How is Texas So Underrepresented in the World of NASCAR?

In comparison to the great state of Texas, our output in terms of NASCAR drivers is amazingly low. We have a total population of 28.7 million residents. We are the second largest state in both land mass and populace, and yet, we’ve produced only six of the most famed drivers in NASCAR history. How is this possible? The Lone Star State is exceptionally undersold in the stock car racing circuit. We have only one native Texan active full-time cup driver in the sport. Here are three of the most famous Texas drivers in the world of NASCAR.

1. Chris Buescher

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Hailing from Prosper, Texas, Chris Buescher currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time. He drives for Roush Fenway Racing, in the No. 17 Ford Mustang. He’s recognized as the 2012 ARCA Racing Series champion as well as the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champ. He made his Cup Series debut in 2015 in Fontana, California. Last year, Buescher scored sixth place at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina, after finishing 10th in the Digital Ally 400, earning his first consecutive top 10 finishes in his Cup Series career. On September 25 of last year, it was announced that Buescher would replace Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the Roush Fenway Racing driver in the No. 17 Ford for 2020. He has since finished third in the Daytona 500 for 2020.

2. Bobby Labonte

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Coming from his hometown of Corpus Christi, Bobby Labonte is the younger of two Texas brothers (the other being Terry) known in the NASCAR racing circuit. He started for owner Bill Davis, and in 2000, he drove the No. 18 Pontiac for Joe Gibbs Racing, winning the NASCAR Premier Series championship. In his racing career, which has lasted more than a quarter-century, Labonte has won 21 races, had 203 top-10s, and 115 top fives. He’s presently an analyst on networks carrying NASCAR races. He’s the first driver to have won both the Busch Series Championship in 1991 and the Winston Cup championship in 2000. He is also the first driver to have won races at the same track, Martinsville, Virginia, in each of the top three racing series, completing the NASCAR Triple Threat.

3. A.J. Foyt

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Known as “Super Tex,” A.J. (Anthony Joseph) Foyt has been called the best American racer of all-time. Foyt is known for his USAC victory record, including 159 wins, of which 67 helped him earn the Champ Car record, four of which were Indianapolis 500s. In his driving career, he didn’t race stock cars much, but earned seven wins in NASCAR. He is known as the only race car driver in history to have won the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. In the mid-1960s, he became a racing team owner, and he has owned A. J. Foyt Enterprises, which has had driving teams in the IRL, CART, and NASCAR. Foyt survived three major crashes in his driving career, causing serious injuries. He narrowly escaped a fourth, and his success has led him to be inducted in several motorsports’ halls of fame.