By Jerry Bonkowski

The best thing about NASCAR is winning, but the sport’s many rivalries are a close second. Which driver(s) is/are the best? Who’s the fastest or savviest? Who gets the best bragging rights? Fans love to argue and debate these topics.

Here’s our picks for the all-time best rivalries:

Richard Petty vs. David Pearson: NASCAR’s all-time best rivalry was Richard Petty vs. David Pearson. They called each other the toughest driver they ever faced. They finished 1-2 in 63 of their respective wins against each other. If it hadn’t been for the other, Petty might have had 300 wins and Pearson would have lots more than 105 victories

Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon: While they raced just eight years (1993-2000) against each other, Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon was one of the best rivalries the sport has ever seen. Earnhardt was “The Intimidator,” while Gordon was “Wonder Boy.” Their rivalry was fierce, leading NASCAR’s huge surge in popularity during the 1990s and into the 2000s before Earnhardt’s death at Daytona in February 2001. They were like wrestlers on-track with their bravado and loved to get fans fired up, but were great friends off-track and sold a ton of merchandise together, laughing all the way to the bank.

Chevrolet vs. Ford: There’s been a massive rivalry for decades between Chevrolet and Ford – also known as the battle between the Bow Tie (Chevy) and the Blue Oval (Ford) – that began on the race track and extended to auto dealer showrooms. One humorous sidelight: There were countless decals produced that promoted a fan’s loyalty, most notably a cartoon character urinating on the logo of their arch-rival manufacturer. There have been other makes over the years, including Toyota (currently) and formerly Dodge, Chrysler, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick, but no one has ever come close to Chevy vs. Ford.

Petty Enterprises vs. Wood Brothers Racing: This was one of the best, albeit friendliest, rivalries ever. They raced each other clean, helped out with parts and labor if needed, and even cheered the other on. Both organizations were family-owned operations that essentially started with nothing, and through talent and determination eventually found success. They were like family to each other – and remain that way today, 75 years later.

Dale Earnhardt vs. the Daytona 500: No matter how hard he tried, Dale Earnhardt could not win the sport’s biggest race, the Daytona 500. He tried everything to win The Great American Race but always came up short. Just when he was ready to give up, he finally reached Victory Lane in his 20^th try in 1998. Fittingly, all teams came onto pit road to cheer and congratulate him.

Kyle Busch vs. Everybody: The younger Busch brother has had more rivals and enemies than perhaps any other driver in NASCAR history. When he first came on the scene, he was young, brash, cocky … but could wheel the hell out of a race car. As he’s gotten older, got married and had a family, Busch has mellowed somewhat. But if a race is on the line, he’s still the best pick to win.