When the 2018 Cup season opens with the 60th Daytona 500 in February, the field will include 22 drivers who own at least one win in their career.
Six of those drivers are past champions.
Not among them will be Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth. Earnhardt ended his Cup career in 2017 with 26 victories, the last coming in the fall 2015 Phoenix race. Kenseth likely capped off his career with his 39th Cup win in this years’ fall Phoenix race.
Here’s how the active wins list will look when the season begins in February in Daytona.
Jimmie Johnson, 83 wins: The seven-time Cup champion won three times in 2017. His win at Dover in June tied him with childhood hero Cale Yarborough. A win by Johnson in 2018 would move him into a three-way tie with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list. Johnson is 10 wins behind Jeff Gordon.
Kyle Busch, 43 wins: The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won five times in 2017. He began the year tied with Kenseth with 38 wins. He moved past Hall of Famers Tim Flock and Mark Martin on the all-time wins list.
Kevin Harvick, 37 wins: The 2014 Cup champion won twice in 2017, winning at Sonoma and Texas. The Texas victory advanced him to the Championship 4. Harvick is three wins away from having 100 over all three of NASCAR’s national series.
Denny Hamlin, 31 wins: The Joe Gibbs Racing driver visited Victory Lane twice in 2017 at New Hampshire and the Southern 500. He’s won at least two races in the last three seasons. He’s the winningest Cup driver without a championship. A win in 2018 would tie Hamlin with Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.
Kurt Busch, 29 wins: The Stewart-Haas Racing driver earned the biggest win of his career in 2017, claiming the 59th Daytona 500. Busch has won at least one race in all four of his seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Brad Keselowski, 24 wins: The Team Penske driver began the year tied with Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Hall of Famer Benny Parsons and Jack Smith with 21 wins. His three victories at Atlanta, Martinsville and Talladega now have him above Hall of Famer Terry Labonte (22 wins) and Ricky Rudd (23 wins).
Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne, 18 wins: Each driver won a single race in 2017.
Martin Truex Jr, 15 wins: The 2017 champion won eight times this season. Three years ago, he had just two wins in his first nine full-time Cup seasons. He is tied with Ernie Irvan on the all-time wins list.
Clint Bowyer, eight wins: The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has not won a race since 2012.
Jamie McMurray, seven wins: The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has not won since 2013.
Kyle Larson, five wins: The Chip Ganassi Racing driver claimed four victories in 2017 after finally breaking through with his first win in 2016.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr, David Ragan, two wins: Both drivers’ two wins have come at restrictor-plate tracks.
Drivers with one win: Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Trevor Bayne and Paul Menard.