NASCAR
Who’s Gone Over a Year Without a Cup Series Victory?
2024 saw a very high number of winless streaks end in the NASCAR Cup Series. In total 10 different drivers broke into victory lane for the first time in over a calendar year. With that in mind, who could be next on this list in 2025? The following group of drivers include some of the best talents on track today, as well as a few faces in new places for the coming year.
Justin Haley – 141 starts*
The miracle win for Justin Haley in the summer Daytona race was a distant five-and-a-half years ago. The Indiana native has only been full-time in Cup since 2022, however, making 141 starts since his victory.
Haley’s duration since his lightning-delay underdog triumph have seen him compete for Kaulig Racing, Rick Ware Racing, and most recently return to Spire Motorsports. Haley’s best result since Daytona 2019 was runner-up in the inaugural Chicago Street Race from 2023, leading in the closing laps there.
Since taking over the Spire No. 7 in September, Haley recorded a top-10 at Talladega and another top-20 at Las Vegas. Staying with Spire for 2025, Haley and this team should remain a superspeedway sleeper pick and a wildcard team capable of a few breakout top-10s.
Cole Custer – 97 starts*
The defining moment of 2020’s stacked Cup rookie class was Cole Custer’s clutch Kentucky win. A monster push on the final restart saw driver 41 set sail for a Playoff berth and eventual top rookie honors.
Custer since went back down to Xfinity for the past two seasons, winning the 2023 title and being runner-up in 2024. The Californian graduates back to Cup with a rebranded Haas Factory Team.
The No. 41 of 2025 will be drastically different from its Stewart-Haas Racing predecessor; there has been a lot of turnover within this team. Custer’s week-to-week performance will remain a bit of a mystery until the season gets underway. As a result, whether or not Custer will be in contention for a second Cup triumph is still unknown. Custer’s knowledge from his past Cup stint will be a leg up over other drivers entering Sundays with lesser experience.
Bubba Wallace – 80 starts*
One driver who’s in perhaps the most pressure-packed scenario from all angles is Bubba Wallace. Driver 23 has seen a full year pass since his last visit to victory lane in the 2022 fall Kansas race. During this timespan, Wallace did make the 2023 Playoffs on points. 2024 also saw him earn career-best marks in top-fives (six), top-10s (14), and average finish (15.3). Despite these tangible improvements, no win kept Wallace from a back-to-back Playoff showing.
Wallace will have a new crew chief for 2025; Charles Denike will take over the reigns of 23XI Racing’s flagship ride. No place is a better opportunity for Wallace to end his Cup Series losing drought than the Daytona 500. Wallace has been second twice before in The Great American Race, being within inches of the coveted win two years ago. It will be especially intriguing to see how this team fares with the ongoing NASCAR charter lawsuit looming overhead.
Erik Jones – 79 starts*
To call 2024 a disappointment for Erik Jones and Legacy Motor Club would be an understatement. Only a pair of top-10s coming on superspeedways were the few highlights of the year for the newest Toyota team. LMC’s flagship car also recorded a 22.9 average finish and ended 2024 at 28th in points.
Jones was sidelined for two weeks in the spring following a spinal fracture injury at Talladega. After returning to his Toyota, there was a noticeable downward trend in the No. 43’s weekly stats. In short, Jones was very off from his upset triumph status in 2022’s Southern 500.
Now having a full year to pour over Toyota data, Legacy should return stronger in 2025. An offseason’s worth of recovery time for Jones’ back will only have him in even stronger health come the new year too. Across the board, Legacy saw a lot of personnel turnover in 2024. Some of their combinations have to produce eventually. 2025 has the potential to show promise for the Toyota crew.
Kyle Busch – 57 races
No driver’s winless streak across the 2024 Cup season was a bigger talking point than Kyle Busch. The 63-time victor and past champion went 0-36 for the first time in his Cup career, dating back to 2005. Busch going winless erased a 19-year consecutive winning season record, the most in Cup history.
Can Richard Childress Racing return their flagship driver to the victory mountaintop? Even with a historically down season, Busch was still a contender across each superspeedway race and had other flashes of brilliance as well. Across a 36-race season, Busch should have at least a few winning opportunities ahead. Whether or not he has enough in the luck bank for a withdrawal and flawless team execution remains to be seen, however.
Martin Truex Jr – 52 races
The retirement tour fell a bit short of expectations for Martin Truex Jr. Alas, his chances at another Cup win are not over. The past champion and 34-time winner will be chasing a few more checkered flags in 2025. Truex does plan to compete in the Daytona 500 and other select races on a part-time basis.
Truex last won in 2023, a year that saw him take three victories and the regular season championship. His most recent win was at Loudon, a track he considers one of his home venues.
While his team for these upcoming starts remains publicly unknown, it will be a treat to see the future Hall of Famer race on his desired schedule in the future.
Michael McDowell – 48 races
The last 2023 winner to not repeat in 2024, Michael McDowell is amidst a big offseason change. The veteran has left his eight-year home at Front Row Motorsports for a new opportunity at Spire. Being teamed up with Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar, McDowell brings valued experience and pedigree to this team on the cusp of contention.
McDowell’s latest Cup triumph was on the Indianapolis Road Course in 2023, just over a full year ago. During his swan song year with FRM, McDowell was close to a few clutch wins that would have changed the course of his season. Expect similar boldness and daring strategy calls out of the newest Spire driver in 2025.
Winless streaks in the NASCAR Cup Series are always fun to track and follow along with regardless of the season. 2025 opens with back-to-back drafting races, allowing ample opportunities for a surprise winner or two. Throughout the regular season, it will be enlightening to see if these aforementioned drivers can end their long dry spells and find victory lane once again.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
