Jayski's® Silly Season Site - Stats and Stats Links

STATS and STATS LINKS

jumps to these stats on this page:

Laps Led - all time
1-2-3 finishes last few years by team
Green-White-Checker Finishes
Consecutive Races Finished on Lead Lap
Top-35 in Owner Points
Chase Notes/Stats
Did Not Finish Streak
Current Consecutive Cup Starts
All Time Never Had a Win
All Time Nextel Cup Starts
Winners of a race in Cup, Busch & Trucks
Closest Cup Race Finishes
only one Birthday winner
Consecutive weeks in the top 10 points
Fastest to 20 Poles
Consecutive weeks at No. 1 in points
Most winners in a season
Brothers with the most wins

AND Many STATS LINKS to other sites on my STATS LINKS page

STATS and STUFF

Only one driver....all laps: #31-Jeff Burton is the only driver who has completed every [2,387] lap this season.(4-6-2008)
1-2-3 finishes: Richard Childress Racing [#31-Burton, #29-Harvick, #07-Bowyer] pulled off a feat Sunday [3-16-2008] that's not quite as easy as 1-2-3. With its first sweep in team history, RCR also became the first team to finish in the top three spots since Roush Fenway Racing did so four times in 2005.
Last 1-2-3 Finishes
2008: Bristol, RCR
2005: Homestead, Roush*
2005: Texas, Roush
2005: Kansas, Roush
2005: Richmond, Roush
1997: Daytona, HMS
*Finished 1-2-3-4
(AP/ESPN.com)(3-17-2008)
GWC factoid: There have been 30 green-white-checkered [GWC] finishes in Sprint Cup history, and only six times has the leader lost the lead on those final two laps.
A “green-white-checkered” finish [G-W-format will be used for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series beginning with next weekend’s races at New Hampshire International Speedway, NASCAR officials announced today. “The green-white-checkered format is an attempt to achieve everyone’s goals – a green-flag finish,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said. “This change hopefully will provide competitive finishes in the relatively rare occasions it is warranted. This format has been successful in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and considering the tight competition week in and week out in the other two national series, we feel the time is right to use the same procedure in all three national series.” The new procedure will consist of a restart of two laps – green flag for the first lap of the restart and the white flag signaling the final lap leading to the checkered flag. All additional laps will be counted and scored. The new format will not guarantee a green-flag finish. Only one restart under the “green-white-checkered” format will be attempted. If a caution comes out during that period, the race will be complete. This procedure will eliminate the need for a red flag in the final laps to immediately stop the race in an attempt to finish under green-flag conditions. The announcement expands the single attempt “green-white-checkered” format to all three of NASCAR’s national series, beginning next week.(NASCAR PR), for the Truck Series, who have had this procedure since it started, in 48 races with a G-W-C, 6 times has the lead changed [12.5%](Speed Channel)(7-15-2004)
The 30 G-W-C races:
2004 - 3 GWC races
Indianapolis 8/8/2004 [#24-Gordon won]
Phoenix 11/7/2004 [#8-Earnhardt Jr won]
Homestead 11/21/2004 [Stewart led at G-W-C, Biffle won]
2005 - 10 GWC races
Daytona 2/20/2005 [#24-Gordon won]
Talladega 5/1/2005 [#24-Gordon won]
Darlington 5/7/2005 [Newman led at G-W-C, Biffle won]
Pocono 6/12/2005 [#99-Edwards won]
Pocono 7/24/2005 [#97-Kurt Busch won]
Watkins Glen 8/14/2005 [#20-Tony Stewart won]
California 9/4/2005 [#5-Kyle Busch]
Dover 9/25/2005 [#48-Jimmie Johnson]
Talladega 10/2/2005 [Kenseth led at G-W-C, Jarrett won]
Charlotte 10/15/2005 [#48-Jimmie Johnson]
2006 - 7 GWC races
Daytona 2/19/2006 [#48-Jimmie Johnson won]
California 2/26/2006 [#17-Matt Kenseth won]
Las Vegas 3/12/2006 [#17-Kenseth led at G-W-C, #48-Johnson won]
Chicago 7/9/2006 [#24-Jeff Gordon won]
New Hampshire 7/16/2006 [#5 Kyle Busch won]
Texas 11/5/2006 [#20-Tony Stewart]
Homestead 11/19/2006
2007 - 7 GWC races
Daytona, 2/18/2007 [Martin led at G-W-C, Harvick won]
Bristol 3/25/2007 [#5-Kyle Busch]
Talladega 4/29/2007 [#24-Jeff Gordon won]
Michigan 8/21/2007 [#2-Kurt Busch won, two day rain delay]
Charlotte 10/13/207 [#24-Jeff Gordon won]
Martinsville 10/21/2007 [#48-Jimmie Johnson won]
Atlanta 10/28/2007 [#48-Jimmie Johnson won]
2008 - 3 GWC races
Bristol, 3/16/2008 [Hamlin led at G-W-C, Burton won]
Texas, 4/6/2008 [#99-Edwards won]
Richmond, 5/3/2008 [#07-Bowyer won]
The races where the leader changed after the G-W-C:
#11-Denny Hamlin led with 2 to go, had a slow restart, #31-Jeff Burton passed him and won at Bristol, March 2008
#01-Mark Martin led in the 2007 Daytona 500, #29-Kevin Harvick passed him as a huge wreck took place behind them and beat Martin to the line by 2/1000th's of a second.
#17-Matt Kenseth led 146 laps at Las Vegas in 2006, #48-Jimmie Johnson passed him at the line and won by 1/2 a car length, only leading 1 lap to win.
#17-Matt Kenseth led at Talladega in Oct 2005, Dale Jarrett passed and win
#12-Ryan Newman led at Darlington in May 2005, #16-Greg Biffle won
#20-Tony Stewart led at Homestead in Nov 2004, had fuel problems, #16-Greg Biffle won
(5-3-2008)
Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Darlington
no changes in who is in or out, the order got changed a bit and the points between 35th and 36th is now 71
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
32) #00-McDowell/Waltrip Racing 799 +113
33) #44-Reutimann/Waltrip Racing 767 +81
31) #55-Waltrip/Waltrip Racing 760 +74
34) #01-Smith/Dale Earnhardt Inc 759 +73
35) #77-Hornish/Penske Racing 757, 71 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #22-Blaney/Bill Davis 686 -71 points out of 35th
37) #70-Sauter/Haas CNC Racing 648 -109
38) #96-Yeley/Hall of Fame Racing 640 -117
39) #40-Franchitti/Ganassi Racing 629 -128
40) #84-Allmendinger/Red Bull Racing 572 -185
For the owner points standings, see my Drivers/Owners Points Standings page.(5-3-2008)
NC drivers shut out of a win for the first time ever: Since none of the five North Carolina born drivers, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #44-Dale Jarrett, #83-Brian Vickers, #45-Kyle Petty or Scott Riggs [no current ride] won the final race in 2007 at Homestead, FL, it was the first year since the NASCAR Cup Series started that a driver born in North Carolinia did not win at least one race in a season. Lee Petty won at least one race every year from 1949 thru 1961, then Richard Petty did it from 1961 thru 1977, Benny Parsons won in 1978, Dale Earnhardt in 1979-1980, Richard won in 1981, the Dale Earnhardt won at least a race a year from 1982 thru 1996, Dale Jarrett 1993 thru 2003 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2000-2006. Of course many other North Carolina born drivers won in those years.(9-21-2007)
UPDATE: Kyle Petty - "I have been asked, on several occasions, my opinion on the fact that no driver from the state of North Carolina has won a race yet this season. If you look, there are probably fewer of us now than at any point in the history of NASCAR. It's just a part of the evolution of the sport. I think North Carolina, as a whole, definitely played a large role in getting Nextel Cup racing to the level it is today. At the same time we're heading to Kansas the home of Sprint, our series title sponsor in 2008. The sport has changed and it has grown much bigger and better. That is no way a negative."(Petty Racing PR)(11-18-2007)
Milestone coming up for Stewart...laps led: after Phoenix, #20-Tony Stewart has led 9,953 laps in his Sprint Cup career, which is 13th all time and 47 laps short of 10,000.(data from RacingReference.info and NASCAR Statistics)(4-27-2008)
All time laps led - top 30:
Rank, Driver, Racing Reference total, NASCAR Stats total
1 Richard Petty, 52,194, 51,382
2 Cale Yarborough, 31,676, 31,527
3 Bobby Allison, 27,539, 27,406
4 Dale Earnhardt, 25,707, 25,707
5 David Pearson, 25,419, 25,256
6 Darrell Waltrip, 23,131, 23,131
7 Rusty Wallace, 19,972, 19,972
8 Jeff Gordon, 19,648, 19,648
9 Bobby Isaac, 13,229, 13,229
10 Junior Johnson, 12,651, 12,536
11 Mark Martin, 11,505, 11,505
12 Bill Elliott, 11,416, 11,416
13 Tony Stewart, 9,953, 9,953
14 Buddy Baker, 9,748, 9,749
15 Ned Jarrett, 9,468, 9,468
16 Geoffrey Bodine, 8,683, 8,683
17 Harry Gant, 8,445, 8,446
18 Fred Lorenzen, 8,131, 8,096
19 Ricky Rudd, 7,874, 7,874
20 Dale Jarrett, 7,050, 7,050
21 Terry Labonte, 7,035, 7,035
22 Tim Flock, 6,937, 6,135
23 Benny Parsons, 6,866, 6,860
24 Neil Bonnett, 6,382, 6,382
25 Herb Thomas, 6,197, 5,065
26 Fireball Roberts, 5,970, 5,970
27 Jimmie Johnson, 5,896, 5,896
28 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 5,888, 5,888
29 Jeff Burton, 5,667, 5,667
30 Buck Baker, 5,662, 5,417
Drivers who have led a lap 394
From two stats sources:
Racing Reference.info
NASCAR Statistics
(4-27-2008)
September 16, 2007's Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire was the first time all 43 cars that started a Nextel Cup race finished it since NASCAR mandated the 43-car rule in 1998.
Top 10 - Consecutive Races Finished on Lead Lap:[modern era?]
1) Jeff Gordon, 21 races, from June 14, 1998 thru Feb 14, 1999
2) Jimmie Johnson, 20, April 2, 2006 thru Sept 9, 2006
3) Matt Kenseth, 19, Oct 14, 2006 thru June 17, 2007
4) Rusty Wallace, 17, May 29, 2005 thru Sept 25, 2005
Matt Kenseth 17, May 5, 2006 thru Sept 24, 2006
5) Jamie McMurray, 16, August 8, 2004 thru Nov 21, 2004
Denny Hamlin, 16, May 6, 2006 thru Sept 9, 2006
Jeff Burton, 16, Charlotte, Oct 13, 2007 thru current
6) Rusty Wallace, 15, June 20, 1993 thru Oct 24, 1993
Jeff Gordon, 15, June 11, 1995 thru Oct 1, 1995
Dale Jarrett, 15, April 30, 2000 thru Sept 03, 2000
Kyle Busch, 15, Pocono, June 10, 2007 thru Sept 23, 2007
CURRENT:
Jeff Burton, 16, Charlotte, Oct 13, 2007 thru current
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-3-2008)
Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #29-Harvick has been running at the finish in 54 consecutive races, the longest current streak, next up is #07-Bowyer at 47 consecutive races.(5-3-2008)
DNF [Did Not Finish] Record: The all-time record for the longest streak of NOT having an DNF is 84 races held by Herman Beam from April 30, 1961 thru March 10, 1963. Kevin Harvick holds the modern era (1972-present) record at 58 (10/3/2002-8/1/2004) then Jeff Gordon at 56 and Dale Earnhardt at 53 [Indy in 1996 thru Martinsville in the spring of 1998.
Current Consecutive Nextel Cup Starts: Jeff Gordon is the current leader, Ricky Rudd was the all time leader with 788 before he took the 2006 season off, the list of current streaks:
(thru 5-3-2008)
Jeff Gordon, 519 [longest ever from the start of career, never missed a race] - started Atlanta 11/1992
Bobby Labonte, 518
Jeff Burton, 422
Tony Stewart, 330 [since start of his career]
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 297
Matt Kenseth, 296
Elliott Sadler, 287
Jimmie Johnson, 226
Ryan Newman, 226
Kevin Harvick, 218
Jamie McMurray, 194
Casey Mears, 190
Greg Biffle, 187
Kasey Kahne, 154 [since start of his career]
Carl Edwards, 123
Kyle Busch, 118
Denny Hamlin, 89
Reed Sorenson, 83
Kurt Busch, 82
Martin Truex Jr., 82
Clint Bowyer, 82
David Gilliland, 60
Juan Pablo Montoya, 47
David Ragan, 46
Paul Menard, 30
Robby Gordon, 25
Brian Vickers, 14
Sam Hornish Jr., 12
David Reutimann, 11
Scott Riggs, 10
Michael Waltrip, 10
Travis Kvapil, 10
Regan Smith, 10
Michael McDowell, 5
Patrick Carpentier, 5 [not in top-35 owners pts]
Joe Nemechek, 4 [not in top 35 owners pts]
Kyle Petty, 2 [not in top-35 owners pts]
A.J. Allmendinger, 2 [not in top 35 owners pts]
Sterling Marlin, 2 [not in top-35 owners pts]
J.J. Yeley, 1 [not in top-35 owners pts, had made 80 straight before missing Talladega in April 08]
Dave Blaney, 1 [not in top-35 owners pts]
Mark Martin, 1 [running part-time]
Ken Schrader, 0 [not in top 35 owners pts]
Aric Almirola, 0
John Andretti, 0 [not in top 35 owners pts]
Dario Franchitti, 0 [not in top-35 owners pts]
Mike Skinner, 0 [not in top 35 owners pts]
Bill Elliott, 0 [not in top 35 owners pts, can use past champ prov]

