Long Winless Streaks in NASCAR

SI Staff | Aug 16, 2011

Long Winless Streaks in NASCAR /

Long Winless Streaks in NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR's most popular driver has hit a dry-spell that has spanned nearly three Sprint Cup seasons. His last win came at the LifeLock 400 at Michigan in 2008, and after a fast start to the 2011 season, he's now in danger of missing the Chase. Moreover, he had a 76-race winless streak before the current one, meaning he's won once in his last 145 races. Who else has fallen on hard times? Here's a look at the current winless streaks of some other active drivers as of Aug. 16. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.

Bobby Labonte

Labonte, the only driver to have won both the Winston Cup championship and the Busch Series championship, hasn't reached Victory Lane since 2003, but he did notch his 200th career top-10 at the Daytona 500.

Robby Gordon

Gordon hasn't hit Victory Lane since 2003, and he hasn't really come close either: Since his win at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, 2003, he's tallied only 7 top-fives.

Joe Nemechek

The NEMCO Motorsports owner/driver had some mid-career success before hitting an epic drought. His last win came at the Banquet 400 in Kansas in 2004, and since then, he's notched only two top-fives.

Martin Truex Jr.

A revelation on the Nationwide Series, Martin Truex Jr. hasn't been as lucky in Sprint Cup. Truex hasn't hit Victory Lane in an official Cup race since 2007, but he did win the Sprint Showdown in 2010.

Casey Mears

Casey Mears was on fire during the 2007 season. With one win and 10 top-10 finishes, he looked poised for an impressive 2008. But Mears has struggled to stay competitive with only one top-five finish since his win at the Coca-Cola 600.

Jeff Burton

Lady luck hasn't been kind to Jeff Burton. The Richard Childress Racing driver is currently riding a 96-race winless streak, and before that he had a 185-race drought. Pretty shocking stretches for a driver who has 21 Cup wins to his credit.

Joey Logano

Joey Logano's last win came in New Hampshire in 2009, but the promising 21-year-old no doubt has many victories in his future.

Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne will leave for Hendrick Motorsports next year, but before he does, he hopes he can break his winless streak, which dates back to September 2009.

Mark Martin

Mark Martin is another veteran of the winless streak. The Hendrick Motorsports driver endured an 88-race winless streak from 2006-`09, and he's currently riding a 64-race streak dating back to September 2009.

Brian Vickers

Since motoring to a win in 2009's Carfax 400 at Michigan, Brian Vickers has come up short in making it to the top of the pack. An injury wiped out most of his 2010 season, and the 27-year-old is hoping for better results going forward.

David Reutimann

David Reutimann sits on the lower end of the winless spectrum, and his second-place finish at Kentucky on July 9 shows he might not be long for this list.

Published Aug 16, 2011

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