NASCAR: Three of the Top 5 Still Searching For First Victory in 2017

By Asher Fair | Jun 23, 2017

May 28, 2017; Concord, NC, USA; Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) and Kevin Harvick (4) drive out of turn four during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season is now 15 races into the 36-race campaign. However, even through 15 races, three of the top 5 drivers in the championship standings have yet to win a race.

In the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, 15 races have been completed, and 21 remain on the schedule. While the season is not yet halfway done, 15 races is still a pretty large sample size of races. That is, it is large enough to make the fact that three of the top 5 drivers in the championship standings have yet to win a race so far this season pretty astounding.

The drivers in 1st and 2nd place in the championship standings, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr., respectively, each have two victories so far this season. However, all 11 of the other victories have come from drivers currently 6th place or lower in the standings. None of the 15 races so far this season have been won by the drivers currently in 3rd, 4th or 5th place in the standings.

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Kyle Busch, who sits in 3rd place in the standings, has been in the news constantly this season, but mostly for negative reasons regarding his attitude. His highest finish of the season is 2nd place, which happened at both Martinsville and Charlotte. He hasn’t won since the Brickyard 400 last season. A total of 31 races have passed since that victory.

Kevin Harvick, who sits right behind Busch in 4th place in the standings, has also not yet won a race this season. His best finish of the season came at Pocono, where he finished in 2nd place. He has not won since last season’s Kansas playoff race. A total of 20 races have passed since that victory.

Chase Elliott, who sits right behind Harvick in 5th place in the standings, has not only yet to a win a race this season. He is still searching for his first victory in his NASCAR Cup Series career. He has driven in a total of 56 Cup races and finished in 2nd place on three occasions, all at Michigan. One of those 2nd place finishes has come this season.

Next: NASCAR Driver Power Rankings

Which of these three drivers will be the first to find Victory Lane in 2017? Be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.