Alfredo, Briscoe, Cindric have chance at NASCAR history

If Anthony Alfredo, Chase Briscoe or Austin Cindric find Victory Lane in the Daytona 500 Sunday, that driver will become the seventh driver in the history of NASCAR’s premier series to win in their debut.

The trio of drivers will each make their NASCAR Cup Series debut, looking to become the first drivers to win in their first start in nearly 58 years.

Alfredo will be racing the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports entry, running for Rookie-of-the-Year honors.

Briscoe, who won nine races in the Xfinity Series last year, will also compete for Rookie-of-the-Year honors piloting the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Cindric, the 2020 Xfinity Series champion, will run a partial schedule in the Cup Series for Team Penske in 2021.

Six drivers have won in their Cup Series debut, according to statistics across two racing databases.

The feat was accomplished five times across NASCAR’s first three seasons; twice in 1949 and 1950, and once in 1951.

The last driver to record a victory in their debut was Johnny Rutherford in February of 1963, winning in a Daytona 500 qualifier race.

The last drivers to make their premier series debuts in the Daytona 500 were Christopher Bell and Brennan Poole in 2020, who finished 21st and 16th respectively.

Live television coverage of the Daytona 500 will be on FOX Sunday (Feb. 16) at 2:30 p.m. E.T.

DRIVERS WHO WON IN THEIR DEBUT
Jim Roper (Charlotte Speedway, 1949)
Jack White (Hamburg Speedway, 1949)
Harold Kite (Beach & Road Course, 1950)
Leon Sales (North Wilkesboro Speedway, 1950)
Marvin Burke (Oakland Stadium, 1951)
Johnny Rutherford (Daytona International Speedway, 1963)

SOURCES
mcubed.net/nascar/
Racing-Reference.info