL voted for Big E 9 times:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
head to head stats:

Total races in this series: 70
First race: 1975 World 600 (1975-13)
Last race: 1986 Champion Spark Plug 400 (1986-19)

Dale Earnhardt
David Pearson
Head-to-Head
Dale Earnhardt 47 wins
David Pearson 23 wins

Actual Race Stats
Wins
Dale Earnhardt 4
David Pearson 3

Top 5's
Dale Earnhardt 21
David Pearson 15

Top 10's
Dale Earnhardt 33
David Pearson 26

Avg. Finish
Dale Earnhardt 14.4
David Pearson 21.3
 
Even though I see it differently (Petty, Pearson, Earnhardt then Cale) I gotta say Greg did a great job with this. It helped to pass a bunch of days.
 
klemmabyna said:
head to head stats:

Total races in this series: 70
First race: 1975 World 600 (1975-13)
Last race: 1986 Champion Spark Plug 400 (1986-19)

Dale Earnhardt
David Pearson
Head-to-Head
Dale Earnhardt 47 wins
David Pearson 23 wins

Actual Race Stats
Wins
Dale Earnhardt 4
David Pearson 3

Top 5's
Dale Earnhardt 21
David Pearson 15

Top 10's
Dale Earnhardt 33
David Pearson 26

Avg. Finish
Dale Earnhardt 14.4
David Pearson 21.3
Click to expand...


Klemmabyna, I would not begrudge anyone for believing Dale was better.


But I don't think the head to head fairly represents either drivers body of work.

1. It represents Pearson from the age of 40 to 51, while Dale was hitting his stride.
Almost all decline after 45 y/o, maybe still strong, but not prime years.

2. David also stepped into Osterland # 2 Monte Carlo subbing for injured Dale and won the 79 Southern 500. That doesn't make David better, but it does show we can skew records.



3. 1975 thru 78 Dale numbers were crap, thats all he had to drive.

BTW, Dale would lose against Gordon using your model. Being in different career cycles ages etc.. Imo invalidates most head to head comparisons.



I think the age correlation is obvious.


Dale Sr. 35 y/o. 1986 1st in points. 29 Sts 5 wins. 7.4 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 34 y/o. 1985 8 points. 28 Sts 4 wins. 14.7 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 33 y/o. 1984 4 points. 30 Sts 2 wins. 9.6 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 32 y/o. 1983 8 points. 30 Sts 2 wins. 15.3 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 31 y/o. 1982 12 points. 30 Sts 1 wins. 18.8 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 30 y/o. 1981 7 points. 31 Sts 0 wins. 13.5 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 29 y/o. 1980 1st in points. 31 Sts 5 wins. 8.2 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 28 y/o. 1979 7 points. 27 Sts 1 wins. 10.7 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 27 y/o. 1978 44 points. 5 Sts 0 wins. 11.2 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 26 y/o. 1977 118 points. 1 Sts 0 wins. 38 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 25 y/o. 1976 104 points. 2 Sts 0 wins. 25 Avg Fn
Dale Sr. 24 y/o. 1975 130 points. 1 Sts 0 wins. 22 Avg Fn


***
Pearson 51 y/o. 1986 82 points. 2 Sts 0 wins. 23 Avg Fn
Pearson 50 1985 36 points. 12 Sts 0 wins. 30.1 Avg Fn
Pearson 49 1984 41 points. 11 Sts 0 wins. 26.2 Avg Fn
Pearson 48 1983 33 points. 10 Sts 0 wins. 22.1 Avg Fn
Pearson 47 1982 37 points. 6 Sts 0 wins. 22.2 Avg Fn
Pearson 46 1981 69 points. 6 Sts 0 wins. 22 Avg Fn
Pearson 45 1980 37 points. 9 Sts 1 wins. 13.9 Avg Fn
Pearson 44 1979 32 points. 9 Sts 1 wins. 12.9 Avg Fn
Pearson 43 1978 16 points. 22 Sts 4 wins. 15.6 Avg Fn
Pearson 42 1977 13 points. 22 Sts 2 wins. 9.6 Avg Fn
Pearson 41 1976 9 points. 22 Sts 10 wins. 6.9 Avg Fn
Pearson 40 1975 14 points. 21 Sts 3 wins. 10.3 Avg Fn
 
I don't get it. The ages don't match up. Earnhardt had 28 wins between 40 and 50 years old, but he had way more starts and his winning percentage was lower. Sr was still pretty good at 50. Who knows what he might have accomplished with another 5 or 6 years.
 
