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The NASCAR Busch Series Drivers' Championship is awarded by the chairman in NASCAR to the most successful Busch Series racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on race results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1982, to Jack Ingram. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Sam Ard in 1983 and 1984. The current Drivers' Champion is Josh Petty who won his first NASCAR Busch Series championship in 2022.
Overall, 33 different drivers have won the Championship, with Sam Ard, Jack Ingram, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Tyler Reddick holding the record for most titles, at two. Ard, Pearson, LaJoie, Earnhardt Jr., Truex Jr., Stenhouse Jr., and Reddick all have the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, with two consecutive championships.
By season[]
| Year | Driver | Owner | Team | No. | Make/Model | Starts | Wins | Top tens | Poles | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Jack Ingram (1) | Jack Ingram | 11 | Pontiac Ventura | 29 | 7 | 24 | 1 | 4495 | 47 | |
| 1983 | Sam Ard (1) | Howard Thomas | 00 | Oldsmobile Omega | 35 | 10 | 30 | 10 | 5454 | 84 | |
| 1984 | Sam Ard (2) | Howard Thomas | 00 | Oldsmobile Omega | 28 | 8 | 26 | 7 | 4552 | 426 | |
| 1985 | Jack Ingram (2) | Jack Ingram | 11 | Pontiac Ventura | 27 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 4106 | 29 | |
| 1986 | Larry Pearson (1) | David Pearson | Pearson Racing | 21 | Pontiac Ventura | 31 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 4514 | 7 |
| 1987 | Larry Pearson (2) | David Pearson (2) | Pearson Racing (2) | 21 | Chevrolet Nova | 27 | 6 | 20 | 3 | 3959 | 394 |
| 1988 | Tommy Ellis | John Jackson | 99 | Buick Regal | 30 | 3 | 20 | 5 | 4281 | 295 | |
| 1989 | Rob Moroso | Dick Moroso | Moroso Racing | 25 | Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme | 33 | 4 | 16 | 7 | 4001 | 55 |
| 1990 | Chuck Bown | Hubert Hensley | 63 | Pontiac Grand Prix | 33 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 4372 | 200 | |
| 1991 | Bobby Labonte | Bobby Labonte | Labonte Motorsports | 44 | Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme | 33 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 4264 | 74 |
| 1992 | Joe Nemechek | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | 87 | Chevrolet Cavalier | 33 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 4275 | 3 |
| 1993 | Steve Grissom | Wayne Grissom | Grissom Racing Enterprises | 31 | Chevrolet Lumina | 36 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 3846 | 253 |
| 1994 | David Green | Bobby Labonte (2) | Labonte Motorsports (2) | 44 | Chevrolet Lumina | 36 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 3725 | 46 |
| 1995 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bill Baumgardner | BACE Motorsports | 74 | Chevrolet Caprice | 36 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 3688 | 404 |
| 1996 | Randy LaJoie (1) | Bill Baumgardner | BACE Motorsports | 74 | Chevrolet Camaro | 36 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 3714 | 29 |
| 1997 | Randy LaJoie (2) | Bill Baumgardner (3) | BACE Motorsports | 74 | Chevrolet Camaro | 36 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 4381 | 266 |
| 1998 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1) | Dale Earnhardt (1) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (1) | 3 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 36 | 7 | 22 | 3 | 4469 | 48 |
| 1999 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) | Dale Earnhardt (2) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2) | 3 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 40 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 4647 | 280 |
| 2000 | Adam Petty | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises (1) | 45 | Dodge Intrepid | 40 | 6 | 27 | 7 | 5005 | 616 |
| 2001 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress (1) | Richard Childress Racing (1) | 2 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 40 | 5 | 24 | 4 | 4813 | 124 |
| 2002 | Greg Biffle | Jack Roush (1) | Roush Racing (1) | 60 | Roush Mustang | 40 | 4 | 25 | 5 | 4924 | 280 |
| 2003 | Brian Vickers | Ricky Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports (1) | 5 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 40 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 4637 | 14 |
