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Power Rankings: Top 10 titleless drivers who could win it all in 2022
By Pat DeCola | Tuesday, January 25, 2022
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 10 NASCAR Cup Series drivers without a title who could win it all in 2022.
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10. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
2021 points finish: 21st
Best career finish: 21st
Cup wins: 1
Comment: Obviously, it's a major leap for a driver to go from never finishing in the top 20 in points -- and, thus, never having been to the playoffs before -- to a Cup title, but hear me out. Wallace is entering his fifth full-time Cup season, now has a former champion and '21 winner as a teammate, got his first win out of the way and is still in what essentially amounts to JGR equipment. It's a no-brainer he's going to be much improved this year, and the sky's the limit.
2021 points finish: 21st
Best career finish: 21st
Cup wins: 1
Comment: Obviously, it's a major leap for a driver to go from never finishing in the top 20 in points -- and, thus, never having been to the playoffs before -- to a Cup title, but hear me out. Wallace is entering his fifth full-time Cup season, now has a former champion and '21 winner as a teammate, got his first win out of the way and is still in what essentially amounts to JGR equipment. It's a no-brainer he's going to be much improved this year, and the sky's the limit.
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9. Aric Almirola, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
2021 points finish: 15th
Best career finish: 5th
Cup wins: 3
Comment: What better way to go out than on top? Almirola plans to hang up the full-time fire suit at the end of the season, so this is his last shot at hist first championship. SHR as a whole missed the mark in 2021, yet he still managed to find Victory Lane -- something 2014 champ Kevin Harvick failed to do. He's gotten close before, narrowly missing out on the Championship 4 in 2018.
2021 points finish: 15th
Best career finish: 5th
Cup wins: 3
Comment: What better way to go out than on top? Almirola plans to hang up the full-time fire suit at the end of the season, so this is his last shot at hist first championship. SHR as a whole missed the mark in 2021, yet he still managed to find Victory Lane -- something 2014 champ Kevin Harvick failed to do. He's gotten close before, narrowly missing out on the Championship 4 in 2018.
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8. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
2021 points finish: 17th
Best career finish: 11th (twice)
Cup wins: 3
Comment: The only driver on this list who could complete the trifecta of national series titles without taking a dip back into other series, it's important to remember that AD has a championship pedigree. And that he might be, in his ninth Cup season at age 32, about to enter his prime. And that he's already won two crown jewels. And that RCR was instrumental in the development of the Next Gen car. OK, that's it. I might be convinced.
2021 points finish: 17th
Best career finish: 11th (twice)
Cup wins: 3
Comment: The only driver on this list who could complete the trifecta of national series titles without taking a dip back into other series, it's important to remember that AD has a championship pedigree. And that he might be, in his ninth Cup season at age 32, about to enter his prime. And that he's already won two crown jewels. And that RCR was instrumental in the development of the Next Gen car. OK, that's it. I might be convinced.
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7. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
2021 points finish: 2nd (Xfinity Series)
Best career finish: Seven total Cup starts (best finish ninth)
Cup wins: 0
Comment: A rookie champion? Crazier things have happened, but perhaps this isn't that far-fetched. Cindric -- the 2020 Xfinity Series champ -- inherits a car that not only won the title 10 years ago but also hasn't had a winless season since 2010, making the playoffs a likely scenario for the 23-year-old. Rookies don't often come as polished as Cindric, and he could be a major factor this season.
2021 points finish: 2nd (Xfinity Series)
Best career finish: Seven total Cup starts (best finish ninth)
Cup wins: 0
Comment: A rookie champion? Crazier things have happened, but perhaps this isn't that far-fetched. Cindric -- the 2020 Xfinity Series champ -- inherits a car that not only won the title 10 years ago but also hasn't had a winless season since 2010, making the playoffs a likely scenario for the 23-year-old. Rookies don't often come as polished as Cindric, and he could be a major factor this season.
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6. Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
2021 points finish: 13th
Best career finish: 13th
Cup wins: 0
Comment: It's more of a surprise than it isn't that Reddick wound up with a zero in the win column because there were plenty of races where the No. 8 car was up near the front battling the leaders. I'm fully expecting a pretty sizable leap for Reddick in 2022, rounding into not only a Cup winner in his third season but certainly a dark horse title candidate. He seems like the kind of driver that could get hot and stay hot. And if that happens in the playoffs ...
2021 points finish: 13th
Best career finish: 13th
Cup wins: 0
Comment: It's more of a surprise than it isn't that Reddick wound up with a zero in the win column because there were plenty of races where the No. 8 car was up near the front battling the leaders. I'm fully expecting a pretty sizable leap for Reddick in 2022, rounding into not only a Cup winner in his third season but certainly a dark horse title candidate. He seems like the kind of driver that could get hot and stay hot. And if that happens in the playoffs ...