Mark Martin was at 621 - started at Daytona 2/14/88, ended at Atlanta 3/18/2007
(5-3-2008)
Top-10 All-time Consecutive Cup Starts:
1)  Ricky Rudd, 788 [ended Nov 2005, retired]
2)  Rusty Wallace, 697 [ended Nov 2005, retired]
3)  Terry Labonte, 655 [ended Aug 2000 at Indy]
4)  Dale Earnhardt, 648 [ended when he was killed at Daytona in 2001]
5)  Mark Martin, 621 [ended March 18, 2006 after Atlanta]
6)  Ken Schrader, 579 [ended Aug 2003 at Indy]
7)  Jeff Gordon, 519*
8)  Bobby Labonte, 518*
9)  Richard Petty, 514
10) Darrell Waltrip, 499 [ended July 1990 at Daytona]
next active = Jeff Burton, 422*
* active streak.(5-3-2008)
All Time Never Had a Win
Driver, Races Run
1)  JD McDuffie, 653
2)  Buddy Arrington, 563
3)  Neil Castles, 501
4)  Jimmy Means, 455
5)  Cecil Gordon, 449
6)  G.C. Spencer, 416
7)  Frank Warren, 398
8)  Henley Gray, 374
9)  Rick Mast, 364
10) Kenny Wallace, 343*
11) Ed Negre, 337
*active driver
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-3-2008)
All Time Nextel Cup Starts [wins]:
1)  Richard Petty, 1184 [200, 16.9%]
2)  Ricky Rudd, 906 [23]
3)  Dave Marcis, 883 [5]
4)  Terry Labonte, 851 [22]
5)  Kyle Petty, 821* [8]
6)  Darrell Waltrip, 809 [84]
7)  Bill Elliott, 780* [44]
8)  Sterling Marlin, 734* [10]
9)  Ken Schrader, 721* [4]
10) Bobby Allison, 718 [84]
11) Rusty Wallace, 706 [55]
12) Mark Martin, 705* [35]
13) Buddy Baker, 699 [19]
13) Michael Waltrip, 699* [4]
15) Dale Earnhardt, 676 [76]
16) Dale Jarrett, 668 [32]
17) JD McDuffie, 653 [0]
18) Buck Baker, 636 [46]
19) James Hylton, 601 [2]
20) David Pearson, 574 [105, 18.3%]
21) Geoff Bodine, 570 [19]
22) Buddy Arrington, 560 [0]
22) Cale Yarborough, 560 [83]
24) Elmo Langley, 536 [2]
25) Benny Parsons, 526 [21]
26) Bobby Labonte, 520* [21]
27) Jeff Gordon, 519* [81, 15.7%]
28) Morgan Shepherd, 513 [4]
29) Neil Castles, 498 [0]
30) Wendell Scott, 495 [1]
31) Jeff Burton, 485* [20]
32) Brett Bodine, 480 [1]
33) Jimmy Spencer, 478 [2]
34) Harry Gant, 474 []
35) Joe Nemechek, 466* [4]
* = active drivers(unofficial - compiled from many sources)(5-3-2008)
18 Winners of a race in Cup, Busch and Truck Series races: drivers who have won a race in each of the National Series - Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Trucks:
(Driver, Cup wins, Busch wins, Truck Wins)
drivers with more then one win in each series:
1)  Mark Martin, 35, 48, 7 [90 total]
2)  Greg Biffle, 12, 18, 16 [46](only driver with 10 wins in each)
3)  Kevin Harvick, 11, 32, 2 [45](won in each series in 2003)
4)  Tony Stewart, 32, 5, 2 [39]
5)  Carl Edwards, 10, 13, 6 [29]
6)  Kyle Busch, 6, 15, 7 [28] (won in each series in 2005/2006)
7)  Kurt Busch, 17, 2, 4 [23]
8)  Kasey Kahne, 7, 7, 2 [16]
drivers with at least one win in each series:
9) Terry Labonte, 22, 11, 1 [34](won a race in each series in 1995)
10) Bobby Labonte, 21, 10, 1 [32]
11) Bobby Hamilton, 4, 1, 10 [15]
12) Jimmy Spencer, 2, 12, 1 [15]
13) Johnny Benson, 1, 3, 9 [13]
14) Jamie McMurray, 2, 7, 1 [10]
15) Clint Bowyer, 2, 6, 1 [9]
16) Ken Schrader, 4, 2, 1 [7]
17) Ricky Craven, 2, 4, 1 [7]
18) Steve Park, 2, 3, 1 [6]
NOTE: Geoffrey Bodine's Truck win was an exhibition race [Homestead] and doesn't count.
AND: drivers who have won a pole AND a race in each of the National Series:
1)  Greg Biffle
2)  Kyle Busch
3)  Kurt Busch
4)  Carl Edwards
5)  Terry Labonte
6)  Jamie McMurray
7)  Steve Park [won a pole at Watkins Glen Truck race for Nemechek in 1996]
8)  Jimmy Spencer
9)  Ken Schrader
10) Mark Martin
11) Johnny Benson
12) Clint Bowyer
NOTES:
no pole for Craven, Stewart or Kahne in the Trucks
OTHERS with a chance:
Scott Riggs with wins in Busch and Trucks....none in Cup
Denny Hamlin no Truck wins or poles.(5-3-2008)
Closest Cup Race Finishes:
Margin Winner Runner-up Track Date
.002 Ricky Craven, Kurt Busch, Darlington, March 16, 2003
.005 Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Daytona, July 7, 2007
.005 Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, Talladega, July 25, 1993
.006 Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Atlanta, March 11, 2001
.008 Jimmy Spencer, Ernie Irvan, Daytona, July 2, 1994
.010 Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte, Atlanta, March 12, 2000
.010 Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Rockingham, February 22, 2004
.017 Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Homestead, November 20. 2005
.020 Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, Daytona, February 18, 2007
.025 Jimmy Spencer, Bill Elliott, Talladega, July 24, 1994
.027 Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Labonte, Charlotte, May 29, 2005
.028 Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Atlanta, March 20, 2005
.028 Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Texas, April 4, 2004
.029 John Andretti, Terry Labonte, Daytona, July 5, 1997
(since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993)(7-7-2007)
Brothers with the most wins [each has had to win a Cup race]
95 - Allison: Bobby (85) Donnie (10)
88 - Waltrip: Darrell (84) Michael (4) [both Daytona 500 champs]
62 - Flock: Tim (39) Fonty (19) Bob (4)
49 - Thomas: Herb (48) Donald (1)
43 - Labonte: Terry (22) Bobby (21) [also both Champions]
25 - Burton: Jeff (20)* Ward (5)
23 - Busch: Kurt (17)* Kyle (6)*
22 - Parsons: Benny (21) Phil (1)
19 - Bodine: Geoffrey (18) Brett (1)
* still active.(4-27-2008)
Gordon breaks top-10 record: #24-Jeff Gordon finished the 2007 Nextel Cup season with 30 top-10 finishes this season - which breaks Dale Jarrett modern season record of 29 top-10 finishes during his 1999 championship run.[Since the schedule was reduced by NASCAR in 1972 - called the modern era](11-18-2007)
Nextel Cup races where winner led last lap only (since 2000);
Texas: #31-Jeff Burton; 2nd: #17-Matt Kenseth, 4/2007
Las Vegas: #48-Jimmie Johnson; 2nd: #17-Kenseth, 3/2006
Homestead: #18-Bobby Labonte; 2nd: #29-Kevin Harvick, 11/2003
Darlington: #32-Ricky Craven; 2nd: #97-Kurt Busch
(ESPN2's NASCAR Now and research)(4-17-2007)
Only the second time ever in the Cup series: Casey Mears becomes another first time winner for Rick Hendrick (the 8th from the Hendrick stable). Brian Vickers was the last first time winner, also from the Hendrick stable. In fact, they both won their first career race while driving the same car, Hendrick's #25 Chevy. Did you know that the only other time that consecutive 'first-time' winners drove the same car was way back in 1950, 57 years ago. Harold Kite scored his first career win while driving his own #21 Lincoln. Then the next first time winner in the top series was Tim Flock, driving the same #21 Lincoln. These are the only two instances in which the same car produced two consecutive 'first-time' winners. Did you know part 2 - Only 4 times in Cup history has an owner produced 2 consecutive first time winners. The two mentioned above plus: in 1957, Bob Welborn was the car owner when he won his first race. Then Bob Welborn was the car owner of the next first-time winner, Max Welborn. And in recent times, Jack Roush was the owner of consecutive first-timers, Greg Biffle in 2003 and then Carl Edwards broke a 1 1/2 year drought of first-timers, in 2005.(LTPicks.com)(5-31-2007)
Hendrick Motorsports joins elite group: With #25-Casey Mears winning the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has now won five straight races [#25-Mears: Charlotte; #24-Gordon: Phoenix, Talladega, Darlington; and #48-Johnson: Richmond], the first team to do so since Petty Enterprises did so in 1971. Carl Kiekhafer's team holds the record with 16 in 1956 with four drivers [the team won 40 of 56 races that season]PE also hold the record with 10 straight in 1967 [with Richard Petty winning all 10], the list:
2007 – Hendrick Motorsports – 5 wins in a row 4/22 to 5/27
1971 – Petty Enterprises – 5 wins in a row from 7/14 to 8/1
1967 – Petty Enterprises – 10 in a row from 8/12 to 10/1
1963 – Petty Enterprises – 6 in a row from 4/14 to 5/5
1962 – Petty Enterprises – 6 in a row from 8/5 to 8/21
1956 – Carl Kiekhafer – 16 in a row from 3/25 to 6/3
(5-29-2007)
First Time Winners in Coke 600:
Five drivers have now won the spring race at Lowe's Motor Speedway [World/Coca-Cola 600], #25-Casey Mears joined that group Sunday night [May 27th], the other four all went on to win at least one Cup chanpionship:
2000: Matt Kenseth [champ in 2003]
1995: Bobby Labonte [champ in 2000]
