NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Wins And Championships - By The Numbers
NASCAR could crown a winless Sprint Cup champion for the first time this year...
Gregg Leary  |  Posted August 24, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Matt Kenseth captured the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship on the heels of a lone victory. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
In its 60-plus year history, NASCAR has never had a winless Cup champion. As of now, six of the top 12 in Cup points are winless (Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer)…so there is a 50/50 chance that the Cup champion could claim the title without scoring a victory.

Odds are good that one or more of the six will win a race in the next 12 events, but what if they don’t, and score consistently good points finishes to take the crown without visiting victory lane in 2010?

An NFL team cannot win the Super Bowl without a victory nor can an MLB franchise capture the World Series or an NBA squad nail the playoffs without a win. If NASCAR aims to compare itself with the major sports, a greater emphasis must be placed on winning.

There have only been four NASCAR Cup champions who have earned the crown with only one win.

• 1950: Bill Rexford
• 1961: Ned Jarrett
• 1973: Benny Parsons
• 2003: Matt Kenseth

Kenseth’s single victory, along with his mind numbing series of consistently solid points finishes in 2003, was a major reason that NASCAR went to the Chase format in 2004. Another huge justification for the Chase was to “shake things up” and add excitement to a sport that went head to head with the NFL.
Click Here to play Super 7 Sweep Fantasy Racing powered by Wind Tunnel™!

To have a winless Cup champion would be mildly embarrassing to say the least. One possible solution would be to include any driver who has a win in the first 26 races leading up to the Chase. As of now, only Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya would be added. McMurray, who is 13th in points, is still a long shot to make the Chase. Newman is 15th, Reutimann is 17th and JPM 19th.

Having the Chase field expanded to the Top 12 and any other race winners would be a good start. Perhaps in future years, only Cup drivers who win a race during the first 26 races would be eligible for the Chase. Now that would be a winning solution. Strokers need not apply.

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for "Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain","The SPEED Report", book reviewer and columnist for SPEED.com. Leary was track announcer for Hooter's IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during "down time". He was Marketing, PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway. Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand-up comedy around the country. Leary is available for motorsports consulting on a limited basis. Contact him via email at

Play! SPEED Fantasy Racing and Super 7 Sweep
gleary's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gregg Leary

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.