Field of dreams: we create our fantasy grid by selecting the greatest drivers in NASCAR history - National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

Auto Racing Digest, August-Sept, 2003 by Barry Wilner

With 55 career wins, Petty had more victories than any other NASCAR pioneer.

Lee's racing career essentially ended after a crash at Daytona in 1961 in which he punctured a lung. He then became the guiding force of the family dynasty, before dying in 2000, at age 86.

11. FIREBALL ROBERTS

The nickname alone should tell you plenty about Edward Glenn Roberts, the "King of the Superspeedways." Roberts was as daring as any driver in any series and although he didn't win a Cup championship, he was a legend.

Actually, Roberts got the nickname when he was a baseball pitcher, but it was also appropriate to describe his prowess on the race track He won the pole and the race when Atlanta debuted on the circuit in 1960. And he was the first driver to win the Daytona 500's qualifying race, pole, and main event in one year, doing so in 1962. In all, Roberts earned 33 career wins. As consistent as he was fiery, he finished in the top five in nearly one-third of his starts.

He died in a crash during the 1964 World 600.

12. BUCK BAKER

A former bus driver who used to park the big vehicle near his race shop while he worked on his cars, Baker was one of NASCAR's founding fathers. He didn't win until 1952, but then he became a true force, racing for a quarter-century and winning 46 top-level events.

How good was Buck? He won the 1956 series championship in a Chrysler, then started his own Chevy team in 1957 and won it again, making him the first back-to-back champion. Buck won the Southern 500 three limes before retiring and--along with his son, Buddy--setting up several driving schools. He died in 2002, at age 83.

13. TIM FLOCK

A stock car racing pioneer, Flock was one of NASCAR's most colorful drivers. Flock piloted a No. 300 car, and in 1953 he raced eight times with a monkey, Jocko Flocko, in the passenger seat.

Flock, who died in 1998, won 40 races in 189 starts to set a Winston Cup record for career winning percentage (21.4%). Flock earned his first championship in 1952 and then grabbed his second three years later, winning an incredible 19 poles that year, a record that stood for 15 years.

Flock is in the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame, the Georgia Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Charlotte Motor Speedway's Court of Legends, and the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

14. HERB THOMAS

NASCAR's first dominant driver, Thomas won the 1951 and 1953 Winston Cup crowns. He earned 48 career wins--23 of which came in 1953 and 1954 while driving a self-owned Hudson.

A former sawmill operator, Thomas won the Southern 500 in 1951, 1954, and 1955. His 1955 victory came less than four months after he broke his leg in a dirt track crash at Charlotte. A concussion suffered during a crash in 1956 left him slightly paralyzed for several years, but he still raced on and off until 1962.

Thomas--an inductee into both the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame--died in 2000.

15. JOE WEATHERLY