Which current drivers could have competed then?

This is my favorite question to ask the veteran drivers in interviews. Thought it would be a good topic for the members.Of the current crop ofcup drivers, who do you think could have been competive back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's? Keep in mind they were driving heavier cars with inferior tires..in the early days without spoilers and power steering...running higher ride heights..and as Buddy Baker said ALWAYS in "dirty" air.


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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®
updated by @jeff-gilder: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM

Keeping in mind that you said "competitive", I would say most any of todays drivers would do pretty good, some more than others,but last I checked they still make a man the same now as then. These guys today are in awesome physical condtion with diets and training programs, I read an article in an old copy of Stock Car racing magazine the spoke of the lack of physical conditioning of the drivers and there was very little of it going on in the early days. I read an article about Bobby Allison once where he would ride around in the Alabama Sun with windows up to train himself for the heat inside the race car. Mark Martin is a very small man in size with probably as much heart and determination as any man I have ever seen drive a race car and I think he would be as competive in 1965 as he has been in his entire career. I think the mental conditioning would be something to consider. It is amazing what a person can overcome with good mental conditioning.

Jeff I like many of your members have been around racing all my life. I can remember seeing these men compete for the love of competiton and bragging rights not the money and lavish lifestyle that these guys enjoy today. They would work a job in a factory, service station or garage and work half the night and drive their race cars to the track and race three sometimes four days a week and hope that they didnt crash their ride back home. They were the car owner, mechanic and driver all in one. Most of them had no sponsors exept for a tire or tank of gas and their pit crews were friends or relitives if they had a crew. They would help each other work on their cars even if they thought they would get outrun by the one they were helping. These men were a total different breed of man in the good old days of racing. But only a handful of drivers in todays racing could compete with the old timers of the 50s and 60s. That is my opinion for what it is worth.

I think the drivers of today that could maybe compete with the old guys would be Tony Stewart,Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordan, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, and maybe Dale jr.

This still goes on at the local tracks. Infact the year that I won my first championship, there were about 4or 5 drivers that raced in my class for the last 2 months just to make sure that things stayed even so I could not be taken out by certain drivers. That same year I showed up at the track found that my radiator had something taken to it or hit by something on the road. thanks to about 7-8 people we found a radiator and got it put in intme for my heat race so that I missed 0 laps. So yes racers still help each other out continually.Yes I could go on for hours about this.

John, you're right..there is still the "brotherhood" in effect at the local level...thank God for local racing. And Tommy, you're right....conditioning has always been necessary. Charlie Glotzbach used to go run his bulldozer to stay in shape. But I think the list of those who could have been competitive in the early days is a short list. In every interview where we've asked this question to a veteran driver....1 name comes up most of the time...a second name comes up occaisionally...and a third names just once in a while. I thought it would be interesting to see if fans see the same thing in these 3 drivers that the vets do. So go on...tell us who you think...and I'll reveal the answers from the veterans after we've gotten a bunch of responses on here. Thanks Mike for posting your picks.Jeff


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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®

Boys, this a subject I can go on about all day & night!Yep, I have driven my race car 30 miles to a dirt track, raced it & driven what was left back home. This with a locked rear & major wedge & offset; flashlight taped in place for a tailight. Borrowed an oilfilter w/permission off a fan's car once at Calloway Speedway; a close competitor loaned me a radiator at Augusta & gave me a clutch at Smyrna Beach, plus tires lotsa times! Thanks, Tom, Tiny & others!!But times & cars are different now. Money changes things. Not many guys today could deal with the massive 3900# cars, with no power steering or radials, no trained pit crews, spotters or radios, etc.Anyone here remember pulling the cord to open the little fenderwell door so you could check tire wear on the rt front? Or checking laps from the scoreboard for fuel? Anyone ever pitted & got out to pour his own fuel 'cos he had no crew on hand?Tony Stewart is probably the closest we have today to an "old time driver", and Carl Edwards seems likely to be the type also. Juan Pablo has the heart & fire too, IMHO.Thanks!

For the drivers of today, there are two that come to mind that I would say could and that would be Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.

Yessiree ... and now they're gonna be team mates! I am sure looking forward to watching 'em!

