Ranking the Most Popular Drivers of All Time in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Right off the bat, let's be honest here: This is a very subjective list.

The official annual award, for the record, has been around since 1956, when it was first won by Curtis Turner. Both Turner and his close friend and notorious partner in much mischief away from the track, Joe Weatherly, received heavy consideration for this list and barely missed making it. Although Weatherly also won the official award in 1961, both drivers' careers were cut short—Turner because he got suspended by NASCAR in the middle of his prime and Weatherly by his untimely death in a racing accident at Riverside International Raceway in 1964.

Others, such as NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Cale Yarborough, also narrowly missed the top 10, as did the roguish but infinitely interesting Tim Richmond. Though popular at times during their respective careers, Pearson only ran a part-time schedule for most of his and Yarborough, well, just wasn't the warm and fuzzy type with fans, the media or fellow competitors, which sometimes harmed his overall popularity. And Richmond, sadly, just wasn't around long enough.

For those who did make the list, they did so not only on their merits as drivers on the track, but in the way they consistently conducted themselves away from it and how that resonated with fans, media and fellow competitors through the years, even, many times, after they had retired as active drivers.

And remember, this list is subjective and is sure to invite some hearty debate.