NASCAR: 2019 Coca-Cola 600 ties all-time pole-to-win drought record
By Asher Fair
The Coca-Cola 600 tied the all-time NASCAR Cup Series pole-to-win drought record, as polesitters have not won any of the last 30 races.
Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. dominated the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway on the night of Saturday, July 14, 2018 after starting from the pole position.
Truex Jr. led 174 of the race’s 267 laps around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Kentucky Speedway oval in Sparta, Kentucky in his #78 Toyota en route to earning the victory in this race.
Since Truex Jr. won this race, 30 races have been contested, including the final 17 races of the 2018 season and the first 13 races of the 2019 season.
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But race polesitters have not won any of these 30 races.
Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron had the chance to end this trend on Sunday night in the 2019 season’s 13th race, the Coca-Cola 600, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Byron started this 400-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Concord, North Carolina from the pole position in his #24 Chevrolet. But he ended up finishing in ninth place after leading 31 laps, as Truex Jr., who now drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, ended up winning it after starting in 14th in his #19 Toyota and leading a race-high 116 laps.
Never in Cup Series history have more than 30 consecutive races taken place without a polesitter winning. As a result, the active pole-to-win drought is now tied for the longest pole-to-win drought ever.
A 30-race pole-to-win drought also took place from the 2011 season to the 2012 season. Ryan Newman’s victory in the 36-race 2011 season’s 19th race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the final victory earned by a polesitter until Joey Logano won the 36-race 2012 season’s 14th race at Pocono Raceway after starting from the pole position.
Ironically, last season’s race at Kentucky Speedway was the season’s 19th race, and next weekend’s race, the Pocono 400, is not only the season’s 14th race, but it is set to take place at Pocono Raceway.
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The Pocono 400 is the next race on the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and it is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 2 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Will the all-time pole-to-win drought record be broken in this race? Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET to find out.