Can A Racer Have A Great Career Without Success in NASCAR?

There is a prevailing attitude, among some fans and media at least, that a race car driver’s career will go down as incomplete or even unsuccessful if he/she has not made it to and succeeded at the “big time” levels of the sport. If said driver has not won races in NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, or the NHRA they have failed in some way and will thus be living with some degree of regret at having not made it to the top. And while such a statement may at least be somewhat true of a baseball player who makes it…