Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon are the only two drivers from last season to find victory lane this season, which means there's a list of drivers who haven't been to victory lane since last season, but we are focusing on drivers who haven't been to victory lane in at least one year.
Last season witnessed Richard Childress Racing and Wood Brothers Racing breaking long winless streaks with the two Ryans, Newman and Blaney. Austin Dillon returned the three-car to victory lane in the Cup Series for the first time since Dale Earnhardt St. did it at Talladega in 2000. This year a list of drivers could end long winless streaks, as soon as this weekend much like Newman in 2017. Here are eight drivers who are looking to end their long winless streaks this weekend in the TicketGuardian 500.
Drivers Looking to End Winless Streaks at ISM Raceway
Paul Menard - 235
Paul Menard won the 2011 Brickyard 400 with Richard Childress Racing. Menard has made 235 starts since that last win but after the move to Wood Brothers Racing over the off-season, his winless streak could be coming to an end pretty soon.
Menard has finished inside the top five 13 times since his last victory at Indianapolis in 2011. His best finish since that victory is a third place which he has obtained three times, most recently Daytona last July. Since the move to Wood Brothers Racing, Menard has a best finish of sixth in the Daytona 500. Menard has been a threat for the pole recently too, earning the fastest lap in the first round of qualifying at Las Vegas.
Clint Bowyer - 188
Clint Bowyer last won in the 2012 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That season, Bowyer was a threat to win the championship until the Phoenix incident with Jeff Gordon. Since that victory in 2012; Jimmie Johnson has won his sixth and seventh championships, a wide variety of drivers including Jeff Gordon have retired, and Michael Waltrip Racing isn't a thing anymore.
Since his move to Stewart Haas Racing in 2017, Clint Bowyer has been doing nothing but improving and coming close to snapping the winless streak. Bowyer has tallied seven top-five finishes with the organization. Since his victory in 2012 Bowyer has finished second six times, most recently at Daytona last July. So far this season, much like his teammate Kevin Harvick, has had speed with the best finish of third at Atlanta last month. Bowyer could be primed and ready to end that streak very soon.
Trevor Bayne - 170
Trevor Bayne last went to victory lane in the 2011 Daytona 500 for Wood Brothers Racing. The number for Bayne's starts since his last victory in the series is lower than the previous two because it wasn't until 2015 that Bayne ran a full-schedule in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Before Ryan Blaney took Wood Brothers Racing to victory lane last season for victory No. 99, Bayne took them to victory lane for win No. 98.
Making his full-time debut for Roush Fenway Racing in 2015, Bayne was able to secure two top-five finishes. His career though at Roush Fenway Racing in the MENCS has been okay at best. A total of 13 top-ten finishes and just four top-five finishes in 111 starts with RFR. Dismal finishes for Bayne in three starts so far this season that includes a blown engine at Atlanta. Not saying it won't happen but it may be a little longer before the 170 race winless streak gets snapped.
David Ragan - 167
David Ragan last won the 2013 Aarons 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Ragan is one of the three drivers on this list who remain with the team they earned their last win with. Ragan earned the upset of the year award in 2013 by winning the race with teammate David Gilliland in second. The victory, to date, has been Front Row Motorsports only victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Since the victory, FRM has had multiple different drivers including Josh Wise, Cole Whitt, Chris Buescher, among others.
Ragan himself has gone to other teams but has managed to return to Front Row Motorsports almost everytime. Now with teammate Michael McDowell, he could be a threat to end that 167 race winless streak sometime soon especially at the superspeedways. Ragan has a best finish of fifth at Martinsville in 2015 while filling in for Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing. That is the only time the driver from Unadilla, Georgia.
Jamie McMurray - 151
Jamie McMurray's last victory came in the 2013 Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. That was the race that ended under caution when Austin Dillon went airborne after getting turned by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. It's funny to think that both of those drivers both have victories on superspeedways since McMurray last won a race in the series.
McMurray has been very consistent the last two seasons making the playoffs via points but that elusive victory has still been so close yet so far away. While Kyle Larson has risen to stardom, it seems McMurray has been put to the side burners at least when it comes to trips to victory lane. McMurray is the second of the three drivers who are still with the same team they earned their last victory with. Could McMurray return the No. 1 to victory lane this season?
AJ Allmendinger - 125
AJ Allmendinger's last victory came in the 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. That was the first season that a driver who won a race would punch his ticket to the playoffs but ever since Allmendinger has failed to secure another victory. He's been rather close but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
JTG Daugherty Racing has improved since Allmendinger last won but they also added a second car with Chris Buscher. This season JTG aligned with Hendrick Motorsports which has definitely shown on the track and in the points standings for Chris Buescher. Allmendinger is still a little off sitting 23rd in the standings. Now that there is a road course in the playoffs, those two road course races during the season are even more important. Allmendinger will definitely be a threat in those races as he always is.
Aric Almirola - 122
Aric Almirola last won with Richard Petty Motorsports in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400. After multiple dismal seasons with RPM and an injury in the Kansas race last season, Almirola departed for Stewart Haas Racing. That move almost ended the winless streak at 120 as Almirola was leading the last lap of the Daytona 500. Austin Dillon made a move on Almirola that sent him into the outside wall and the winless streak continued to count.
Almirola has a best finish of fourth, three times, since that victory in 2014. The last time Almirola finished fourth was at Talladega last May, the weekend before the crash that would sideline the driver for a few weeks. The number would be longer if not for that multi-race absence. Almirola has improved since the move to Stewart Haas Racing as the driver of the No. 10 car has almost finished inside the top ten every weekend. He has one top-ten finish at Las Vegas last weekend and a 13th and 11th place finish at Atlanta and Daytona. Could he earn his second career victory sometime this year?
Chris Buescher - 54
Chris Buescher is the last of the former winners who haven't found victory lane since his last victory in the field on Sunday. Buescher has made 54 starts since his last victory in the shortened Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono in 2016. Buescher has since branched away from Roush Fenway Racing and moved to JTG Daugherty Racing.
2018 has been a killer year so far for Chris Buescher. Buescher earned a fifth-place finish in the 2018 Daytona 500 and a 15th place finish at Las Vegas sits the Prosper, TX native 15th in MENCS points. The 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion could be creeping up on his second career victory in the series. A great start to the season could translate into the 54 race winless streak coming to an end very soon.
Photo Credit - Brandon Wright/Brandon Wright Photography
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