1994: Jeff Gordon [champ in 1995,1997,1998,2001]
1961: David Pearson: [champ in 1966,1968,1969]
(5-29-2007)
Restrictor Plate Streak Ends: Thru Daytona in Feb 2007, three drivers had competed in all 77 restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega, plus all three ran the one-off restrictor plate race at New Hampshire [but that was not a drafting/aero track]: #01-Mark Martin (2 Talladega, 0 Daytona wins); #21-Ken Schrader (1, 0); #55-Michael Waltrip (1, 3). Martin did not run at Talladega as he is running a part time scheduled in 2007. Schrader and Waltrip were both with teams outside the top-35 in owners points and were not fast enough to make the race, so now, no drivers have run all 78 restrictor plate races.(4-29-2007)
Gordon hits 300...top-10's: #24-Jeff Gordon scored the 300th [and 301 at Sonoma) top-10 finish of his Nextel Cup career in Michigan on June 17, 2007. With 489 starts in the Cup series, the finish puts him in line with other legends of the sport in collecting 300 top-10's in fewer than 500 starts. Richard Petty accomplished the task in 1969 in his 439th career start; David Pearson picked up his 300th top-10 in 1976 in his 449th start; Dale Earnhardt's 300th came in 1994 in his 463rd start; Darrell Waltrip scored #300 in 1989 in his 470th start, while Bobby Allison accomplished the feat in 1980 in his 475th start. With competition as close as it is today, it remains to be seen whether another driver can get to 300 top-10's in fewer than 500 career starts. The most likely candidates would be Tony Stewart who has 179 top-10's in 300 races, and Jimmie Johnson who has accumulated 120 top-10 finishes in 199 races.(Gordonline.com)(6-26-2007)
Wins in Multiple Series: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya becomes the third driver to earn victories in F1, NASCAR and Indy cars, joining Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney.(ESPN.com)(6-25-2007)
Some first wins since stuff, some ironies: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya's win at Infineon Raceway is the first win for sponsor Texaco since Ricky Rudd won in the #28 RYR Ford...at Infineon Raceway in 2002 and the first win for the 42 number since Joe Nemechek won for Felix Sabates at New Hampshire in 1999, the 68th win for the #42. In 2000, Kenny Irwin Jr. took over the #42 ride at Sabates Racing and was killed in a practice wreck in July that year at New Hampshire [the site of the next race], the team then switched to #01, which it ran, even after Ganassi bought the majority of the team from Sabates, thru 2001. Then switched the #01 to the #41 when Target came aboard to sponsor the team with driver Jimmy Spencer for the 2002 season. Montoya's win is Ganassi Racing's first Nextel Cup win since Jamie McMurray won at Charlotte in 2002. In 2003, Ganassi started a third team, resurrecting the #42 with Texaco as the sponsor and McMurray as the driver. Texaco had also been Irwin's sponsor when he drove the #28 for RYR in 1998-1999.(6-25-2007)
First foreign born driver to win since 1974: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia, is the first driver born outside the United States to win a race in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup series since Canadian Earl Ross triumphed at Martinsville in 1974. The other foreign born driver to win a Cup race is Mario Andretti, born in Italy, won the 1967 Daytona 500.(6-25-2007)
Yes, there has been a first time winner who won back to back....plus: It was brought up during TNT's broadcast of the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan [not the Michigan 400 as TNT called it]. it was mentioned that no driver has ever won his second race immediately after winning his first in NASCAR's top series. That's not true. Billy Wade won at Old Bridge Stadium in New Jersey on July 10, 1964, for his first career win. Two days later, he won again on a road course at Bridgehampton, N.Y. But Wade didn't stop there. He also won July 15 at Islip (N.Y.) Speedway and July 19 at Watkins Glen. So he won his first FOUR races in back-to-back-to-back-to-back events. All of those wins came in cars owned by Bud Moore.(David Poole/Thatsracin), so Wade is the last driver to do back-to-back after winning his first, the first driver to do so was Dick Linder in 1950 with back-to-back wins at Dayton and Hamburg.(Racing-reference.info)(6-18-2007)
Triple Double in Cup-Busch-Trucks: While there were 3 weeks between Craftsman Truck Series races, this marks the first-time ever that all 3 national NASCAR series (Cup, Busch, & Truck) had back-to-back winners at the same time. Jimmie Johnson has won back-to-back Cup races (Atlanta & Las Vegas), Jeff Burton has won back-to-back Busch races (Atlanta & Las Vegas) and Mike Skinner has won back-to-back Craftsman Truck races (Atlanta & California).(3-19-2007)
Did you know? All 10 drivers that started in the top 10 at Las Vegas failed to finish in the top 10. On average, between four and five drivers that start in the top 10, finish in the top 10, but not this weekend. So how long has it been since all 10 drivers failed to finish in the top 10 [in a Nextel Cup race]? How about 1,421 races ago. On July 4, 1965, all 10 drivers that started in the top 10 failed to finish in the top 10. Almost 42 years ago. It happened at Daytona. Marvin Panch was the pole sitter and would become the highest finisher among the top 10 starters. Marvin finished 12th and led 39 laps. He would retire from the race after 136 laps of the race's 160 laps [only 14 cars of 40 were running at the finish]. In fact, the top 10 starters that day led 130 laps. AJ Foyt (started 11th) would grab the win, leading the other 30 laps that day. Not only did the top 10 starters in 1965 finish outside the top 10, but all 10 posted a DNF, 3 engines, 3 crashes, 1 heating issue, 1 fuel pump, 1 rocker arm and even 1 driver [Junior Johnson] is listed as 'quit'. The top 10 starters at Vegas this weekend didn't fair that bad, only scoring 3 DNFs. But they all finished outside the top 10, ending a string of 1421 races with at least top 10 starter finishing in the top 10.(LTPicks.com)(3-13-2007)
Five single largest Nextel Cup entry fields in the last five years:
1. 2007 Daytona 500 - 61 cars
2. 2006 Daytona 500 – 58 cars
2. 2004 [Atlanta] Bass Pro Shops 500 – 58 cars
3. 2005 Daytona 500 – 57 cars
4. 2006 [Homestead] Ford 400 – 56 cars
4. 2004 [Homestead] Ford 400 – 56 cars.(2-18-2007)
Car Number Wins: Twenty car numbers have never won a points paying event in a Cup race: 35,36,39,50,57,61,63,65,67,68,69,70,74,76,79,82,84,93,94,95. See my Winners by Number/First Win/Last Win page for the rundown
Interesting Stat - only one Birthday winner: been told that Cale Yarborough is the only Cup driver to ever win a points paying race on his birthday, which is March 27. In 1977 at North Wilksboro Speedway and 1983 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NOTE, since I got email on it, I will cover a few items, since folks are guessing: Richard Petty never won on his birthday (July 2nd) [in Cup] and neither did Jeff Gordon [August 4th]. In fact, the Brickyard 400 has only been held on Gordon's birthday once, in 2002, when Bill Elliott won. Gordon's first Brickyard 400 came on August 6, 1994.(8-6-2004)
why mention this? cause #11-Denny Hamlin's birthday is today, Nov 18th, he starts 32nd in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.(11-18-2007)
Daytona 500 and Championship in same year: only eight times by five drivers has the Daytona 500 and the Nextel Cup Championship been won in the same season:
1959: Lee Petty
1964, 1971, 1974, 1979: Richard Petty
1977: Cale Yarborough
1997: Jeff Gordon
2006: Jimmie Johnson.(2-17-2008)
Most Cars To Finish On Lead Lap Complete Race
Less than 400-Mile Race - 34 - Sonoma (June 26, 2005)
400-Mile Race - 35, Indianapolis (Aug. 6, 2006)
500-Mile Race - 32 Daytona (Feb. 17, 2008)
500-Mile Race - 31 Daytona (Feb. 19, 2006)
Shortened Race - 37, Michigan - June 18, 2006 (129 of 200 Laps)(2-18-2008)
Last time Brothers won, back-to-back? Kyle Busch won last week at California Speedway and brother Kurt Busch won the race at Richmond this week, becoming hte first brothers to win races back-to-back since August 1995 when Bobby Labonte won at Michigan and the following week Terry Labonte won at Bristol.(9-11-2005)
NASCAR Top 10 for consecutive weeks in the top 10 in drivers points:

