The season's most successful is often not NASCAR’s champion

In 1949, Red Byron and Bob Flock each won two of the eight races run that inaugural NASCAR season. Bryon had more points, so he was the champion. The next year they ran 19 events with Curtis Turner winning four, Dick Linder had three, but one race winner Bill Rexford was king, and so it began.

While the fans revered the winners, winning never seemed that big a deal to NASCAR. Under the modern era’s first points system, a win might move the victor almost two full positions up on the runner-up. The present system could be worth up to six spots. In essence, wins contributed to the points total, but not by any great amount over those who followed behind.

That changes this year, where wins trump points. While they still do not shakeup the points total, a win puts one in the Chase and a win keeps one in the Chase. Points still have meaning, as they can get a winless driver into the Chase, enough can keep a winless driver in the Chase, and most points earned among the final four at Homestead will win a championship. Still, for the first time, wins trump points.

Of the 65 annual champions declared since 1949, a majority of our champions also claimed the most wins that season. Barely. 52% have been the most successful and won the title the same season. However, in seven of those seasons, the gap in victories between the champion and the winningest driver has been seven or more. In 2003, Ryan Newman won eight but still lost the crown to single race winner Matt Kenseth. Still, even that pales compared to 1963 where Richard Petty won 14, but it was three race winner Joe Weatherly with the trophy. Points were king, as they certainly have been in ten of the past 15 years, and in six of the past ten since the advent of the Chase.

Some might argue that a big jump in points for a victory might have been a solution, but there is no arguing that winning now definitely has its benefits. As I have mentioned before, the most successful driver in a race is the one who crosses the line first. It goes to reason that the most successful driver in a season has done the same more times than anyone else. Here is a look at those who have been the most successful in doing so each season since 1949.

Year	Most Wins	Victories	Runner-up	Victories	Season Champion	Victories
1949	Red Byron	2	Bob Flock	2	Red Byron	2
1950	Curtis Turner	4	Dick Linder	3	Bill Rexford	1
1951	Fonty Flock	8	Herb Thomas	7	Herb Thomas	7
1952	Tim Flock	8	Herb Thomas	8	Tim Flock	8
1953	Herb Thomas	12	Lee Petty	5	Herb Thomas	12
1954	Herb Thomas	12	Lee Petty	7	Lee Petty	7
1955	Tim Flock	18	Lee Petty	6	Tim Flock	18
1956	Buck Baker	14	Speedy Thompson	8	Buck Baker	14
1957	Buck Baker	10	Fireball Roberts	8	Buck Baker	10
1958	Lee Petty	7	Junior Johnson	6	Lee Petty	7
1959	Lee Petty	11	Rex White	5	Lee Petty	11
1960	Rex White	6	Ned Jarrett	5	Rex White	6
1961	Joe Weatherly	9	Rex White	7	Ned Jarrett	1
1962	Joe Weatherly	9	Richard Petty	8	Joe Weatherly	9
1963	Richard Petty	14	Ned Jarrett	8	Joe Weatherly	3
1964	Ned Jarrett	15	Richard Petty	9	Richard Petty	9
1965	Ned Jarrett	13	Junior Johnson	13	Ned Jarrett	13
1966	David Pearson	15	Richard Petty	8	David Pearson	15
1967	Richard Petty	27	Bobby Allison	6	Richard Petty	27
1968	David Pearson	16	Richard Petty	16	David Pearson	16
1969	Bobby Isaac	17	David Pearson	11	David Pearson	11
1970	Richard Petty	18	Bobby Isaac	11	Bobby Isaac	11
1971	Richard Petty	21	Bobby Allison	11	Richard Petty	21
1972	Bobby Allison	10	Richard Petty	8	Richard Petty	8
1973	David Pearson	11	Richard Petty	6	Benny Parsons	1
1974	Richard Petty	10	Cale Yarborough	10	Richard Petty	10
1975	Richard Petty	13	Buddy Baker	4	Richard Petty	13
1976	David Pearson	10	Cale Yarborough	9	Cale Yarborough	9
1977	Cale Yarborough	9	Darrell Waltrip	6	Cale Yarborough	9
1978	Cale Yarborough	10	Darrell Waltrip	6	Cale Yarborough	10
1979	Darrell Waltrip	7	Richard Petty	5	Richard Petty	5
1980	Cale Yarborough	6	Dale Earnhardt	5	Dale Earnhardt	5
1981	Darrell Waltrip	12	Bobby Allison	5	Darrell Waltrip	12
1982	Darrell Waltrip	12	Bobby Allison	8	Darrell Waltrip	12
1983	Bobby Allison	6	Darrell Waltrip	6	Bobby Allison	6
1984	Darrell Waltrip	7	Harry Gant	3	Terry Labonte	2
1985	Bill Elliott	11	Dale Earnhardt	4	Darrell Waltrip	3
1986	Tim Richmond	7	Dale Earnhardt	5	Dale Earnhardt	5
1987	Dale Earnhardt	11	Bill Elliott	6	Dale Earnhardt	11
1988	Bill Elliott	6	Rusty Wallace	6	Bill Elliott	6
1989	Rusty Wallace	6	Darrell Waltrip	6	Rusty Wallace	6
1990	Dale Earnhardt	9	Mark Martin	3	Dale Earnhardt	9
1991	Davey Allison	5	Harry Gant	5	Dale Earnhardt	4
1992	Bill Elliott	5	Davey Allison	5	Alan Kulwicki	2
1993	Rusty Wallace	10	Dale Earnhardt	6	Dale Earnhardt	6
1994	Rusty Wallace	8	Dale Earnhardt	4	Dale Earnhardt	4
1995	Jeff Gordon	7	Dale Earnhardt	5	Jeff Gordon	7
1996	Jeff Gordon	10	Rusty Wallace	5	Terry Labonte	2
1997	Jeff Gordon	10	Dale Jarrett	7	Jeff Gordon	10
1998	Jeff Gordon	13	Mark Martin	7	Jeff Gordon	13
1999	Jeff Gordon	7	Jeff Burton	6	Dale Jarrett	4
2000	Tony Stewart	6	Bobby Labonte	4	Bobby Labonte	4
2001	Jeff Gordon	6	Dale Jarrett	4	Jeff Gordon	6
2002	Matt Kenseth	5	Kurt Busch	4	Tony Stewart	3
2003	Ryan Newman	8	Kurt Busch	4	Matt Kenseth	1
2004	Jimmie Johnson	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr	6	Kurt Busch	3
2005	Greg Biffle	6	Tony Stewart	5	Tony Stewart	5
2006	Kasey Kahne	6	Jimmie Johnson	5	Jimmie Johnson	5
2007	Jimmie Johnson	10	Jeff Gordon	6	Jimmie Johnson	10
2008	Carl Edwards	9	Kyle Busch	8	Jimmie Johnson	7
2009	Jimmie Johnson	7	Mark Martin	5	Jimmie Johnson	7
2010	Denny Hamlin	8	Jimmie Johnson	6	Jimmie Johnson	6
2011	Tony Stewart	5	Kevin Harvick	4	Tony Stewart	5
2012	Brad Keselowski	5	Jimmie Johnson	5	Brad Keselowski	5
2013	Matt Kenseth	7	Jimmie Johnson	6	Jimmie Johnson	6