Cup Series’ all-time largest margins of victory

Some of the most untouchable records in NASCAR's history involve margin of victory, which was sometimes measured in laps and miles, not seconds in the Cup Series' earlier years. That era was marked by races with heavier attrition and less parity, factors that contributed to the size of those runaways.

The list of largest distances between first and second place has two names that appear with some frequency -- Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett and Darlington Raceway. Take a trip back through history with the Cup Series' all-time largest margins of victory in miles, with historical research provided by Racing Insights.

Track, date: Darlington Raceway, Sept. 6, 1965 

Winner: Ned Jarrett

Margin of victory: 14 laps, 19.25 miles

Noteworthy: The 1965 Southern 500 marked the 49th of Jarrett's 50 Cup Series wins, and the nearly 20-mile margin stands as an unbreakable record. Buck Baker was the distant runner-up, with his son, Buddy, driving in relief.

Track, date: Darlington Raceway, April 15, 1973

Winner: David Pearson

Margin of victory: 13 laps, 17.758 miles

Noteworthy: Pearson wheeled the same No. 21 Wood Brothers Mercury to 500-miler wins at Rockingham, Atlanta, then Darlington. His winning share of the purse was $15,835. "That ain't enough for when you've wrestled a bear for more than four hours," Pearson said.

Track, date: Darlington Raceway, Sept. 4, 1950

Winner: Johnny Mantz

Margin of victory: 9 laps, 11.25 miles

Noteworthy: NASCAR's historic first 500-mile race was also one of its biggest routs. With his new Plymouth equipped with more durable tires, Mantz made just three pits stops and left Red Byron and Fireball Roberts to fight it out for second.

Track, date: Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, South Carolina; Feb. 27, 1965

Winner: Ned Jarrett

Margin of victory: 22 laps, 11 miles

Noteworthy: Jarrett took a measured pace on the half-mile dirt track, but still placed 22 laps ahead of runner-up G.C. Spencer. Only seven of the 16 starters in the caution-free race were running at the finish, with strong challengers Junior Johnson and Dick Hutcherson among the retirees.

Track, date:  Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Shelby, North Carolina; May 27, 1965

Winner: Ned Jarrett

Margin of victory: 22 laps, 11 miles

Noteworthy: Jarrett took advantage of Dick Hutcherson's mechanical failure to sprint away to his fifth win of the season, continuing his march to his second Cup Series title. Jarrett swept the season's events at Shelby's half-mile dirt oval, winning there in August by a more modest four laps over Richard Petty.

Track, date: Darlington Raceway, May 2, 1971

Winner: Buddy Baker

Margin of victory:  7 laps, 9.562 miles

Noteworthy: Baker, shown pitting his No. 11 Dodge ahead of cars driven by Richard Petty and Cecil Gordon, entered Darlington's springtime 400-miler as the reigning Southern 500 champ. Once pole winner Donnie Allison faltered with engine trouble near the end, Baker pounced and held off Dick Brooks by seven laps.

Track, date:  Memphis-Arkansas Speedway in LeHi, Arkansas; Oct. 10, 1954

Winner: Buck Baker

Margin of victory: 5 laps, 7.5 miles

Noteworthy: The veteran Baker won the first Cup Series race at the massive but short-lived 1.5-mile dirt track, cashing in when Lee Petty dropped out with a broken axle. Baker swept the weekend, prevailing in a 100-mile preliminary modified and sportsman event.

Track, date:  Langhorne Speedway in Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Sept. 23, 1956

Winner: Paul Goldsmith

Margin of victory: 7 laps, 7 miles

Noteworthy: Goldsmith led 182 of the 300 laps around the dangerous circular 1-mile track, sailing to the first of nine victories in his Cup Series career in a Smokey Yunick Chevrolet. Lee Petty was the runner-up, and just 20 of the 44 starters were running at the finish.

Track, date: Dover Motor Speedway, May 18, 1975

Winner: David Pearson

Margin of victory: 7 laps, 7 miles

Noteworthy: The most recent race on this list of Cup Series runaways, the Mason-Dixon 500 of 1975 was completed over two days after rain and fog stopped the Sunday show. Pearson poured it on in the Monday finish, bypassing Benny Parsons and Cale Yarborough, then fending off Cecil Gordon by seven miles. "When you're leading that big at the end, you have time to really think while you're driving," Pearson said. "Believe me, the last few times around the track, I was looking for every pebble."

Track, date: Darlington Raceway, Sept. 4, 1967

Winner: Richard Petty

Margin of victory: 5 laps, 6.875 miles

Noteworthy: "It was one of those good days all the way," said Petty, who dominated the Southern 500 by leading 345 of the 364 laps from the pole. The track also recognized him before the race with a plaque, commemorating how his springtime victory at Darlington placed him atop the Cup Series' all-time win list, passing his father, Lee, with victory No. 55.

Track, date: Darlington Raceway, Sept. 1, 1958

Winner: Fireball Roberts

Margin of victory: 5 laps, 6.875 miles

Noteworthy: Roberts led the final 196 laps after engine issues sidelined early leader Curtis Turner, setting a 500-mile stock-car record with an average speed of 102.585 mph. "I knew I had it after I went around four times while Curtis was in the pits," said Roberts, who was five laps ahead of runner-up Buck Baker. "He was the only one I was afraid of."