What are the five best nicknames in NASCAR history?

Over its nearly eight decades of history, NASCAR has seen its share of legendary drivers — many of whom carried with them incredible nicknames. These are the five greatest nicknames in NASCAR history, in no particular order. 

Dale Earnhardt | "The Intimidator"

Earnhardt earned this moniker by being the most ruthless competitor on the track. He wasn't afraid to move his peers out of the way or turn them into the fence if it helped him gain an edge. Combined with his iconic black No. 3 Chevrolet, "The Intimidator" was the last man you wanted to see in your rearview mirror on a Sunday afternoon.

David Pearson | "The Silver Fox"

Pearson partly earned this nickname due to his hair prematurely turning gray, but there was a fox-like nature with which he conducted himself on the racetrack. Pearson won 105 Cup Series races in his career, and did so by watching his competition fade and pouncing when he saw fit — just like a fox hunting its prey. 

Darrell Waltrip | "Jaws"

Cale Yarborough gave Waltrip this nickname after a young, brash Waltrip garnered a reputation for running his mouth on a more frequent basis than was customary at the time in the garage. A crash with Yarborough at the 1977 Southern 500 cemented the nickname, but once Waltrip ultimately figured things out, the Winston Cup field may as well have been Amity Island. 

Richard Petty| "The King"

Petty's 200 wins and seven championship are an easy explanation for why so many fans were quick to crown him as the king of stock-car racing. His royal moniker has followed him since his retirement from racing in 1992, and he's perhaps the only monarch who has never seen anyone try to revolt against him. 

Bill Elliott | "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville"

When Elliott first popped onto the NASCAR scene, he and his family-owned team from Dawsonville, Georgia were the runts of the Winston Cup garage. That changed once the team was sold to Harry Melling, as Elliott became a household name in the 1980s. The two-time Daytona 500 winner and 1988 Winston Cup champion is one of the most popular drivers NASCAR has ever seen — a trend that continued when his son, Chase, began a Cup Series career of his own.