NASCAR: 5 Drivers Most Likely To Win At Kentucky

Which NASCAR Cup driver will celebrate in Victory Lane at Kentucky? Will we see another first-time Cup winner?

Any driver can win at any track on any given day. With NASCAR heading to Kentucky this week, it is becoming increasingly urgent for many drivers to win in order to secure a spot in the playoffs. Will we see another first-time Cup winner, will we have a repeat winner, or will one of this season’s winless veterans make it to Victory Lane?

NASCAR Xfinity Series races have taken place at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY since 2001 and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 2000. NASCAR’s premiere series, the Monster Energy Cup Series, has only been racing in Kentucky since 2011. In six years of Cup racing at Kentucky, we have only had three winners. Brad Keselowski has essentially dominated Kentucky for Cup races with three wins. Kyle Busch has two wins, and Matt Kenseth has one win.

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Unlikely first-time Cup winners have eased their way into playoff spots and many veteran drivers are left on the outside trying to get in. This week, I am putting my money on some of NASCAR’s vets to step up, but there is one young driver who I will not discount. Below is a list along with my picks of drivers who I think can win at Kentucky.

Brad Keselowski (My Dark Horse)

Bad Brad has the most Cup wins at Kentucky out of all active drivers. Keselowski has three Cup wins at Kentucky in 2012, 2014 and 2016. He also has three Xfinity Series wins, taking home the checkered flag in 2011, 2013 and 2015. If you are keeping count, Keselowski has won a race at Kentucky every year for the past six years. With a proven track record like that, why would you bet against him? It is likely that he may do the unthinkable and make it seven years in a row.

Kyle Busch (My Pick)

Joe Gibbs Racing has yet to win a Cup race this year and with Busch’s history of winning at Kentucky, this could be the track that we see the team finally put all the “can JGR win?” talk to bed. Kyle Busch has a total of six wins at Kentucky, tying him with Keselowski. He is a two-time winner in Cup (2011, 2015), a two-time winner in the Xfinity Series (2004, 2016), and a two-time winner in the Camping World Truck Series (2011, 2014) at Kentucky. Busch has won four stages this season and is 3rd in the points standings. This could be his week.

Jimmie Johnson

There are only three tracks where Johnson has not won at and Kentucky is one. As he embarks on his quest to win an eighth championship, I can’t help but think that winning at Kentucky is on his bucket list. Johnson is also one win away from tying Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for 4th on the all-time Cup victories list with 84 wins. With three wins this season, the most of all Cup drivers, why would anyone disregard Johnson as a viable driver to win at Kentucky?

Matt Kenseth

Kenseth has only one win at Kentucky. He has won two stages but has come up short of grabbing the checkered flag at a race this season. Kenseth makes this list for one reason only; he is “The Quiet Assassin.” He will and can come out of nowhere and win. He can win at Kentucky. There is no question he has to, especially with his recent announcement that he does not have a ride and is unlikely to return to JGR in 2018.

Ryan Blaney

The NASCAR young gun has won a Cup race and has three stage wins this year. Blaney has raced well at a few tracks this season. As a winner in each of NASCAR’s three major series, he has two wins in the Xfinity Series at Kentucky in 2013 and 2015. The only other young Cup driver with multiple wins at Kentucky is Austin Dillon, who won both Kentucky Xfinity races in 2012.

Clint Bowyer (Bonus Pick)

Bowyer has not won a race or a stage this year, so I am sure you are asking why is he on this list. He is my bonus pick because I think his time is coming. He is overdue for a win. Yes, there is a long list of drivers overdue for a Cup win, but none are as close as Bowyer is. He came in 2nd place two weeks in a row. At Daytona, a restrictor plate track, he led two laps. The week prior, he gave it everything he had racing Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski who came in 1st and 3rd place, respectively, at Sonoma, a road course. Bowyer has proven he can race competitively on any type of track. Now, he just needs to win, so I don’t see why he cannot win at this 1.5-mile tri-oval intermediate track.

Next: What About NASCAR's Veteran Drivers?

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