1. Dale Earnhardt (174 races): Earnhardt has three streaks in the NASCAR Top 10, including two of more than 100 consecutive weeks among the top 10 in the championship. His record-setting 174 weeks occurred over the course of seven seasons, beginning Feb. 23, 1986 at Richmond. The streak concluded March 1 in the second race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup season at Rockingham, where he finished 24th. During that span, he collected four of his record-tying seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships.

2. Darrell Waltrip (138 races): Waltrip previously held the No. 1 ranking before Earnhardt went on his run that began toward the tail end of Waltrip’s streak. Waltrip began his run May 7, 1983 with a win at Nashville and continued through the conclusion of the 1987 season. The streak ended with an 11th-place finish at the season-opening Daytona 500 in 1988. It took Waltrip five years to build the then-record streak, but Earnhardt overtook the top spot with 139 straight weeks less than three seasons later. However, Waltrip did earn one of his three NASCAR Winston Cup titles during that run, capturing the championship in 1985.

3. Earnhardt (123 races): In addition to his record streak, Earnhardt began another 100-plus week run in the top 10 in the championship almost a year to the day of his record streak ending. Earnhardt, whose record run went through the 1992 Daytona 500, began this one with the 1993 Daytona 500 and watched it also come to a close at the same event in 1997 when he finished 31st in the season opener. He captured two more NASCAR Winston Cup titles during that span, winning consecutive crowns in 1993 and ’94.

4. Bobby Allison (121 races): Allison began his streak on Feb. 17, 1980 at the season-opening Daytona 500 and it culminated in the lone NASCAR Winston Cup championship of his outstanding career. The run extended throughout the 1983 season in which he won the crown, but it came to an end the following year in the season-opening Daytona 500 when he finished 34th in the race.

5. Cale Yarborough (119 races): Yarborough’s streak is a tribute to his dominance during this period. His run began Feb. 29, 1976 at Rockingham and continued through the close of the 1979 season. During that span, he won three consecutive NASCAR Winston Cup titles (1976-78), a feat that remains unparalleled in the series. His streak ended Jan. 19, 1980 in the season opener at Riverside, where he finished 23rd.

6. Jimmie Johnson (105 races): Johnson's streak is current thru end of the 2006 season. The streak started at Atlanta in March 2004 and ended ay Daytona in February 2007.

7. Richard Petty (90 races): Petty’s streak encompassed the last of his seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships, which came in 1979. This streak began March 11, 1979 and extended through the entire 1981 season before it ended with a 27th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 in 1982.

8. Bill Elliott (88 races): Elliott’s lone NASCAR Winston Cup championship came in 1988, but his NASCAR Top 10 streak came earlier in his career. It began Feb. 20, 1983 at the season-opening Daytona 500 and lasted through the 1985 season. A 13th-place finish in the 1986 Daytona 500 put an end to the run.

9. Waltrip (86 races): Waltrip’s second streak of 86 weeks joins him with Earnhardt as the only drivers with multiple streaks among the NASCAR Top 10. Waltrip’s streak began April 9, 1978 at Darlington and included the entire 1979 and ’80 seasons. The reigning NASCAR Winston Cup champion watched his streak come to an end in the 1981 season opener at Riverside when he finished 17th.

10. Matt Kenseth (71 races): started at Rockingham in February 2003 and ended at Daytona in 2005, maintaining the streak thru the end of 2004.

and a few more that fell out of the top 10 since I started keeping tabs on the streak

11. Jimmie Johnson (70 races): started at Atlanta in March 2002 [his rookie year] and ended at Rockingham in Feb 2004, the 2nd race of the season.

12. (tie) Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Earnhardt (67 races): Earnhardt’s third and final streak among the NASCAR Top 10 lasted a modest 67 weeks for the Intimidator’s standards. His streak began Oct. 7, 1979 at Charlotte and lasted through the 1981 season. The Daytona 500 was the culprit once again as he finished 36th in the 1982 season opener to end his streak. He was tied for No. 9 simultaneously by Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin in 2000. The duo had their streaks begin and conclude at the same races to forge the tie. They opened their streaks Feb. 21, 1999 at Rockingham and concluded them at the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500. Labonte, who won the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup title, finished 40th in the 500 to end his streak while Martin’s was cut short by a 33rd-place finish.

13. Sterling Marlin (66 races): Marlin unseated Dale Jarrett (65 consecutive weeks) for the No. 10 position in 2002, but his streak ended shortly thereafter due to an injury. His run began Feb. 18, 2001 at the season-opening Daytona 500 and continued the streak into the 2002 season where he led the championship for 25 consecutive races. A neck injury that was the result of an accident in the Sept. 29 race at Kansas ended his season, but he did not officially fall out of the top 10 until the Oct. 13 race at Charlotte when he dropped to 12th in the championship.

