1975 — Made stock car racing debut on May 25, finishing 22nd in the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

1979 — Earned first victory on April 1 at Bristol, Tenn; Won Rookie of the Year Award.

1980 — Won first Winston Cup Championship, becoming only driver to win Rookie of the Year and season championship back-to-back.

1986 — Won five races to take second Winston Cup Championship.

1987 — Won 11 races for third Winston Cup Championship, finishing in top five 21 times in 29 races.

1990 — Won nine times to take fourth Winston Cup Championship, earning a then-record $3,083,056.

1991 — Won four races for fifth Winston Cup Championship.

1993 — Won six races to earn sixth Winston Cup Championship.

1994 — Won seventh Winston Cup Championship, tying Richard Petty for most career titles. Topped $3-million mark in earnings for third time in five years.

1996 — Became third driver to start 500 consecutive Winston Cup races.

View Comments

1997 — Became first driver to reach $30 million in American Motor Sports winnings and first race car driver to appear on box of Wheaties Cereal.

1998 — Won first Daytona 500 in 20th career start, breaking a 59-race winless streak overall. Finished eighth in season standings, his 18th top 10 finish in 20 years.

1999 — Won 10th consecutive Twin 125 qualifying race at Daytona.

2000 — Won Winston 500 on Oct. 15 at Talladega Superspeedway for final career victory.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.