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5. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2021 points finish: 12th
Best career finish: 12th
Cup wins: 1
Comment: How soon we forget that Bell essentially made the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series his playgrounds from 2016-19, compiling 21 wins and four straight Championship 4 appearances in that span. He hasn't lit the world on fire in his first two Cup seasons, but we saw a significant jump in his stats last year in the move from Leavine Family Racing to JGR, and it's only fair to assume he tops last year's showing with at least a Round of 8 appearance.
2021 points finish: 12th
Best career finish: 12th
Cup wins: 1
Comment: How soon we forget that Bell essentially made the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series his playgrounds from 2016-19, compiling 21 wins and four straight Championship 4 appearances in that span. He hasn't lit the world on fire in his first two Cup seasons, but we saw a significant jump in his stats last year in the move from Leavine Family Racing to JGR, and it's only fair to assume he tops last year's showing with at least a Round of 8 appearance.
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4. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2021 points finish: 10th
Best career finish: 10th
Cup wins: 2
Comment: While Byron's progress in the Cup Series has not been astronomical, it has been smooth and steady. He's now one of the more consistent young drivers in the series, and put together one of the most impressive streaks of the season last year with 11 straight top 10s. More wins are likely to come this year, and Hendrick has won two straight titles with two different drivers. Might be his turn.
2021 points finish: 10th
Best career finish: 10th
Cup wins: 2
Comment: While Byron's progress in the Cup Series has not been astronomical, it has been smooth and steady. He's now one of the more consistent young drivers in the series, and put together one of the most impressive streaks of the season last year with 11 straight top 10s. More wins are likely to come this year, and Hendrick has won two straight titles with two different drivers. Might be his turn.
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3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2021 points finish: 14th
Best career finish: 6th
Cup wins: 6
Comment: This picture was chosen on purpose, because if things had gone differently for Bowman in the playoffs, celebrating in late fall with a grandfather clock in the background would've meant a trip to the Championship 4 -- that's how close he was. Despite a career-best four wins in 2021, it still feels like Bowman is being slept on and is considered by most to be a fringe title candidate, if at all. I'm here to tell you one thing -- he's no hack.
2021 points finish: 14th
Best career finish: 6th
Cup wins: 6
Comment: This picture was chosen on purpose, because if things had gone differently for Bowman in the playoffs, celebrating in late fall with a grandfather clock in the background would've meant a trip to the Championship 4 -- that's how close he was. Despite a career-best four wins in 2021, it still feels like Bowman is being slept on and is considered by most to be a fringe title candidate, if at all. I'm here to tell you one thing -- he's no hack.
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2. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
2021 points finish: 7th
Best career finish: 7th (twice)
Cup wins: 7
Comment: Blaney has consistently hovered around the Round of 12/Round of 8 margin the past five seasons, while continuing to improve as a driver. He's essentially knocking on the door of the Championship 4, waiting to be let in. At some point, though, he'll have to kick it in. That could be this year, and from there, it's just one race.
2021 points finish: 7th
Best career finish: 7th (twice)
Cup wins: 7
Comment: Blaney has consistently hovered around the Round of 12/Round of 8 margin the past five seasons, while continuing to improve as a driver. He's essentially knocking on the door of the Championship 4, waiting to be let in. At some point, though, he'll have to kick it in. That could be this year, and from there, it's just one race.
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1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2021 points finish: 3rd
Best career finish: 2nd
Cup wins: 46
Comment: Congrats to Mr. Hamlin, who's No. 1 for the second year running on the list no driver really wants to be on. Kidding aside, it's remarkable Hamlin has yet to win a championship, and last season truly looked like it could be his year. As it did in 2020. And 2019. And 2010. And ... you get the picture. Hamlin has more wins than the rest of the drivers on this list combined (and handily) and as long as he's in the Cup Series and hasn't won a title yet, nobody is topping him here. But that could all change later this year.
2021 points finish: 3rd
Best career finish: 2nd
Cup wins: 46
Comment: Congrats to Mr. Hamlin, who's No. 1 for the second year running on the list no driver really wants to be on. Kidding aside, it's remarkable Hamlin has yet to win a championship, and last season truly looked like it could be his year. As it did in 2020. And 2019. And 2010. And ... you get the picture. Hamlin has more wins than the rest of the drivers on this list combined (and handily) and as long as he's in the Cup Series and hasn't won a title yet, nobody is topping him here. But that could all change later this year.
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