CURRENT: Tony Stewart (32 races) started Martinsville 2007 thru current....Daytona Feb 17, 2008

An interesting note is that the season-opening race put a halt to all but two of the streaks, the exception being Earnhardt’s record streak and Sterling Marlin’s 10th-ranked run.(NASCAR PR and updated weekly)(2-17-2008)
Interesting Stat - only one Birthday winner: Cale Yarborough is the only Cup driver to ever win a points paying race on his birthday, which is March 27. In 1977 at North Wilksboro Speedway and 1983 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NOTE, since much email was first recieved with guess's, a few items were covered and checked: Richard Petty never won on his birthday [July 2nd] [in Cup] and neither did Jeff Gordon [August 4th]. In fact, the Brickyard 400 has only been held on Gordon's birthday once, in 2002, when Bill Elliott won. Gordon's first Brickyard 400 came on August 6, 1994.(8-6-2004)
WHY do I mention this? #48-Jimmie Johnson turned 31 today and had a shot as Johnson started 7th, but had trouble from the start, wrecked and did not win, so the 'record' will stand.(9-16/17-2006)
Memorial Day Weekend/Labor Day Weekend Doubles..rare: #9-Kasey Kahne's win at California marks just the 4th time in the modern era that the winner of the Memorial Day weekend Cup race went on to win the Labor Day weekend Cup race in the same season. The others were David Pearson in 1976, Jeff Gordon in 1997, and again Jeff Gordon in 1998. Those 3 instances occurred when the Labor Day weekend race was held at Darlington Raceway, while the Memorial Day race has always been held at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte during the modern era. Also it should be noted both times when Gordon accomplished this feat, he went on to win the Cup championship.(9-4-2006)
Win #44 for the #9: with Kasey Kahne win in he Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, it was the 44th [not 43rd] time a car with the #9 won a race, 15th best overall [this is unofficial of course], the #43 has the most with 198 [Petty didn't win all his races in the famed #43] followed by #11 with 180 then #3, #21 and #6.
Some #9 history: Bill Elliott won 38 races in the #9 and 6 in the #11; Herb Thomas won 1 race in the #9, Donald Thomas 1 race in the #9 and a car with the #9 didn't win again until Elliott in 1983. And Kahne has 4 wins in the #9. See the full list of number wins, who won first and last in each car number, what car number Richard Petty won in, on my Wins by Car Number page.(5-30-2006)
Passes Double at "New" Bristol: NASCAR’s Loop Data shows green flag passing during Saturday night’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway more than doubled that of the spring race at Bristol – from 991 passes in the spring to 2,147 passes Saturday night. The consensus opinion held by the drivers at the conclusion of the race rang loud and clear: the new surface at Bristol Motor Speedway met – and exceeded – expectations, as the addition of a second and third racing groove greatly increased the number of passes – and thusly, the competition. Take a look at the total passing numbers from the spring and this past weekend:
2007 Green Flag Passes at Bristol
Spring, Location, Summer
184, Frontstretch, 529
128, Backstretch, 487
313, Turns 1 and 2, 571
366, Turns 3 and 4, 560
991, Total, 2,147
The 2,147 green flag passes Saturday is a 108% increase over the spring race at Bristol. The individual numbers also grew. Below is a look at the top five in Green Flag Passes at the spring race and the top five this past Saturday night.
Bristol Green Flag Passes – Spring:
1. Kevin Harvick, 52
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 47
3. Jeff Burton, 46
4. Jeff Gordon, 37
5. David Stremme, 37
Bristol Green Flag Passes – Summer
1. J.J. Yeley, 107
2. Jamie McMurray, 105
3. Reed Sorenson, 87
4. Robby Gordon, 80
5. Martin Truex Jr., 80
evin Harvick’s top mark of 52 Green Flag Passes in the spring would have tied him for 18th with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in this past weekend’s race. Tony Stewart, who finished fourth Saturday night and clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, gave the new track at Bristol high marks: "Guys were running over each other to pass each other," said Stewart. "It’s the most fun I've had at Bristol in my career. I can't give it a better grade than an A-plus."(NASCAR PR)(8-28-2007)

Four Staright Wins in an Event: Ten times in NASCAR history, drivers have won a particular event at least four consecutive times. Following is a rundown of the previous ten instances.

Driver	Race	Track	Years
Dan Gurney	Motor Trend 500	Riverside	1963-66
Richard Petty	Nashville 400	Nashville	1964-67
Richard Petty	Old Dominion 500	Martinsville	1967-70
Richard Petty	Gwyn Staley 400	North Wilkesboro	1970-75
Richard Petty	Capitol City 500	Richmond	1970-74
Darrell Waltrip	Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro	1981-84
Darrell Waltrip	Valleydale 500	Bristol	1981-84
Rusty Wallace	Hanes 500	Martinsville	1993-96
Jeff Gordon	Food City 500/Spring Race	Bristol	1995-98
Jeff Gordon	Mountain Dew Southern 500	Darlington	1995-98

(5-24-2006)