FenderBumper said:
Sr was still pretty good at 50. Who knows what he might have accomplished with another 5 or 6 years.
Click to expand...

Using that logic I could ask, "Who knows what Tim Richmond might have accomplished with another 25 or 26 years.".

Tony Stewart was eliminated due to the fact that he is still active and his numbers were not as voluminous. Same for Gordon and Johnson. Davey Allison was eliminated cause he died too young.

We can only deal with what we have. We cannot project what might have been...
 
Wow I can't believe Pearson is leading. I have a question though. If the poll was Pearson vs Petty who would you choose? I guess what I am getting at do you guys think that Earnhardt, Pearson, and Petty are kind of all three the best in their own right?
 
I just hope that all the great drivers that have contributed to the sport will be in the hall of fame. They all deserve some recognition and they all played a part in making the sport what it is today.
 
robbybee said:
Using that logic I could ask, "Who knows what Tim Richmond might have accomplished with another 25 or 26 years.".
Click to expand...

Of course you can, as we all do. But it doesn't mean I voted based on 'what if'. Here's another quote for you.

FenderBumper said:
Even though I see it differently (Petty, Pearson, Earnhardt then Cale) I gotta say Greg did a great job with this. It helped to pass a bunch of days.
Click to expand...
 
Yea
And if Allison had not raced against drivers like Petty and Pearson he would have won 400 races
 
robbybee said:
MEH!

It was a plate race. Hell, Trevor Bayne won a friggin' Plate Race!!!

nuff said...
Click to expand...

LOL, now thats Funny! Comparing todays plate races to yesteryears is a stretch I just can't make.

BTW, If you tally the votes you'll see I voted for Pearson, but Earnhardt could sure as hell drive too.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
Wow I can't believe Pearson is leading. I have a question though. If the poll was Pearson vs Petty who would you choose? I guess what I am getting at do you guys think that Earnhardt, Pearson, and Petty are kind of all three the best in their own right?
Click to expand...

I still would've voted for Pearson.
 
Petty v Pearson would have been a much tougher call than Earnhardt v Pearson - for me anyway.

I probably would have gone with Petty but not without much back-and-forth!

Petty and Pearson are 1A and 1B as far as I am concerned!!
 
robbybee said:
Petty v Pearson would have been a much tougher call than Earnhardt v Pearson - for me anyway.

I probably would have gone with Petty but not without much back-and-forth!

Petty and Pearson are 1A and 1B as far as I am concerned!!
Click to expand...

How would you order Sr and Cale?
 
before i crunch more numbers, can anyone tell me why pearson only ran for the title 4 times?

cause by my look at his career and wins it makes it seem like he cherry picked rides, tracks, and events. kinda like today's road course specialists.

owners wood bros. and cotton owens fielded some of the best equipment of the day. they both won with many different drivers before and after letting pearson drive for them.

now check pearson's starts. how many of those races did he win from the pole, a sure sign of top notch equipment, especially back then.

just did a quick look at pearson's 105 wins....

he started on the front row in 68 of those. (64.8%)

pearson's career average starting position was 6.2. his average finish was 11.0. he went backwards!

pearson won only 4 times in those 105 wins when starting outside the top ten:
-from 12th at fonda in 1966
-from 14th at bristol in 1967
-from 15th at daytona in 1969
-from 16th at richmond in 1968

earnhardt won 11 races from 17th or worse.

the best DRIVER?;):D;)
 
klemmabyna said:
before i crunch more numbers, can anyone tell me why pearson only ran for the title 4 times?

cause by my look at his career and wins it makes it seem like he cherry picked rides, tracks, and events. kinda like today's road course specialists.

owners wood bros. and cotton owens fielded some of the best equipment of the day. they both won with many different drivers before and after letting pearson drive for them.

now check pearson's starts. how many of those races did he win from the pole, a sure sign of top notch equipment, especially back then.

just did a quick look at pearson's 105 wins....

he started on the front row in 68 of those. (64.8%)

pearson's career average starting position was 6.2. his average finish was 11.0. he went backwards!

pearson won only 4 times in those 105 wins when starting outside the top ten:
-from 12th at fonda in 1966
-from 14th at bristol in 1967
-from 15th at daytona in 1969
-from 16th at richmond in 1968

earnhardt won 11 races from 17th or worse.

the best DRIVER?;):D;)
Click to expand...

