NASCAR Cup Series: Will Kyle Busch tie Morgan Shepherd’s record?

By Asher Fair | May 5, 2019

Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Kyle Busch is seeking to tie Morgan Shepherd’s all-time record mark of 11 consecutive top 10 finishes to open up a NASCAR Cup Series season. Will he pull it off?

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch opened up the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season by recording 10 consecutive top 10 finishes, something that had not happened since Morgan Shepherd recorded 11 consecutive top 10 finishes to open up the 1990 season.

As a result, if Busch records a top 10 finish in today’s race, the Gander RV 400, at Dover International Speedway, he will tie Shepherd’s mark with 11 consecutive top 10 finishes to open up a season, which is currently the all-time Cup Series record for consecutive top 10 finishes to open up a season.

Drivers have, however, recorded more than 11 consecutive top 10 finishes to start a season before, but Shepherd is the only driver who has done so in each of a season’s first 11 races.

Lee Petty opened up the 1954 season with 27 consecutive top 10 finishes, but he recorded these 27 top 10 finishes over the course of the season’s first 30 races. He did not compete in the season’s fifth, 16th or 27th races.

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Buck Baker opened up the 1957 season with 26 consecutive top 10 finishes, but he recorded these 26 top 10 finishes over the course of the season’s first 35 races. He did not compete in the season’s first, second, third, 14th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 25th or 31st races.

Marvin Panch competed in only 12 races throughout the 1963 season. He competed in 12 races from the season’s 26th race through the its 55th races. He did not finish any of these races outside of the top nine.

David Pearson opened up the 1969 season with 14 consecutive top 10 finishes, but he recorded these 14 top 10 finishes over the course of the season’s first 16 races. He did not compete in the season’s second or fifth races. All 14 of these top 10 finishes were top six finishes.

Finally, Richard Petty opened up the 1969 season with 15 consecutive top 10 finishes, but he recorded these 15 top 10 finishes over the course of the season’s first 16 races. He did not compete in the season’s fourth race. All 15 of these top 10 finishes were top nine finishes.

Through the first 10 races of the 2019 season, Busch has recorded an average finishing position of 4.50, as he has recorded three victories, one second place finish, two third place finishes, one sixth place finish, one eighth place finish and two 10th place finishes.

Through the first 11 races of the 1990 season, Shepherd recorded an average finishing position of 6.27, as he recorded one second place finish, one third place finish, two fifth place finishes, one sixth place finish, two seventh place finishes, three eighth place finishes and one 10th place finish. He went on to retire from the season’s 12th race with an engine issue, which relegated him to a 29th place finish.

In 28 career starts at the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilometer) high-banked Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, Busch has recorded an average finishing position of 14.75. He has recorded three victories, 12 top five finishes and 17 top 10 finishes at the track.

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Will Kyle Busch finish in the top 10 in this afternoon’s Gander RV 400 to tie Morgan Shepherd’s all-time record with his 11th consecutive top 10 finish to open up the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season? He is set to start this race in 22nd place. This race is set to air live on Fox Sports 1 from Dover International Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET, so be sure not to miss it.

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