Dale va Dale Jr after 229 Career Races:
(when Dale Jr won race #17 at Richmond - 229 races)
Dale, DaleJr
Wins: 18, 17
Top-Five: 87, 92
Top-10: 135, 96
Poles: 7, 6
Earnings: $3.9M, $37.5M
Dale: 1980 Cup Championship
Dale Jr: Daytona 500 win
(ESPNEWS)(5-9-2006)
Did ya Know? No #1 champ..ever UPDATE: No driver has won a NASCAR national touring series championship [Cup, Busch, Trucks] with a car or truck carrying the number one [#1].(NASCAR Truck Series Pre-Race)(6-21-2005)
UPDATE: streak broken, #1-Ted Musgrave won the 2005 Truck Series Championship.(11-19-2005)
Oldest Race Winners
Driver, Date, Track, Age
1 Harry Gant 8/6/92 Michigan. 52 years, 7 months, 6 days
2 Morgan Shepherd 3/20/93 Atlanta 51 years, 4 months, 27 days
3 Bobby Allison 2/14/88 Daytona 50 years, 2 months, 11 days
4 Dale Earnhardt 10/15/00 Talladega 49 years, 5 months, 16 days
5 Dale Jarrett 10/2/05 Talladega 48 years, 10 months, 6 days
6 Bill Elliott 11/9/03 Rockingham 48 years, 1 month, 1 day
7 Rusty Wallace 4/18/04 Martinsville 47 years, 8 months, 4 days
8 Geoffrey Bodine 8/11/96 Watkins Glen 47 years, 3 months, 24 days
9 Richard Petty 7/4/84 Daytona 47 years, 2 days
10 Terry Labonte 8/31/03 Darlington 46 years, 9 months, 15 days
Wrecks in 2005: USA Today has some stats and articles about wrecks in 2005 Nextel Cup races, the drivers with the most wrecks:
Drivers with the highest accident rate (minimum of 30 races)
Name %.
#15-Michael Waltrip 52.8% [#55 in 2006]
#97-Kurt Busch 50.0% [#2 in 2006]
#43-Jeff Green 47.2% [#0 in 2006]
#9-Kasey Kahne 44.4%
#10-Scott Riggs 41.7% [#10 Evernahm in 2006]
#07-Dave Blaney 38.9% [#22 in 2006]
#88-Dale Jarrett 38.9%
#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 38.9%
#22-Scott Wimmer 38.9% {?#4 in 2006?]
#38-Elliott Sadler 36.1%
(with 6 of the top 10 changing teams in 2006...)
See more at USA Today.(12-15-2005)
Top-10 Streaks:
The longest streaks of top 10 finishes since 1990:
Jeff Gordon, 21 races, 1998 race #14 - 1999 race #1
Dale Jarrett, 19 races, 1999 race #4 - 1999 race #22
Mark Martin, 16 races, 1996 race #17 - 1997 race #1
Dale Jarrett, 15 races, 2000 race #10 - 2000 race #24
Jeff Gordon, 14 races, 1995 race #14 - 1995 race #27
Mark Martin, 14 races, 1998 race #10 - 1998 race #23
Bobby Labonte, 14 races, 1999 race #25 - 2000 race #4
Jimmie Johnson, 13 races, 2004 race #31 - 2005 race #7
Dale Earnhardt, 12 races, 1990 race #14 - 1990 race #25
Dale Earnhardt, 12 races, 1995 race #22 - 1996 race #2
Morgan Shepherd, 12 races, 1989 race #29 - 1990 race #11
Dale Jarrett, 11 races, 1999 race #27 - 2000 race #3
Mark Martin, 10 races, 1990 race #16 - 1990 race #25
Terry Labonte, 10 races, 1996 race #26 - 1997 race #4.(LTPicks.com)(4-22-2005)
Winner takes all: Excitement aside, here’s another reason the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge resonates with fans and participants; it’s an excellent championship barometer. Beginning with the first event in 1985, eight drivers who have won all-star races also won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series title that season.
• They are: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993), Rusty Wallace (1989) and Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001). (NASCAR Statistics)(5-18-2005)
Gordon sets new record? have done some research on this, been told by a few readers that Jeff Gordon broke a record by finishing 3rd at Dover on Sunday. It was his 20th top-10 finish of the 2004 season, making it 10 straight years that Gordon has had at least 20 top-10 finishes in a season, starting in 1995. Lee Petty had 9 straight seasons [had 19 in 1952]. The following drivers stats were checked and didn't accomplish the feat. Richard Petty [who has 18 total seasons of 20 or more Top-10's and had 43 in 1964 in 61 races, but had a 14 race season in 1965 and 'only' 17 in 1973, that broke up the streak], Dale Earnhardt had 11 20 Top-10 seasons scattered throughout 22 full seasons. Ned Jarrett in 1964, 1965 and Joe Weatherly 1962 hold the record for the most Top 10's with 45.(9-27-2004)
150 starts - Jeff Gordon vs. Jimmie Johnson:
#24-Jeff Gordon, stats after 150 careers starts, Dover in Sept 1997
Wins: 29
Top fives: 71
Top tens: 92
Poles: 16
Championship 1995, 2nd in 1996
#48-Jimmie Johnson, stats after 150 career starts, Las Vegas in March 2006
Wins: 20
Top Fives: 56
Top Tens: 89
Poles: 9
2nd drivers points in 2003 and 2004.(3-15-2006)
Johnson's 3 race run historical: #48-Jimmie Johnson has two wins and a second-place finish in the first three races of the season - tied for the best start in NASCAR history [with Pachal in 63, Petty in 69, Yarborough in 77...and only Yarborough won the championship]. In the process, he became the 16th driver to win two of the first three races to start the season. The only reason he doesn't have a big lead in the Nextel Cup Series standings is Matt Kenseth's success. He's got a win, a second and a 15th. Johnson leads Kenseth by 52 points heading into Sunday's Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A year ago, seven of the top 10 drivers in the standings after the Las Vegas race went onto qualify for the Chase for the Championship. Five drivers - Ryan Newman (18th), Tony Stewart (19th), Kurt Busch (22nd), Carl Edwards (23rd) and Greg Biffle (25th) - were in last year's Chase and find themselves playing catch-up. Johnson joins Marshall Teague (1952), Herb Thomas (1954, 3 of 1st 4), Lee Petty (1955, 3 of 1st 5), Marvin Panch (1957), Bob Welborn (1959), Jim Paschal (1963, 2 wins & 2nd), Richard Petty (1969 [2 wins & 2nd], 1972 and 1973),
David Pearson (1976. 2 wins & 29th),
Cale Yarborough (1977, 2 wins & 2nd),
Darrell Waltrip (1980, 2 wins & 40th and 1989, 2 wins & 29th),
Dale Earnhardt (1987, 5th & 2 wins),
Neil Bonnett (1988, 4th & 2 wins),
Bill Elliott (1992 27th & 2 wins & 4 of 5 and after 5 races he DIDn't lead the points),
Jeff Gordon (1997, 2 wins & 4th) and
Matt Kenseth (2004, 9th & 2 wins) as drivers who've won two of the first three races of the season.(in part from the Augusta Chronicle)(3-13-2006)
A Championship Outlook - champ usually wins in first 6 races: Only six times in the modern era (1972-present) has the eventual champion not won in the first six races. The winners in the first 6 races of 2006: #48-Jimmie Johnson, #17-Matt Kenseth and three more to go.
When did a driver win the Championship and not win a race in the first six? 1973-Benny Parsons; 1984 and 1996-Terry Labonte; 1985-Darrell Waltrip; 1999-Dale Jarrett; 2005-Tony Stewart.(3-12-2006)
2nd Place before a win...record? many longer then Kahne: but with #9-Kasey Kahne getting his 6th 2nd place finish and not yet winning a Cup Series race, been asked if another driver had finished with more 2nd place finishes before winning their first race.
After a little research and race coverage, five drivers have had more 2nd's before a win:
James Hylton had 12, won in his 187th race, at Richmond in 1970
Harry Gant had 10, won in his 107th race, at Martinsville in 1982
Sterling Marlin had 9, won in his 248th race, at Daytona in 1994
ironically, Bill Elliott had 8, won in his 116th race, at Riverside [CA] in 1983.
Lennie Pond, had 7, won in his 130th race, at Talladega in 1978.
Kahne had six 2nd place finishes, when he won in his 47th race, at Richmond on 5/14/2005.
(NASCAR Encyclopedia and Forty Years of Stock Car Racing and Fox Race coverage of Texas)(5-14-2005)
Back to Back 2nd place Only 5 drivers EVER in Nascar history have scored back-to-back 2nd place finishes in the Points standings:
Richard Petty 1962-63, 1976-77 [won 7 champs]
James Hylton 1966-67 [never won]
Cale Yarborough 1973-74 [won in 76-77-78]
Bobby Allison 1981-82 [won in 1983]
Jimmie Johnson 2003-04
What's the Record? #12-Ryan Newman won his 5th straight pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday...so what is the record? David Pearson won 11 straight poles, all while driving for the [#21] Wood Brothers from 1973 through 1978, at the track now known as Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(Gaston Gazette)(3-19-2005)
Back-to-back champs: Only nine drivers have won back-to-back Cup championships. They are Buck [not Buddy] Baker (1956-57), Lee Petty (1958-59), Joe Weatherly (1962-63), David Pearson (1968-69), Richard Petty (1971-72 & ‘74-75), Cale Yarborough (1976, 77, 78), Darrell Waltrip (1981- 82), Dale Earnhardt (1986-87, ‘90-91, ‘93-94) and Jeff Gordon 1997-98)(Caledonian Record)(1-21-2005)
Here are the six closest championship-winning margins in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup history [modern era - 1972-present]:
1. 2004 – Kurt Busch wins the title by 8 points over Jimmie Johnson [the first year of the Chase format]
2. 1992 – Alan Kulwicki wins the title by 10 points over Bill Elliott
3. 1979 – Richard Petty wins the title by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip
4. 1989 – Rusty Wallace wins the title by 12 points over Dale Earnhardt
5. 1997 – Jeff Gordon wins the title by 14 points over Dale Jarrett
6. 1980 – Dale Earnhardt wins the title by 19 points over Cale Yarborough.(NASCAR PR)(11-20-2005)
First sweep at Charlotte since 1986: #48-Jimmie Johnson became the sixth driver to sweep a season’s races at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the first since 1986 when the late Dale Earnhardt won both. There otheres:
1975, Richard Petty
1974, David Pearson
1971, Bobby Allison
1965, Fred Lorenzen.(10-18-2004)