I would say Tony Stewart, and possibly Robby Gordon. Both of those drivers seem to be able to take any vehicle and make it run. Okay, so maybe not so successfully in Robbys case, but I do think that, given the old equipment, he would stand as good a chance as anyone else.I'm really not sure just how involved the drivers are in the general scheme of things any more. But I know Tony gets involved with the mechanical side every time he can. Which seems to me to be a way of maintainng a link with the grass roots of the sport.

I think Mark Martin would be about the only one, maybe jeff Burton and the Labonte's oh yea I think Billelliot would do very well.

Robby Gordon is a real good pick, Wendy. He would have been right at home on the dirt tracks, and is a superior road racer with a good feel for a car. Also anybody who has raced a Hummer sure oughta feel okay in the big old tanks of the sixties.Paul, I think Mark Martin certainly has the heart, but possibly not the utter brute strength required in those days. I don't wanto arm wrassle him, though! And given what Tiger Tom Pistone accomplished I'd hate to bet against Mark~~Tommy, I seem to recall that Bobby Allison had an odd happening contribute to his condition; it involved a boat and some very cold water.The Carl Kiekhoffer Chrysler team in mid 50s was the first NASCAR outfit I ever heard of that pushed an exercise program.

I think that Kyle Busch could have competed back then. I haven't been to kind when talking about Kyle in the past, but he has amazing driving ability and car control, and he is very aggressive and knows the car and what each part is for. And he is just 23, he's going to get better as he matures.Along with him, I think that Mark Martin could be a competitive driver back then also. He is very determined and also knows a lot about the car. Plus the fact that he has been competitive for the past 25 years and doesn't seem to be letting down anytime soon assures the fact that he could compete back in the old days.

TONY STEWART,ROBBY GORDON,AND KYLE BUSCH.KEVIN HARVICK AS WELL. NOT SO MUCH MARK MARTIN HAD TROUBLE EARLY IN HIS CAREER, JIMMIE I LOVE BUT HE AND JEFF GORDON,PROBABLY WOULDNT BE GIVEN MUCH OF A CHANCE. JR NO WAY.NOT MENTALLY TOUGH ENOUGH, EVEN NOW HE DOESNT.

I tend to agree with Tommy Buxton, that with some physical conditioning anyone of the them could drive a car back when. However, it's not the physical aspect that determines a good driver IMO, it's the mental frame of mind. How mentally tough are today's driver over yesteryears drivers. I'm sure some would match up fine but there's a bunch that couldn't stand to suffer through the heat, dust, dirt, primitive life style (sleeping in the truck, bus, on the hood, where ever). I just don't think todays driver's are "tough" enough to match up with drivers from the past. As a matter of fact, I think a lot of them are straight up pansies.Do you think Cale Yarborough would make "Snow Angels" after winning at Bristol, or David Pearson to "bow" like some opra singer, or Curtis Turner do a flip off a car, or Buck Baker climb a fence? No, todays drivers are spoiled brats and weak minded, soft and milky. Put Cale, David, Curtis or Buck in a COT today and see how these present driver's could stack up. LOL!

WELL I GUESS THE LIST WOULD BE PRETTY SHORT BECAUSE ITS NOT ALL THAT STRENUOUS TO PICK UP A CONTROLLER--- IVE BEEN TO THE POINT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET OUT AFTER A LONG RACE --WE DIDNT HAVE THE LUXURY OF POWER STEERING,AIR PIPED IN TO US,AND A CAR SET UP TO RIDE AROUND TRACK----HECK WE STAYED SIDEWAYS MOST OF THE TIME-----I THINK TONY WOULD MAKE THE CUT AND RYAN,PROBABLY COUSIN CARL AND THE OLD MAN,MARK,HE'S STILL TOUGH---AS WILD AS KYLE IS OR HIS BROTHER I DONT THINK THEY COULD CUT IT FOR 500 LAPS OLD SCHOOL STYLE ---NOT MANY MORE THOUGH ENOUGH----WHAT DO YOU THINK

Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards ,Robby Gordon, Mark Martin of course.And I know Geoff Bodine can and yes he runs once in a while when we can get sponsorship.