10 NASCAR Seasons That Deserved a Championship

Top 10 list of the most dominant NASCAR seasons that didn’t end with a championship

10. Denny Hamlin – 2010 Cup Series

Wins: 8 | Points Finish: 2nd Hamlin led the standings heading into the finale at Homestead and looked ready to dethrone Jimmie Johnson. But a late-race pit strategy misfire cost him the title, as Johnson completed his historic fifth straight championship instead.

9. Kyle Larson – 2022 Cup Series

Wins: 3 | Laps Led: 635 | Points Finish: 7th Larson wasn’t bad by any means — he was fast everywhere — but a few playoff mistakes and mechanical issues derailed his title defense. A reminder of how unforgiving NASCAR’s playoff format can be.

8. Mark Martin – 1990 Cup Series

Wins: 3 | Top-5s: 16 | Points Finish: 2nd Martin lost the championship by a mere 26 points after a controversial engine penalty early in the season. Despite near-flawless consistency, Dale Earnhardt Sr. snatched the title away.

7. Jeff Gordon – 1996 Cup Series

Wins: 10 | Points Finish: 2nd Even though Gordon won a third of the races that year, two DNFs and mechanical issues cost him the title to teammate Terry Labonte. Statistically dominant, but not when it counted most.

6. Sam Ard – 1983 Busch Series

Wins: 10 | Top-5s: 24 | Points Finish: 2nd Ard was unstoppable all season but narrowly lost to Jack Ingram in the inaugural Busch Series championship. A historic year, but one overshadowed by heartbreak.

5. Rusty Wallace – 1993 Cup Series

Wins: 10 | Points Finish: 2nd Rusty was on fire — dominating short tracks and intermediates — but early-season crashes buried him in points. Dale Earnhardt’s consistency kept Wallace from claiming what should’ve been his crown.

4. Kevin Harvick – 2020 Cup Series

Wins: 9 | Top-10s: 27 | Points Finish: 5th Harvick dominated the regular season like no one else, only to get eliminated in the Round of 8 after a shocking Phoenix misstep. A prime example of how brutal the playoff system can be.

3. Bill Elliott – 1985 Cup Series

Wins: 11 | Poles: 11 | Points Finish: 2nd “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” won nearly everywhere — Daytona, Talladega, Darlington — even capturing the Winston Million. Yet, mechanical issues at key races gave Darrell Waltrip the championship.

2. Conor Zilisch – 2025 Xfinity Series

Wins: 10 | Top-5s: 21 | Points Finish: 2nd The rookie phenom shattered Xfinity records and came within one restart of winning it all. Instead, Jesse Love’s late-race heroics left Zilisch with a runner-up finish after one of the greatest rookie seasons ever.

1. David Pearson – 1969 Cup Series

Wins: 11 | Points Finish: 3rd Despite winning 11 of 51 races with Holman-Moody, Pearson didn’t run the full schedule, allowing Richard Petty to clinch the championship. On pure performance, Pearson was the class of the field — but NASCAR’s old points system rewarded endurance over dominance.