Larson, Johnson among winless in 2018

Three drivers who made the playoffs this year — and won multiple races last year — remain winless with four races left in 2018.

Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson all qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs in 2018 but have all been eliminated from championship contention.

Larson won four races in 2017 and led for over 1,300 laps. The 26-year-old driver has won at least once race per year since 2016 and has one track circled where he and his team have their best chance at winning.

“Definitely Homestead,” Larson said. “You look at basically every year I’ve ran there, I’ve led laps and had the dominant car and dominate the race, really, and then the way circumstances work out at the end, I’m not able to win. Hopefully this year will be a little different.”

For Johnson, the seven-time champion, he has won at least two races per season since his rookie campaign of 2002.

His 16-year streak is the longest active in the series and he enters this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway riding a 55-race winless streak.

“The way this year’s going, I have no clue,” Johnson said to The Racing Experts of where he thinks he can earn his first win of 2018. “Honestly, no clue.”

Hamlin has won at least one race per season since 2006, a 12-year streak. He declined comment for this story.

Other 2017 winners who remain with a “0” in the victory column this year are Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the now-retired Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman.