NASCAR is hugely popular in America, racking up a significant following across the nation. Putting some of the best drivers in the world against each other, it’s no wonder it can pull in such a substantial viewership.
But how does the average American’s driving compare?
With other popular motorsports events on the horizon, such as the Indy 500, there’s no better time to see where Americans rank – from average Joe to pro!
That’s why we’ve conducted research to investigate the U.S. states with the best and worst drivers. Accounting for everything from speeding offenses and accidents to DUIs, we’ve been able to work out where every state lands on the spectrum of driver performance from 0 to 100!
The States with the Best Drivers
After crunching all the numbers, we’ve calculated which states in the U.S. have the best drivers. Here’s what we found:
#1 Florida
Ending up with the best driving score in the whole of America, Florida tops these rankings with 83.85.
Out of the 17,018,351 drivers in the entire state, only 6.92% have a prior speeding violation on record. Though this factor alone doesn’t place them as the greatest drivers (only being fourth best), it contributes to a strong overall ranking.
Considering that they have so many drivers – the most of any state in the top and bottom ten – Florida has also racked up a lot of road miles. In total, their drivers have travelled 239.188 billion miles, making their high driver ranking even more impressive.
Something that makes them stand out more, however, is when we look towards the number of accidents they have. With only 11.9 per 1,000 drivers, it puts them 0.9 better off than the next best state in the top ten!
Similarly, with a low number of DUIs per 1,000 drivers – only 0.4 – they are again clear front-runners, having 0.2 less than the next-best state.
#2 Connecticut
Narrowly missing out on the top spot is Connecticut, with their drivers receiving a score that’s only 1.03 less than Florida’s.
Having both the fourth-lowest number of drivers (2,632,273) and the third-lowest miles travelled (30.503 billion) in the top ten, Connecticut has a smaller sample size than many other states. Regardless, they score highly in their respective stats.
With only 4.74% of their drivers having a prior speeding violation on record, they’re the best state for sticking to the speed limits. This means that they have 0.76% fewer drivers with speeding tickets than the next closest state!
#3 Pennsylvania
Completing the top three is Pennsylvania, who manage a total score of 77.38, making them the state with the third-best drivers. With 9,134,289 drivers, they have the second highest within the top ten and drive the third-most distance with 100.126 billion miles clocked.
However, they perhaps-surprisingly go on to have the joint second-highest speeding-related incidents in the top ten per 1,000 drivers (2.4), but this is balanced out elsewhere. For example, when you consider that their driving license difficulty score is 84% – higher than the average of 80% – it boosts their position in the rankings.
#4 Illinois
Placing in fourth is Illinois, who achieve a final score of 75.37 and have modest numbers across the board. The state has the third-largest population in the top ten (8,631,485) and has driven a total of 102.871 billion miles – the second-most of the ten best driving states.
They do, however, have the second-worst percentage of speeding tickets (8.99%) in the top ten states! Their redeeming factors come from having a low number of DUIs – only 0.6 per 1,000 drivers – and only 1.4 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers.
#5 West Virginia
Finally, finishing the top five states for driving is West Virginia, after receiving a score of 74.41. This comes from the smallest sample size in the top ten with only 1,131,688 drivers and only 15.962 billion miles travelled.
Ranking strongly throughout most factors, such as their 0.6 DUIs and 13.5 accidents per 1,000 drivers, they’re only let down by a couple.
What makes them place below other states is their slightly higher 2.3 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers and their lower driving license difficulty score. Only rated at 76%, it’s 4% below the average, meaning they fall down the list slightly.
The States with the Worst Drivers
We’ve discussed the top five states with the best drivers, let’s now take a look at the opposite end of the spectrum. Here’s what we learned from our research:
#5 Iowa
The fifth-worst state for drivers is Iowa, who’ve managed to total a score of just 44.89. This comes from their driving population of 2,379,791 and a distance travelled of 33.254 billion miles.
They rank as the state with the second highest percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket (14.87%) and their number of DUIs (2.4) matches the highest out of any included in the top ten.
