30 With 30: NASCAR's First 10 Drivers to Cross the 30-Win Mark
After chasing down and passing his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman in the final laps of Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kyle Larson collected a landmark 30th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The Elk Grove, California-native joined an exclusive list of NASCAR Cup Series legends with his victory in Miami, Florida, a list that includes three seven-time series champions and several NASCAR Hall of Fame-caliber drivers, some of whom are still active today at NASCAR's top-level.
At 32 years, 7 months, and 20 days old, Larson is the 11th-youngest driver to reach the 30-win mark in the 76-year history of the NASCAR Cup Series, and the fifth youngest to accomplish this feat during NASCAR’s modern-era – which began in 1972.
In this three-part 30 with 30 series, Racing America On SI is set to reflect on each of the 30 NASCAR Cup Series drivers that pushed themselves past 30 wins in the top-level of stock car racing in the United States, in order of when they accomplished said feat.
The opening part of this story highlights 10 of NASCAR's pioneers, and the first 10 drivers who managed to reach this significant milestone. All of these drivers crossed over the 30-win mark between 1954 and 1970.
Herb Thomas
Herb Thomas, a two-time champion of the NASCAR Cup Series (1951 and 1953) was the first driver in NASCAR history to collect 30 victories, securing his landmark 30th win in the third event of the 1954 season at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, an event he won by two laps over Fonty Flock.
Thomas was well-known for being a successful owner-driver in the NASCAR Cup Series throughout the 1950s, and he iconically piloted the No. 92 Fabulous Hudson Hornet machine to 30 wins during his decade-long career, which came to an end in 1962.
By the time Thomas hung up his racing helmet, the Olivia North Carolina-native had collected 48 NASCAR Cup Series victories, which as of March 2025 puts him 17th on the series' all-time wins list.
For the younger generation of NASCAR fans who may not be familiar with Thomas' successes, the NASCAR pioneer was the main inspiration behind the Doc Hudson character in the 2006 Pixar film 'Cars'.
Tim Flock
One-quarter of the iconic Flock NASCAR family, Tim Flock was a successful NASCAR Cup Series competitor in the 1950s, taking home 39 race-win trophies and a pair of championships in 1952 and 1955 -- the latter of which gave him (at the time) the single-season record for the most victories, at 18.
As part of that second championship-winning season, Flock was able to collect his 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory on July 31, when he triumphed over Johnny Kieper and Danny Letner at Bay Meadows Speedway in San Mateo, California, while driving for legendary NASCAR team owner Carl Kiekhaefer.
Of the four siblings in the Flock family, only three (Tim Flock, Fonty Flock, and Bob Flock) managed to capture victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, with Tim being the most successful, and the only one to reach the 30-win mark.
Flock's sister, Ethel Mobley, was the second woman to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series, making a pair of starts in 1949, the first of which resulted in an 11th-place finish at the Daytona Beach Road Course -- the second-ever NASCAR Cup Series event.
Interestingly enough, despite having 39 NASCAR Cup Series victories, Tim Flock never went to Victory Lane on a paved oval -- winning 36 dirt track races and three road course events.
Buck Baker
Elzie Wyler Baker Sr. (better known as Buck Baker) was a prominent driver from NASCAR's humble beginnings, whose first-ever NASCAR Cup Series was the inaugural event at Charlotte in 1949.
The native of Charlotte, North Carolina was the series' first-ever back-to-back champion, claiming the crown in 1956 and 1957, and was known for having one of the longest careers in the sport's history -- retiring from competition in 1976.
On May 30, 1957, during his second and final championship campaign, Baker earned his 30th career NASCAR Cup Series win at Lincoln Speedway in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, beating out Fireball Roberts and Paul Goldsmith for the victory at the half-mile dirt track.
Throughout his time in NASCAR, during which Baker collected a total of 46 wins as a driver (the final of which was in the 1964 Southern 500), the Hall of Fame driver also dabbled into team ownership, capturing 13 victories in a racecar that he owned himself.
Buddy Baker (Elzie Wylie Baker Jr.), the son of Buck Baker, was also a successful NASCAR Cup Series competitor, winning 19 events throughout a career that spanned from 1959 to 1992, and included triumphs in the DAYTONA 500, Southern 500, and World 600.
Lee Petty
Lee Petty is probably most well-known for being the father of “The King” Richard Petty and the original patriarch of the iconic Petty NASCAR family, which has seen four generations compete in the NASCAR Cup Series throughout the sport’s 76-year history.
However, the Randleman, North Carolina-native is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (1954, 1958, 1959) himself and a 54-time race-winner, ultimately founding the iconic Petty Enterprises brand that was so successful for several decades.
Of the 30 drivers that have reached 30 victories throughout their career, Petty was the second oldest when reaching landmark win No. 30, winning the October 1957 event at Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 43 years, 6 months, and 21 days.
At the age of 50, Petty retired from NASCAR Cup Series competition after competing in a pair of events in 1964, passing the baton to his son, Richard. The eldest member of the Petty family was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011, more than a decade after his death in 2000.
Junior Johnson
As an accomplished driver, team owner, and entrepreneur, Junior Johnson was an all-around success in the world of NASCAR.
Coming from the world of moonshining, Johnson transitioned to becoming a professional NASCAR Cup Series driver in the mid-to-late 1950s, tacking the big leagues of stock car racing in America and finding incredible success doing so.
Throughout the 50s and 60s, Johnson was able to collect an incredible 50 NASCAR Cup Series victories, including a victory in the prestigious DAYTONA 500 (1960). His victories have him placed, as of March 2025, 15th on the all-time wins list in the NASCAR Cup Series.
His 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory came in 1963 at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina, where Johnson was able to lap the field and beat NASCAR legend Richard Petty by more than a lap to win the 1963 Hickory 200.
