NASCAR: Which Driver Is Next To Snap Their Winless Streak?
By Matt Lovisa
After Tony Stewart’s victory at Sonoma Raceway snapped a 84-race drought, it begged the question: Which driver will snap their NASCAR winless streak next?
Tony Stewart’s victory at Sonoma did much more than earn him a victory in his final Sprint Cup Series season and a possible berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It provided Stewart with his first win since June 2013 at Dover. For 84 races the three-time champion struggled to find victory lane.
Stewart is not the only driver to have multiple e NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory but struggle for race after race do so. Here are a look at four other drivers with notable NASCAR winless streaks that could join Stewart this season.
Kasey Kahne – Last Win August 2014
Kahne last visited victory lane in August in 2014 at Atlanta, more than 60 races ago, and his lack of a victory in 2015 cost him a spot in the Chase. Kahne has had notable winless streaks before, but last year was just his second year since his rookie season that he failed to win a race.
Why he is due for a win: Kahne has found lightning in the bottle before over a stretch of a few races to grab a victory. Some of the tracks Kahne has multiple victories at are upcoming, such as Pocono, Bristol and Charlotte.
Greg Biffle – Last Win June 2013
Biffle’s last win was at Michigan in June of 2013, more than 100 races ago, at the site of four of his 19 Sprint Cup wins. The struggles of Biffle and Roush Fenway Racing have been well documented for the past few seasons. Improvement has been seen this year but Biffle still believes that more progress needs to be made.
Why he is due for a win: Biffle and crew chief Brian Pattie have gambled a few times this year with pit strategy to help with track position. With visits still left at New Hampshire, Pocono, Watkins Glen and Indianapolis, Biffle could end his NASCAR winless streak with a gamble.
Related Story: NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Sonoma
Ryan Newman – Last Win July 2013
Newman visited victory lane last at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning the Brickyard 400, more than 100 races ago. That race win was with Stewart-Haas Racing, meaning that Newman has yet to win with Richard Childress Racing.
Why he is due for a win: Much like Kahne, Newman will visit tracks he notoriously runs well at and much like Biffle, Newman has been known to run alternate strategies for better track position when his car is not as competitive on speed. If Newman can put together a weekend like he did at Indy in 2013 when he sat on the pole and was fast all weekend, he could find victory lane sooner than most think.
Clint Bowyer – Last Win October 2012
Bowyer has struggled mightily this season with HScott Motorsports as he waits a year to join Stewart-Haas Racing, ranking him lower on this list than the others because of that. Bowyer will visit short tracks and road courses where he has been competitive at perviously, but his car’s reliability will be the biggest factor. Take a look at what happened early during the race at Sonoma.
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Why he is due for a win: The way it looks right now, Bowyer may not visit visit victory lane until he is at SHR in 2017. Even gambling on track position hasn’t helped this team much this year but Bowyer could surprise at two of the remaining restrictor plate tracks or at the final road course race of the year.