A very interesting angle I never considered looking at. Nice work Klem.
 
klemmabyna said:
before i crunch more numbers, can anyone tell me why pearson only ran for the title 4 times?

cause by my look at his career and wins it makes it seem like he cherry picked rides, tracks, and events. kinda like today's road course specialists.

owners wood bros. and cotton owens fielded some of the best equipment of the day. they both won with many different drivers before and after letting pearson drive for them.

now check pearson's starts. how many of those races did he win from the pole, a sure sign of top notch equipment, especially back then.

just did a quick look at pearson's 105 wins....

he started on the front row in 68 of those. (64.8%)

pearson's career average starting position was 6.2. his average finish was 11.0. he went backwards!

pearson won only 4 times in those 105 wins when starting outside the top ten:
-from 12th at fonda in 1966
-from 14th at bristol in 1967
-from 15th at daytona in 1969
-from 16th at richmond in 1968

earnhardt won 11 races from 17th or worse.

the best DRIVER?;):D;)
Click to expand...

I have held off from voting just to see some statics like these Thanks :D
 
klemmabyna said:
before i crunch more numbers, can anyone tell me why pearson only ran for the title 4 times?

cause by my look at his career and wins it makes it seem like he cherry picked rides, tracks, and events. kinda like today's road course specialists.

owners wood bros. and cotton owens fielded some of the best equipment of the day. they both won with many different drivers before and after letting pearson drive for them.

now check pearson's starts. how many of those races did he win from the pole, a sure sign of top notch equipment, especially back then.

just did a quick look at pearson's 105 wins....

he started on the front row in 68 of those. (64.8%)

pearson's career average starting position was 6.2. his average finish was 11.0. he went backwards!

pearson won only 4 times in those 105 wins when starting outside the top ten:
-from 12th at fonda in 1966
-from 14th at bristol in 1967
-from 15th at daytona in 1969
-from 16th at richmond in 1968

earnhardt won 11 races from 17th or worse.

the best DRIVER?;):D;)
Click to expand...

pearson was a driver not an owner the owner decided when to race
 
As I understand it David left Holman Moody because Ford pulled out, he chose not to take a pay cut. Tough times, that forced Cale to run USAC Indy cars for two years.


The Wood Brothers weren't point racers. Before Donnie Allison drove for them, AJ Foyt ran part time for them. They also ran part time afterwards with Neil Bonnet who replaced Pearson.


This does affect Pearson's average finish. If Petty broke a part and needed 25 laps behind the wall they fixed it, and ran for points. Back then attrition was more of a factor, and the Pettys in some cases could still get a top 10, in one of those marathons even with a big repair.


On the other hand when the 21 needed a long behind the wall repair that was repairable, they were done, and loaded up the trailer to go home, a bigger DNF hit.
Hence Pearson's average finish did suffer as a result.


That's a Pearson defense from me, so here is a plug for Petty. The Pettys probably had a little more fatigue or exhaustion, as every week racers. While the Woods and Pearson could focus more on the bigger money races, Petty was scrapping against the Allison's, Cale, Darrell, etc. Petty was the target to beat, so he had more battle scars or weariness to combat.


So it is hard to do an apples to apples comparison, there were two different objectives, agendas, or philosophies to consider.
Both of them were highly successful at meeting their own goals.


And David wasn't a one off road course type of specialist. No disrespect intended klemmabyna,
But he ran great everywhere, and wasn't restricted to only being good at certain disciplines. The "silver fox" wasn't just a catchy name. It was an accurate of description based on skills, skills they looked natural and great everywhere.
 
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