Towards the end of his driving career, Johnson officially formed his own NASCAR Cup Series operation – Junior Johnson and Associates – which would become one of the most successful organizations in series history, collecting 132 victories and six championships.
On December 26, 1986, Johnson received a presidential pardon from President Ronald Reagan for his moonshining conviction in 1956 -- and to this day, Johnson remains one of only a couple of NASCAR drivers that have received a presidential pardon.
Fireball Roberts
With victories in the DAYTONA 500 (1962) and Southern 500 (1958, 1963), Fireball Roberts was the true definition of a NASCAR legend. In 1950, during his rookie campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series, Roberts came up just short of the championship, a trophy he was never able to hoist throughout his 15-year career.
The 30th win of Roberts’ NASCAR Cup Series career was a substantial one, in which he took home the trophy in the 1963 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, beating out Fred Lorenzen, his teammate at Holman-Moody Racing, by three-quarters of a car-length.
Nearly one year later, Roberts succumbed to injuries that he sustained in a fiery crash in the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1964.
Although his career came to an abrupt and early end, the Daytona Beach, Florida-native is remembered as a pioneer of the sport, who captured 33 NASCAR Cup Series victories and several top-10 finishes in point standings.
Richard Petty
It’s impossible to argue the fact that Richard Petty (given the nickname of “The King”) is one of the greatest drivers to ever grace a racetrack in the NASCAR Cup Series, collecting a record seven championships (1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979) and an untouchable 200 victories at NASCAR’s top-level.
The legendary race car driver collected his 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory in the early days of his NASCAR career, and even before hoisting his first championship trophy. Petty triumphed at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virgina, to collect the landmark victory on May 17, 1964, beating Marvin Panch by a margin of eight seconds to collect the victory.
When collecting that landmark victory, Richard Petty was only 26 years, 10 months, and 15 days of age, making him the second-youngest driver to reach the 30-win mark in the NASCAR Cup Series, and one of only two drivers who managed to reach the milestone prior to their 30th birthday.
An entire encyclopedia could be written about the accolades and NASCAR records that are held by ‘The King’, who to this day remains involved in the NASCAR Cup Series, serving as an ambassador for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, which fields the No. 42 and No. 43 entries for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
Ned Jarrett
Who, in 1944, could have possibly guessed that Ned Jarrett, a 12-year-old child working for his father at the local sawmill would go on to become one of the most successful racecar drivers during the 1950s and 1960s. Now, more than 80 years later, Jarrett is still recognized as a legend in one of America’s most popular sports.
From his humble beginnings in Newton, North Carolina, Jarrett was the leader of one of the most successful NASCAR families in history, collecting a pair of NASCAR Cup Series championships (1961, 1965) and 50 wins at NASCAR’s top-level.
The 30th win of Jarrett’s career happened during a period of time in which the talented racer scored 28 victories in a two-season span, winning at Fairgrounds Raceway in Birmingham, Alabama on June 21, put past the halfway point of the 1964 season.
Two years later, Jarrett would retire from driving in the NASCAR Cup Series, and leave the NASCAR world completely for more than a decade, before making his return in 1978 as a radio broadcaster for MRN Radio. Eventually, Jarrett would join CBS Sports as part of their NASCAR television coverage.
As it turns out, Jarrett would soon become an interested observer, as his son Dale Jarrett would join the ranks of the NASCAR Cup Series and find himself quite successful… but we’ll talk some more about that tomorrow.
David Pearson
Listen, David Pearson has a list of NASCAR accolades so long that it could probably be used as a tablecloth, with 105 NASCAR Cup Series victories, three championships (1966 1968, 1969), three Southern 500 wins (1976 1977, 1979), three wins in the World 600 (1961, 1974, 1976), and a triumph in the prestigious DAYTONA 500 (1976).
The Spartanburg, South Carolina-native was nearly unstoppable when he arrived at the racetrack, no matter who he drove for, but famously didn’t commit to full-time campaigns in the NASCAR Cup Series very often, which in the end would prevent him from collecting more championship trophies than the three that he did.
For Pearson, the landmark win No. 30 came at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in the 1967 Greenville 200, when the driver curb stomped the field – as he often did when he was present at the racetrack – leading 198 of 200 laps and beating Jim Paschal by more than three laps.
In 574 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, the final of which was in 1986, Pearson managed to record 105 victories (18.29%), which as of March 2025 ranks him second on the all-time wins list, behind only Richard Petty.
Bobby Isaac
Bobby Isaac was a champion of the NASCAR Cup Series (1970) and known as one of the toughest competitors on the NASCAR circuit. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Isaac found a great deal of success partnering up with Nord Krauskopf, the owner of the No. 71 K&K Insurance Dodge that the driver wheeled to 36 of his 37 victories at NASCAR’s top-level.
Isaac was able to capture his landmark 30th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series during his championship season, on August 6, 1970, in the Sandlapper 200, where he triumphed against Richard Petty to win at the half-mile dirt track of Columbia Speedway in Cayce, South Carolina.
Following the 1973 Talladega 500 – when Isaac elected to retire in the middle of the race based on a whim – the Catawba, North Carolina-native significantly reduced his schedule in the NASCAR Cup Series, with his final contest being the 1976 World 600 at Charlotte – approximately one year before his death, at the age of 43.
In addition to being a successful racecar driver, Isaac also made his mark outside of NASCAR by setting several world speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, some of which still stand.
The second part of Racing America On SI’s 30 with 30 series will be released on Tuesday, March 26, and document the next 10 drivers who have surpassed the 30-win landmark in the NASCAR Cup Series, which picks up just before the start of the modern-era and stretches nearly three decades, until 2007.
-a54bf325b08a5e9f769b818f5c4a244c.png "Joseph Srigley")
Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.