It’s been awhile: Sprint Cup regulars who haven’t won since before 2015

By Jan 17, 2016, 5:23 PM EST
1 Comment

In 2015, 12 full-time Sprint Cup drivers combined to win all 36 races.

That left 25 full-time drivers and a handful of part-time and substitute drivers who didn’t visit victory lane over the course of the season.

For every Joey Logano (six wins) there is a driver like Paul Menard. Menard has competed full-time in the Sprint Cup for eight seasons, but can claim only one win.

Then there are seasoned veterans who have plenty of experience thanking a long list of sponsors for a winning car, but haven’t gotten the chance in two years or more.

A new season with 36 chances to win begins on Feb. 21 with the Daytona 500. Here is a chronological look, beginning with the earliest, at confirmed full-time drivers who have wins that weren’t victorious in 2015 and how long it has been since they celebrated a points win.

Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet for Germain Racing (306 starts)

  • Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 27, 2007; first career win

Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing (93 starts, four part-time seasons)

  • Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 20, 2011; first career win

Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing (160 starts)

  • Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 31, 2011; first career win

Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Chevrolet for HScott Motorsports (113 starts)

  • Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Oct. 13, 2012
DOVER, DE - JUNE 02: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on June 2, 2013 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
It’s been 77 starts for Tony Stewart since he last celebrated a Sprint Cup win. He won at Dover International Speedway on June 2, 2013 (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (77 starts; 18 races missed due to injury and a leave of absence)

  • FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway, June 2, 2013

Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing (93 starts)

  • Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, June 16, 2013

Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing (88 starts)

  • Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 28, 2013

Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing (76 races)

  • Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Oct. 20, 2013

Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports (54 starts)

  • Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, July 6, 2014; first career win

AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG-Daugherty Racing (50 starts)

  • Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International, Aug, 10, 2014; first career win

Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports (47 starts)

  • Oral-B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Aug. 31, 2014

Notable full-time drivers (confirmed for 2016) without Sprint Cup wins: Danica Patrick, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney Brian Scott, Alex Bowman and Michael Annett.