In December we analyzed three drivers who are closing in on 40 wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. This week, we'll look at those close to a lesser milestone, but a milestone all the same -- 30 career wins.

 

In premier series history 24 drivers have reached the 30-win plateau, from Richard Petty (200 wins) to fellow Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett (32). Of those 24 drivers, 18 have been eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame … and all 18 have been inducted, or in the case of Mark Martin, will be inducted.

 

Jeff Gordon (93 wins) and Tony Stewart (49 wins) aren't eligible yet, but are widely considered locks to be enshrined as well. The other four drivers above 30 wins in NASCAR history are active and ineligible at this time.

 

Here's a look at the three current drivers (it was four prior to Carl Edwards' announcement last week) with 30 in their sights, as well as a full list of drivers with 30 or more wins in NASCAR's history.

Kurt Busch

 

Career wins: 28

Rank all time: Tied for 26th

Outlook: This one is tough to call. Busch has been a full-time driver for 16 years, so with 28 wins, that's an average of 1.75 per season. He needs two. We're pretty sure he'll get one -- Tony Gibson had the No. 41 humming at a pretty good clip last year -- but we are less confident in Busch getting multiple.