Where does Craig Lowndes rank amongst the greats?

V8 Supercars veteran Craig Lowndes is on the brink of an incredible milestone, 100 race wins in the series.

And he could notch up his century at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth this weekend.

Lowndes would be the first driver to reach a century in the history of the Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars. And after an agonising number of months in the nervous nineties, Lowndes is now sprinting towards number 100.

He heads to Perth off the back of three consecutive pole positions and two race wins last time out at Symmons Plains. And he’s aiming to claim the milestone at a circuit where he surpassed Mark Skaife at the top of the all-time wins’ list two years ago and where he’s claimed more wins (15) in his career than any other venue.

So should Lowndes’ position at the top of the all-time wins put him in pole position for the greatest of all-time discussions?

Well, total race wins can be a confusing statistic given the much higher number of races nowadays compared to years past.

For example, the likes of Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Dick Johnson and Jim Richards never cracked a half century, while Lowndes and teammate Jamie Whincup are both in the nineties.

But there’s no doubting Lowndes’ place in the debate – three-time champion, five-time Bathurst 1000 winner and, impressively, a regular race winner over the course of a 20-year career.

After dominating the series with three championships from his first three attempts with the Holden Racing Team, there were some bleak years in the early seasons of his switch to Ford – just two only winless years in the championship from 1996.

Of his 18 championship seasons completed, Lowndes has scored a top-five championship finish in 15 campaigns – which includes three championships and five runner-up spots.

But its Lowndes’ championship results that his critics point to when discussing his record. He has not won a title since 1999, playing bridesmaid to Whincup having not beaten his younger teammate in the standings since 2006.

Lowndes’ style doesn’t seem to match with the sprint-race format that’s become so prevalent in V8 Supercars. His struggles in qualifying are well documented, especially compared to Whincup, while his spectacular driving style can be punishing on the all-important tyres underneath him.

So while Lowndes will soon celebrate a century, many question whether a driver beaten by his teammate in equal machinery over the last eight seasons can be considered the greatest of all-time when he isn’t the best of the current generation.

The true gauge of Lowndes’ greatness could come this season, where an engineer change seems to have reinvigorated the 40-year-old, certainly judging by his Symmons Plains performances.

Lowndes has shown these flashes of speed before, though consistency will be the key in getting on top of Whincup for that long-awaited fourth championship. And with young Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen joining he and Whincup in an expanded Triple Eight team in 2016, it could be now or never for Lowndes.

The veteran will rightly be celebrated as one of the greats when he lifts his helmet in celebration of his 100th race win, whether it comes this weekend or at a future event. But it takes more than just a race to achieve greatness and the rest of the 2015 championship campaign could be career defining for Lowndes.