Martin Truex Jr. approaching NASCAR record
It may be hard to believe, but Martin Truex Jr. has never won consecutive points-awarding Cup Series races.
Truex, the 2017 champion, leads all active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in that category with 21 victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won 26 times in the Cup Series, holds the all-time record among all drivers to never win back-to-back.
Truex is tied for fourth all-time on that list with Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has a chance to earn back-to-back wins this Saturday at Kansas Speedway after netting a victory Monday (May 6) at Dover International Speedway.
A two-time winner at Kansas, Truex won both events held at the 1.5-mile racetrack in 2017 and finished among the top five in both 2018 races.
The Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 on Saturday (May 11) and 7:30 p.m.
Fifteen of the 22 active winners in the Cup Series have never won back-to-back. An “active driver” is defined by a past winner who has competed in the series at least once in 2019.
ACTIVE WINNERS WHO HAVE NEVER WON CONSECUTIVE RACES
Martin Truex Jr. (21)
Ryan Newman (18)
Clint Bowyer (10)
Jamie McMurray (7)
Kyle Larson (5)
Chase Elliott (4)
Aric Almirola (2)
Ryan Blaney (2)
Austin Dillon (2)
David Ragan (2)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2)
Chris Buescher (1)
Erik Jones (1)
Casey Mears (1)
Paul Menard (1)
TOP-10 DRIVERS WHO HAVE NEVER WON CONSECUTIVE RACES
1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (26 victories)
2) Ricky Rudd (23)
3) Terry Labonte* (22)
4) Jeff Burton (21)
5) Bobby Labonte* (21)
6) Benny Parsons* (21)
7) Martin Truex Jr.* (21)
8) Kasey Kahne (18)
9) Ryan Newman (18)
10) LeeRoy Yarbrough (14)
* indicates past champion.
BOLD indicates active driver.
Lists active through Dover I 2019 (May 6, 2019).
SOURCES
Racing-Reference.info
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.