One of the few factors keeping them from placing any lower is their 15.2 accidents per 1,000 people, which is lower than some of the other states in the best driver rankings.
#4 Ohio
With a final score of 44.63, Ohio ranks just below Iowa and is the fourth worst state for their driving quality. Containing the largest number of drivers in the bottom ten states (8,436,370), they’ve also driven the furthest number of miles (113.224 billion).
Considering that 14.95% of their drivers have speeding violations on record, Ohio takes the top spot for this statistic. Then, with a driving license difficulty score of only 75%, it’s the third-easiest state to obtain a license in.
Preventing them from falling further down the rankings is their relatively low 1.4 DUIs and modest 16.9 accidents per 1,000 drivers.
#3 Wisconsin
Wisconsin places as the state with the third worst drivers in the USA, achieving an overall score of 44.45. This comes from a driver population of 4,411,182 and a distance travelled of 67.248 billion miles.
Through a combination of consistently low scores across multiple categories, they finish low down on the list. For example, they rank as the fourth worst state for speeding tickets (13.43%), the joint-fifth worst state for DUIs per 1,000 drivers, and they’re the seventh most guilty of speeding-related incidents (4.6 per 1,000 drivers).
#2 Utah
Finishing as the runner-up state for the worst drivers, Utah scores a low 31.83 in our index. With their number of drivers standing at 2,299,291 and having 34.584 billion miles driven, Utah has a moderate sample size to base their position off.
The stats that really solidify their position low down in our rankings relate to how accident-prone their drivers are. With 23.8 accidents and 9.4 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 people, they rank as the second-worst in the top ten for both statistics – accurately reflecting their position!
#1 North Dakota
Finally, rounding out the rankings, the state with the worst drivers is North Dakota. Despite their smaller dataset to base the stats off – with 580,918 drivers and only 9.896 billion miles travelled – they place at the bottom.
Strikingly, North Dakota stands as the outright worst state in multiple categories. With 11.9 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 people, it stands at 2.5 more than Utah’s total, who have the second highest! On top of this, they also have the most DUIs per 1,000 drivers with 3.7! This is 0.2 more than California in second place.
Additionally, they have the third largest percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket (14.41%) and a higher number of accidents per 1,000 people (20.1).
Combining all these stats leaves no place for them but dead last!
The U.S. States Fueling NASCAR
NASCAR drivers are some of the most talented in the world, so it’s interesting to see which states produce the best of the best. Below is what we discovered:
#1 North Carolina
They may have placed 27th for the overall rankings, but North Carolina is the state that has produced the most NASCAR drivers. Considering the huge part the state played in the founding of the motorsport, it’s no surprise this is the case. Throughout history, a total of 579 drivers have hailed from here, with a few notable names you’ll likely know.
Nicknamed ‘The King’, Richard Petty has arguably the most impressive resume in NASCAR’s history. He competed in his first race in 1958 and went on to race for 35 years afterwards, winning 200 races – the most of any driver by 95 more.
Another is Dale Earnhardt, aka ‘The Intimidator’, who earned 76 race wins and claimed seven Cup Series championships throughout his time racing. Right away from his first season, Earnhardt proved he was a top competitor by winning the Rookie of the Year award.
Iconic tracks here include the Charlotte Motor Speedway – NASCAR’s most central modern venue – and the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
#2 California
Providing the second-most NASCAR drivers throughout history is California, who placed 34th overall. As 517 drivers have originated from the Western state, they’re only 62 behind North Carolina in first.
Famous drivers heralding from here include Jeff Gordon, who helped to bring NASCAR into the mainstream during the 1990s. Gordon is widely regarded as one of the best drivers in the history of the sport due to his influence, racking up 93 career wins and the most wins in one modern era season (13).
Kevin Harvick is another driver from California, being one of the most successful in modern history. With 121 wins in the national series, he places third in NASCAR’s all-time history, just behind Richard Petty and Kyle Busch.