.
A Record Fit for a King: Richard "The King" Petty won twice in 46 Talladega starts. But his two wins managed to set an unusual record. The first win came on August 11, 1974. The second came on May 1, 1983, setting the mark for longest stretch between wins at the 2.66-mile oval.(FoxSports)(10-2-2004)
Good Starts among active drivers: Finishing in the top-10 puts Edwards in some heady company:
2nd: Rusty Wallace 1980 Spring Atlanta
4th: Terry Labonte 1978 Southern 500 (Darlington)
6th: Matt Kenseth 1998 Fall Dover*
9th: Kyle Petty 1979 Talladega 500
10th: Carl Edwards 2004 Fall Michigan
*driving for Bill Elliott.(Fanball.com)
Other notables:
17th: Richard Petty 1957 Toronto in #142 [out of 19 cars in the field]
22nd: Dale Earnhardt 1975 Coca-Cola 600
28th: Tony Stewart 1999 Daytona 500
31st: Jeff Gordon 1992 Fall Atlanta
33rd: Bill Elliott 1976 Spring Rockingham
38th: Darrell Waltrip 1972 Spring Talladega.(8-23-2004)
First since 1964: #41-Casey Mears became the first driver since Billy Wade (Old Bridge, NJ and Bridgehampton, NY - July 1964) to post his first two career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Poles in consecutive races.(NASCAR Statistics)(8-7-2004)
Johnson 13th fastest to get win #10: #48-Jimmie Johnson became the 16th driver in history to record his 10th win within his first 100 career starts. His victory at Pocono Raceway on Aug 1, 2004 was his 10th in 95 career starts, making him the 13th fastest to reach 10 race wins. The fastest any driver has reached 10 wins was Speedy Thompson, who scored his tenth win in only 55 career starts.
The other drivers to post their tenth win in their first 100 starts are:
Speedy Thompson (55 starts)
Herb Thomas (58)
Tim Flock (60)
Dick Hutcherson (61)
Fonty Flock (67)
Curtis Turner (68)
Fred Lorenzen (71)
Dick Rathmann (73)
Fireball Roberts (77)
Tony Stewart (79)
Junior Johnson (81)
Bobby Allison (91)
Jimmie Johnson (95)
Ryan Newman (95)
Jeff Gordon (96)
Lee Petty (100)
No other drivers are on pace to make the list.(8-2-2004)
Fastest to 20 Poles: with his 20th pole in 84 races, #12-Ryan Newman is the 2nd fastest driver to get to 20 poles, the list of the top 15:
Fonty Flock 68 races
Ryan Newman 84
Fred Lorenzen 87
Dick Hutcherson 91
Herb Thomas 104
Tim Flock 120
Rex White 135
Fireball Roberts 138
Buck Baker 157
Bobby Isaac 162
Jeff Gordon 171
David Pearson 180
Alan Kulwicki 180
Geoffrey Bodine 181
Bill Elliott 191
(NASCAR Statistics)(3-13-2004)
Kahne Sets Another Mark: #9-Kasey Kahne set another mark in winning the Bud Pole for the 2004 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Kahne scored his second Bud pole in just five career starts and became just one of five drivers in NASCAR history to do so. No driver has won more than two. He joins the following drivers:
Martin, Mark (2) - 7/11/81 Nashville International Raceway; 9/13/81 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway
Hutcherson, Dick (2) - 3/28/64 Greenville-Pickens Speedway; 4/14/64 Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds
Burdick, Bob (2) - 5/17/59 Trenton Speedway; 6/18/59 Columbia Speedway
Kieper, John (2) - 5/27/56 Portland Speedway; 5/30/56 Eureka Speedway
Kahne, Kasey (2) - 3/5/04 Las Vegas; 3/19/04 Darlington (NASCAR Statistics)(3-20-2004)
Interesting many have asked if #9-Kasey Kahne's three top-five finishes was the best record by a driver in their first four races. The following was revealed upon a query of the database by Charlie Vass. Obviously, being just one of seven drivers in NASCAR history to accomplish this is still quite remarkable!
Drivers records after four races....
Adkins, Allen 4 Top 5s
8/1/54 Oakland Stadium 3
8/22/54 Bay Meadows Race Course 4
5/8/55 Arizona State Fairgrounds 5
5/15/55 Tucson Rodeo Grounds 2
Minter, Clyde 4 Top 5s
9/25/49 Martinsville Speedway 4
10/16/49 North Wilkesboro Speedway 4
4/2/50 Charlotte Speedway 3
5/21/50 Martinsville Speedway 5
Gurney, Dan 3 Top 5s
2/16/62 Daytona International Speedway 4
2/18/62 Daytona International Speedway 27
1/20/63 Riverside International Raceway 1
2/22/63 Daytona International Speedway 5
Erickson, Erick 3 Top 5s
9/18/49 Hamburg Fairgrounds 2
4/8/51 Carrell Speedway 5
4/22/51 Arizona State Fairgrounds 2
5/6/51 Martinsville Speedway 24
Byron, Red 3 Top 5s
6/19/49 Charlotte Speedway 3
7/10/49 Daytona Beach & Road Course 1
8/7/49 Orange Speedway 22
9/11/49 Langhorne Speedway 3
Barker, Curley 3 Top 5s
5/27/56 Portland Speedway 5
6/24/56 Portland Speedway 9
8/26/56 Portland Speedway 3
9/23/56 Portland Speedway 3
Kahne, Kasey 3 Top 5s
2/15/04 Daytona International Speedway 41
2/22/04 North Carolina Speedway 2
3/7/04 Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2
3/14/04 Atlanta Motor Speedway 3
(NASCAR Statistics)(3-19-2004)
Winning both Cup and Busch race in the same year at Daytona in Feb, two drivers have won both, Darrell Waltrip in 1989 and Bobby Allison in 1988
Make it 3: as Dale Earnhardt Jr. won both the Daytona 500 and the Busch race at Daytona in the same weekend.
AND: Dale Jr. also won a 125 race, joining Bobby Allison as the only drivers ever to win a 125, Busch and Cup race in the same Speedweeks.(2-16-2004)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his third race in four days Monday at Daytona International Speedway, winning the Hershey's Kisses 300 in the NASCAR Busch Series. He won yesterday's Daytona 500 and his 125-mile qualifying race last Thursday, giving him three victories during Daytona's Speedweeks for the second season in a row. (Only Glenn "Fireball" Roberts and his father Dale Earnhardt have won three races in one Speedweeks.)
This is Dale Jr's ninth career victory at Daytona, which moves him into a tie for 10th in all-time wins at the 2.5-mile track, joining Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon. It is his fourth consecutive Busch Series race win at Daytona, one race shy of his father's track record five consecutive Busch wins. No other driver has won a Busch Series race here since February, 2001.
Since the begiining of Speedweeks at Daytona on January 31, Dale Jr. completed 880 laps - more than 2427 miles - and led 464 laps during five races (he led 344 laps during 24-Hours of Daytona, 14 laps during Twin-125, 59 laps during Daytona 500 and 47 laps in the Busch Series 300.) (fingerprint inc./Bud PR)(2-17-2004)
Kenseth sets Modern-era record: 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth was a showcase for consistency throughout his championship-winning season and that characteristic earned him an impressive series’ modern-era record in addition to the prestige and financial rewards that accompany the title. Kenseth spent 33 consecutive race weeks ranked No. 1 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship race, which established a modern-era record and paces this month’s NASCAR Top 10 list.

The previous record was 30 consecutive weeks, established by seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champ Dale Earnhardt during his first title-winning run in 1980. Kenseth tied Earnhardt’s mark following Atlanta on Oct. 26 and earned the record outright the following week (Nov. 2) at Phoenix. Kenseth’s streak began March 9 following a fourth-place finish at Atlanta that vaulted him past Michael Waltrip for the No. 1 ranking through four races of the season. The performance at Atlanta allowed Kenseth to improve one position from his previous ranking of No. 2 and open a 49-point advantage over No. 2 Tony Stewart. The rise to No. 1 also marked the first time in his career that he was the top-ranked driver at any stage of the season.

The closest any of his pursuers came to threatening his No. 1 position during the streak occurred when Dale Earnhardt Jr. narrowed the gap to 20 points following Richmond, the 11th of 36 championship-points races. However, the following race at Charlotte was pivotal as Kenseth’s runner-up finish – coupled with a 41st-place finish by Earnhardt Jr. – increased the margin between the two to 160 points. Kenseth held a comfortable margin the remainder of the way and his largest lead of the season was 436 points over No. 2 Kevin Harvick following Dover on Sept. 21, race 28 of 36. He closed the season with a 90-point spread over series runner-up Jimmie Johnson.

Here’s a glance at the NASCAR Top 10 for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the championship:
1. Matt Kenseth, 33 weeks: Kenseth opened the 2003 season 19th in the NASCAR Winston Cup championship hunt following a 20th-place finish in the Daytona 500. A third-place effort at Rockingham moved him to sixth and a victory in Las Vegas improved him to second. A fourth-place performance at Atlanta allowed him to supplant Michael Waltrip at No. 1, marking the first time in his career that he held the No. 1 ranking. Kenseth tied the record of 30 weeks in a row that was held by Dale Earnhardt since 1980 following Atlanta on Oct. 26 and earned the record outright the following week (Nov. 2) at Phoenix.
2. Dale Earnhardt, 30 weeks: Earnhardt’s streak in 1980 was nearly wire-to-wire, the exception being the season-opening race at Riverside International Raceway. He finished second at Riverside in January for the No. 2 ranking in the championship, but a fourth-place effort in the ensuing Daytona 500 moved him into first, 39 points ahead of Terry Labonte. He held the No. 1 ranking for 30 weeks in a row and concluded the reign with a NASCAR Winston Cup championship. He closed the run in the season-ending race at Ontario Motor Speedway, taking the crown by 19 points over Cale Yarborough.
3. Richard Petty, 28 weeks: Petty’s reign in 1975 began after posting a win at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway – the third event of a 30-race season – that vaulted him from fourth in the championship to first. The win gave him a 46-point advantage over Benny Parsons at that juncture of the season and he dominated throughout the 28-week streak. At the conclusion of the final race at Ontario Motor Speedway, he had captured the championship by 722 points over runner-up Dave Marcis.
4. Earnhardt, 27 weeks: Earnhardt, like Petty’s 28-race week streak, got the run rolling with a victory at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, the third race of the 29-event season in 1987. The victory moved Earnhardt from second to first in the championship standings, and gave him a 20-point lead over Bill Elliott. He held the No. 1 ranking the remainder of the way and it culminated with a 489-point advantage over Elliott for the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.
5. Dale Jarrett, 26 weeks: Jarrett’s streak in his 1999 championship-winning season began with a victory at Richmond International Raceway. The win in the 11th race of the 34-event season moved him from second to first and gave him a 63-point lead over Jeff Burton. The streak was highlighted by his championship – a 201-point spread over Bobby Labonte – but it did not conclude at the close of the season. He opened the 2000 season with a victory in the Daytona 500 and held the No. 1 ranking in the championship for the first two races of the season. Despite a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas, Jarrett relinquished the No. 1 position to Bobby Labonte by just four points. Jarrett’s streak is one of only two among the NASCAR Top 10 list that was extended into the following season.

