NASCAR Cup Series: Will 10th consecutive race feature a different winner?

Nine different drivers have won the last nine races. Will this Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International produce a 10th?

A total of 10 different drivers have won at least one of the first 22 races on the 36-race 2019 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Nine of these drivers have won one of the last nine races going back to the race at Pocono Raceway in early June, which was won by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch.

You have to go back to the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in late May before you reach the most recent two-time winner. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. won that race before winning the race at Sonoma Raceway in late June.

The only driver who has won at least one race this season but has not won any of the last nine races is Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski. Keselowski sits in a third place tie on the wins list so far this season with three, but he hasn’t won a race since he won the race at Kansas Speedway in mid-May.

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He also won the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February and the race at Martinsville Speedway in late March.

Will this Sunday’s race, the Consumers Energy 400, at Michigan International Speedway produce a 10th different winner in the last 10 races?

Looking at the history of the results at this four-turn, 2.0-mile (3.219-kilometer) Michigan International Speedway oval in Brooklyn, Michigan, it is very possible. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson hasn’t won a race since the 2017 season, and he won three races in a row at the track from 2016 to 2017. His third victory at the track in August of 2017 was followed up by a win by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer in June of 2018. Bowyer has not won a race since he won this one.

The last two race winners at Michigan International Speedway, however, have won one of the most recent nine races that have been contested this season. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick won the race at the track last August, and he won the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a few weeks ago.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano won the race at Michigan International Speedway back in June, and this race was the second race of the active nine-race streak of different winners.

The only other former winners at Michigan International Speedway who are in the field but have not won one of the last nine races are Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman and Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson. Both drivers are seeking their first victories in more than two years.

Newman won the races at the track in August of 2003 and June of 2004 while Johnson won the race there in June of 2014.

As far as the historical implications of 10 consecutive races being won by 10 different drivers is concerned, it has not been done since the 2017 season. If it is done this season, it would be tied for the longest streak since the 2012 season when 11 different drivers won one race in an 11-race span. Ironically, both this streak and the active nine-race streak began with the 14th races of the season, and this race was held at Pocono Raceway in both seasons.

Here is the current nine-race streak.

Pocono Raceway – Kyle Busch
Michigan International Speedway – Joey Logano
Sonoma Raceway – Martin Truex Jr.
Chicagoland Speedway – Alex Bowman
Daytona International Speedway – Justin Haley
Kentucky Speedway – Kurt Busch
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Kevin Harvick
Pocono Raceway – Denny Hamlin
Watkins Glen International – Chase Elliott

Here is the 10-race streak that took place two years ago.

Charlotte Motor Speedway – Austin Dillon
Dover International Speedway – Jimmie Johnson
Pocono Raceway – Ryan Blaney
Michigan International Speedway – Kyle Larson
Sonoma Raceway – Kevin Harvick
Daytona International Speedway – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Kentucky Speedway – Martin Truex Jr.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Denny Hamlin
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Kasey Kahne
Pocono Raceway – Kyle Busch

Here is the 11-race streak that took place seven years ago.

Pocono Raceway – Joey Logano
Michigan International Speedway – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Sonoma Raceway – Clint Bowyer
Kentucky Speedway – Brad Keselowski
Daytona International Speedway – Tony Stewart
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Kasey Kahne
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Jimmie Johnson
Pocono Raceway – Jeff Gordon
Watkins Glen International – Marcos Ambrose
Michigan International Speedway – Greg Biffle
Bristol Motor Speedway – Denny Hamlin

Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark

Will this Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway produce the 10th different winner in the last 10 NASCAR Cup Series races? Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 11 to find out.

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