A couple of their more well-known tracks are the Auto Club Speedway – despite now being closed – and one of NASCAR’s most important road courses, Sonoma Raceway.
Looking at other motorsports, California does have one thing that North Carolina doesn’t though – Indy 500 winners. The Sunshine State has managed to win the race eight times, with seven different drivers managing to complete the feat. The only two-time winner from the state is Bill Vukovich Sr. who won in 1953 and 1954!
#3 Virginia
The state with the third-most NASCAR drivers is Virginia, who finished in 40th place for the overall rankings. With less than half of both North Carolina and California’s totals, Virginia have had 253 drivers competing in this specific motorsport.
Some of their most revered drivers are Denny Hamlin and Ricky Rudd. Hamlin has so far managed to rack up 61 NASCAR Cup Series victories and is one of five drivers to win the Daytona 500 in back-to-back seasons. Now retired, Rudd achieved 23 career wins throughout his time in the sport. Impressively, he also won at least one race a season for 16 consecutive seasons between 1983 and 1998.
Looking at the tracks Virginia has to offer, there are a couple of strong contenders. This includes NASCAR’s shortest and oldest continuously operating track, Martinsville Speedway, and Richmond Raceway.
Similarly to North Carolina, Virginia hasn’t had any Indy 500 winners just yet.
#4 New York
Though ending up in 16th for the main rankings, New York has produced the fourth-most NASCAR drivers out of all the US states: The Big Apple has managed to supply the motorsport with 230 drivers – only 23 less than Virginia.
Though they don’t have so many ‘elite-level’ NASCAR drivers, New York has still boasted some top racers in years gone by. This includes J.D. McDuffie, a cult hero from Buffalo, and Mike McLaughlin, a standout short-track racer who’s racked up NASCAR starts.
They may not have the best drivers, but the tracks are iconic. Watkins Glen International certainly fits this category, being one of the crown-jewel road courses included in the calendar. The New York International Speedway is another that used to be notable, but was only short-lived after being used in the early 2000s and is now defunct.
New York does, however, have several Indy 500 race winners, with four in total. This tally only actually comes from two separate drivers, as Louis Meyer won three in 1928, 1933, and 1936, with Lee Wallard managing the other one in 1951.
#5 Georgia
Finally, completing the top five states with the most NASCAR drivers is Georgia, who finished 31st in the full standings. They’ve managed to have only seven less than New York, with 223 competing.
Superspeed legend Bill Elliott is one of the more memorable figures in NASCAR from Georgia, being a former Cup Champion. His son, Chase Elliott, is also one of NASCAR’s biggest modern stars, becoming the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion. The duo has become one of the most prominent father-son pairings in NASCAR’s history.
Georgia also has some top tracks in the state as well, including the Atlanta Motor Speedway and North Georgia Speedway.
Does location really affect your driving ability?
Combining the results of both the states with the best drivers and the ones that’ve produced the most NASCAR drivers, it’s clear that location has no effect on a driver’s ability. Though North Carolina ranked highest for the most NASCAR drivers, they had nowhere near the best average driver score.
So, though you may hail from the same place as some of your NASCAR idols, it might still be best to leave the driving to the pros!
Speaking of which, if you want to stay updated on everything that the pros do – regardless of the sport – make sure to check out our news page. Additionally, Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook players can also wager on an assortment of motorsports, from NASCAR, to Formula 1, to the upcoming Indianapolis 500.
Methodology
This study ranks all 50 U.S. states, and Washington D.C., based on overall driving performance, identifying which states have the best and worst drivers. To do this, we analyzed five key factors using data on road safety, driver behavior, and licensing standards:
- Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket (lower is better)
- Number of accidents per 1,000 drivers (lower is better)
- Number of DUIs per 1,000 drivers (lower is better)
- Number of speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers (lower is better)
- Driving license difficulty score (higher is better)
Once collected, each metric was normalized to ensure fair comparison across states. Each value was converted into a score between 0 and 1, where higher scores represent safer or more favorable driving conditions.
The normalized scores were then combined to produce an overall driving performance index.
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