6. (tie) Bobby Labonte, 25 weeks: Labonte’s 25 consecutive race weeks at No. 1 in 2000 resulted in his first NASCAR Winston Cup championship. The run began following a runner-up finish at California Speedway, the 10th event of the 34-race season. The performance at California improved his championship standing from No. 2 to No. 1 as he built a 20-point lead over Mark Martin. Labonte closed out the streak at the season finale at Atlanta, capping it with a 265-point advantage over Dale Earnhardt and the title.
Sterling Marlin, 25 weeks: Marlin’s impressive 25-week run at No. 1 in 2002 did not result in a NASCAR Winston Cup championship, one of only two on the NASCAR Top 10 list that did not result in a championship. Marlin moved from fifth to first in the championship following a runner-up finish at Rockingham and led Ward Burton by 18 points through two races of the season. Marlin had the No. 1 ranking wrestled away from him following New Hampshire – the 27th race of the 36-event season – as he fell six points behind new No. 1 Mark Martin. Two races later, Marlin was injured during an accident at Kansas and it doused any title hopes. He missed the remainder of the season and finished 18th in the championship.
8. (tie) Earnhardt, 21 weeks (three times): Earnhardt held the No. 1 position for 21 consecutive weeks in 1986, ’91 and ’93, all of which resulted in NASCAR Winston Cup titles. The first of the three streaks began at Talladega – race nine of 29 – when he finished second in the race. The effort moved him from second to first in the championship, 109 points ahead of Darrell Waltrip. He closed out the season at No. 1, earning the title by a 288-point margin over Waltrip.The ’91 streak also began in the ninth race of the season – at Talladega – and extended through the close of the 29-race season at Atlanta. A third-place finish at Talladega moved him up one position to No. 1, four points ahead of Ricky Rudd. He ended the season with a 195-point advantage over Rudd in the title battle. The second 21-week streak began at Sears Point – race 10 of the 30-race season – when a sixth-place effort moved him from second to first in the championship. He closed out the season by claiming the crown by 80 points over Rusty Wallace.
Bobby Allison, 21 weeks: Allison’s 21-week stretch at No. 1 in 1983 resulted in the lone NASCAR Winston Cup championship of his outstanding career. A victory at Dover in the 10th race of the 30-event season improved his position from No. 2 to No. 1 as he grabbed a 41-point advantage over Harry Gant. The run extended through the season finale at Riverside, where he claimed the championship by 47 points over Darrell Waltrip.
9. Bobby Allison, 20 weeks: Allison’s second streak in 1981 did not result in a championship, joining Sterling Marlin’s run as the only two that did not lead to a series crown. He moved into the No. 1 position from No. 2 following a fourth-place finish at Atlanta, the fifth race of the season. Allison held the No. 1 ranking through Richmond, but lost it the following race at Dover – the 25th race of the season – despite a third-place performance. He fell two points behind Darrell Waltrip, who went on to become the series champion as he edged Allison by 53 points.
10. Jeff Gordon, 19 weeks: Gordon joins Dale Jarrett among this NASCAR Top 10 group as the only drivers to have their consecutive runs extend over two seasons. Gordon earned the No. 1 ranking following his win at Sears Point, race 16 of 33 in the 1998 season. The streak was highlighted by the NASCAR Winston Cup championship – rolling to the title by a 364-point margin over Mark Martin – and continued briefly into the 1999 season. He began the season at No. 1 as a result of his triumph in the Daytona 500, but relinquished the ranking the following week at Rockingham. He finished 39th and fell to No. 11, ending his streak.(NASCAR PR)(11-20-2003)
Winners of both the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600:
2003-Jimmie Johnson - 2nd in the Cup Championship
1997-Jeff Gordon - won the Cup Championship
1993-Dale Earnhardt - won the Cup Championship
1991-Davey Allison - came in 3rd in Drivers points
1985-Darrell Waltrip - won the Cup Championship (5-25-2003)
Women in NASCAR - Robinson the 14th Woman Driver to make a Cup Race: Shawna Robinson become the 14th woman driver in NASCAR Winston Cup history and the first since 1989. The other 13? Louise Smith(11 starts/from 1949-52), Sara Christian(7/1949-50), Ethel Mobley(2/1949), Ann Runselmeyer(?), Ann Chester(2/1950), Marian Pagan(1/1954), Fifi Scott(2/1955), Goldie Parsons(1/1965), Janet Gunthrie(33/1976-80), Christine Beckers(1/1977), Lella Lombardi(1/1977), Robin McCall(2/1982 Wally Dallenbach Jr's wife) and Patty Moise(5/1987-89 Elton Sawyer's wife). Sara Christian has the best finish of the 14 woman, a fifth at Heidelberg Speedway in Pittsburgh, PA on Oct 2, 1949(ESPN2's RPM 2Night - stats by Jayski from Greg Feilden's Stock Car Racing Encyclopedia). Some list another woman, Sandy Lynch, but research revealed that Sandy was not a woman, full name: Sandy Neal Lynch(also a son of a former Lynch crew member emailed me in April and said Sandy was a male)(6-8-2001)
Four Straight nice, Seven is the record: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s win was his fourth straight at Talladega, breaking a tie with Buddy Baker for consecutive wins at the track, but it is not the first time a driver has gone four-fer at one track. Bill Elliott was the last driver to do it, winning four straight at Michigan International Speedway in 1985-86. The all-time record is seven straight, co-held by Richard Petty (Richmond, 1970-73) and Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, 1981-84).(The State)(4-7-2003)
Talladega Sweep: Dale Earnhardt Jr became the first driver to sweep both major [NASCAR] events on a single NASCAR weekend since Burton won Busch Series and Winston Cup events at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2000. Earnhardt also won the Aaron’s 312, a Busch Series race, on Saturday.(Gaston Gazette) AND By winning the Busch race and the Winston Cup race at Daytona over the weekend, Earnhardt became the fourth driver to accomplish the feat at Talladega. The others were Ernie Irvan in 1992, Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 1993 and Mark Martin in 1997.(Alabama Live)(4-7-2003)
43rd Fact: Last driver to win from the 43rd starting spot was Fonty Flock at Raleigh, NC in 1953, the only other driver to do so was Johnny Mantz in the 1950 Southern 500
Gordon vs Petty before 30 years of age: Jeff Gordon, who turned 30 Saturday, has 56 career victories — 55(in 277 starts) before the age of 30. Richard Petty had 56(in 332 starts) career wins before the age of 30(USA Today). Petty had one Winston Cup Championship before the age of 30 and won it in 1967 when he turned 30. Gordon had 3 championships before 30 and is currently leading the points. Dale Earnhardt had 8 wins and one Championship before he turned 30 in 1981(8-7-2001)
Last time a driver won and not be at the following race? #40-Jamie McMurray won at Lowe's Motor Speedway last week, but due to a committment to his #27 BGN team, he will not race at Martinsville. It marks the first time a race winner has not started the next event since 1984 when it happened twice. In March 1984, Benny Parsons won the Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta but did not start the next race (Valleydale 500 at Bristol). In April 1984, Cale Yarborough won the Winston 500 at Talladega but did not start the next race (Coors 420 at Nashville Fairgrounds). Both Parsons and Yarborough were running limited schedules at the time focusing on the larger tracks.(Jeff Gordon Online)(10-18-2002)
19th Different Winner in 2001 a record UPDATE 6 add Robby Gordon: when #22-Ward Burton won the 2001 Southern 500, he became the 15th different Winston Cup winner in 2001, which breaks the record for NASCAR's modern era (which began in 1972) of 14 set in 2000 and 1991. Winners in 2001: #15-Waltrip, #1-Park, #24-Gordon, #29-Harvick, #88-Jarrett, #21-Sadler, #55-Hamilton, #2-Wallace, #20-Stewart, #99-Burton, #28-Rudd, #18-Labonte, #40-Marlin, #22-Burton, #8-Earnhardt Jr.(9-2-2001)
UPDATE - Make it 16 in 2001: #32-Ricky Craven becomes the 16th different winner in the Cup series in 2001, extending the record(10-15-2001)
UPDATE 2 - Make it 17 in 2001: #33-Joe Nemechek becomes the 17th different winner in the Cup series in 2001, extending the record(11-4-2001)
UPDATE 3 - ties an all time record from 1956: there was one other year in which 17 drivers won races. Of course, they weren't called Winston Cup races. For most of NASCAR's history, the top division was called Grand National. In the early years, it was called Strictly Stock. Seventeen different drivers won races in 1956, 45 years ago. They were, in order of points standings and with number of wins in parentheses: Buck Baker (14), Speedy Thompson (8), Herb Thomas (5), Lee Petty (2), Jim Paschal (1), Billy Myers (2), Fireball Roberts (5), Ralph Moody (4), Tim Flock (4), Marvin Panch (1), Paul Goldsmith (1), Curtis Turner (1), Jack Smith (1), Lloyd Dane (2), Eddie Pagan (1), John Kieper (1) and Fonty Flock (1).(GoCarolinas/Monte Dutton)(11-8-2001)
UPDATE 4: was informed that there are two more drivers who won in the 1956 season (which started in 1955) not listed above, Chuck Stevenson(Lancaster 11/55) and Royce Haggerty (8/56 at Portland OR), so that would be 19 drivers, which could be tied since there is two races to go. Also there were 19 different winners in 1958 and 1961(Stock Car Racing Encyclopedia)(11-10-2001)
UPDATE 5: Make it 18 in 2001: #9-Bill Elliott becomes the 18th different winner in the Cup series in 2001, extending the (modern era) record(11-11-2001)
UPDATE 6: Make it 19 in 2001: #31-Robby Gordon becomes the 19th different winner in the Cup series in 2001 after winning the season ender at NHIS, extending the (modern era) record and tying the all-time record set im 1956, 1958 and 1961.(11-23-2001)

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