| 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. (1) | Dale Earnhardt (3) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (3) | 8 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 40 | 6 | 26 | 7 | 5173 | 230 |
| 81 | |||||||||||
| 2005 | Martin Truex Jr. (2) | Dale Earnhardt (4) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (4) | 8 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 40 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 4937 | 68 |
| 2006 | Johnny Sauter | Gene Haas | Haas CNC Racing | 00 | Chevrolet Impala | 40 | 9 | 32 | 1 | 5648 | 824 |
| 2007 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Ronnie Russell
Ed Rensi Gary Weisbaum |
Team Rensi Racing | 35 | Ford Fusion | 40 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 4805 | 618 |
| 2008 | Brad Keselowski (1) | Rick Hendrick (1) | Hendrick Motorsports (2) | 5 | Chevrolet Impala | 40 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 5132 | 21 |
| 2009 | Jason Keller | Mike Curb
Cary Agajanian |
Baker Curb Racing | 27 | Dodge Challenger | 40 | 9 | 30 | 3 | 5682 | 210 |
| 2010 | Brad Keselowski (2) | Rick Hendrick (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (3) | 5 | Chevrolet Impala | 40 | 6 | 29 | 5 | 5639 | 445 |
| 2011 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1) | Jack Roush (2) | Roush-Yates Racing (2) | 6 | Roush Mustang | 40 | 2 | 26 | 3 | 1222 | 45 |
| 2012 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2) | Jack Roush (3) | Roush-Yates Racing (3) | 6 | Roush Mustang | 40 | 6 | 26 | 4 | 1251 | 23 |
| 2013 | Austin Dillon | Dale Earnhardt (5)
Richard Childress (2) |
Earnhardt-Childress Racing (2) | 3 | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | 0 | 22 | 7 | 1180 | 3 |
| 2014 | Chase Elliott | Rick Hendrick (3) | Hendrick Motorsports (4) | 9 | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | 3 | 26 | 2 | 1213 | 42 |
| 2015 | Chris Buescher | Jack Roush (4) | Roush-Yates Racing (5) | 60 | Roush Mustang | 40 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1190 | 15 |
| 2016 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs (1) | Joe Gibbs Racing (1) | 19 | Toyota Camry | 40 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 4040 | 2 |
| 2017 | William Byron | Rick Hendrick (4) | Hendrick Motorsports (5) | 9 | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | 4 | 22 | 2 | 4034 | 5 |
| 2018 | Tyler Reddick (1) | Rick Hendrick (5) | Hendrick Motorsports (6) | 9 | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 4040 | 5 |
| 2019 | Tyler Reddick (2) | Dale Earnhardt (6)
Richard Childress (3) |
Earnhardt-Childress Racing (3) | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | 6 | 27 | 5 | 4040 | 5 |
| 2020 | Austin Cindric | Roger Penske | Team Penske | 22 | Dodge Charger | 40 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 4040 | 5 |
| 2021 | A. J. Allmendinger | Matt Kaulig | Kaulig Racing | 16 | Honda Civic | 40 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 4040 | 5 |
| 2022 | Josh Petty | Adam Petty | Petty Enterprises (2) | 46 | Dodge Challenger | 40 | 7 | 23 | 7 | 4040 | 5 |
- Drivers in Italics have won at least one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.
- Drivers in Bold have won at least one NASCAR RCA Cup Series championship.
By driver[]
| Driver | Total | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Ard | 2 | 1983, 1984 |
| Jack Ingram | 1982, 1985 | |
| Larry Pearson | 1986, 1987 | |
| Randy LaJoie | 1996, 1997 | |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 1998, 1999 | |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2004, 2005 | |
| Brad Keselowski | 2008, 2010 | |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2011, 2012 | |
| Tyler Reddick | 2018, 2019 | |
| Tommy Ellis | 1 | 1988 |
| Rob Moroso | 1989 | |
| Chuck Bown | 1990 | |
| Bobby Labonte | 1991 | |
| Joe Nemechek | 1992 | |
| Steve Grissom | 1993 | |
| David Green | 1994 | |
| Johnny Benson | 1995 | |
| Adam Petty | 2000 | |
| Greg Biffle | 2002 | |
| Brian Vickers | 2003 | |
| Johnny Sauter | 2006 | |
| Bobby Hamilton Jr. | 2007 | |
| Jason Keller | 2009 | |
| Austin Dillon | 2013 | |
| Chase Elliott | 2014 | |
| Chris Buescher | 2015 | |
| Daniel Suárez | 2016 | |
| William Byron | 2017 | |
| Austin Cindric | 2020 | |
| A. J. Allmendinger | 2021 | |
| Josh Petty | 2022 |
See also[]
- NASCAR
- NASCAR Busch Series
- List of NASCAR RCA Cup Series champions
- List of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions
- List of NASCAR teams
- List of NASCAR drivers
- List of NASCAR race tracks