NASCAR: Who will become a first-time winner in 2020?

Each of the last four NASCAR Cup Series seasons has featured at least one first-time winner. Will that trend continue in 2020?

The last four NASCAR Cup Series seasons have each featured at least one driver winning the first race of his career.

In 2016, Kyle Larson won for the first time when he won at Michigan International Speedway. The 2017 season saw three first-time winners, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning at Talladega Superspeedway and then Daytona International Speedway, Austin Dillon winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Ryan Blaney winning at Pocono Raceway.

In 2018, Erik Jones secured his first win at Daytona International Speedway before Chase Elliott took the checkered flag for the first time at Watkins Glen International before adding wins at Dover International Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

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Then last year, Alex Bowman found victory lane for the first time at Chicagoland Speedway before Justin Haley, who has competed in only three Cup Series races, won in stunning fashion at Daytona International Speedway in what is arguably the biggest upset in the history of the sport.

Which drivers are set to enter 2020 seeking their first victories?

Among the full-time drivers, there are 15 who have not yet found victory lane. Germain Racing’s Ty Dillon, JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ryan Preece, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto, Richard Petty Motorsports’ Bubba Wallace, Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, Go Fas Racing’s Corey LaJoie and Rick Ware Racing teammates J.J. Yeley and Joey Gase are among those 12 drivers.

Then there are the six rookies: Premium Motorsports’ Brennan Poole, Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, Leavine Family Racing’s Christopher Bell, StarCom Racing’s Quin Houff and Front Row Motorsport’ John Hunter Nemechek.

Which of these non-winners will be winners by the time the 2020 season ends in November?

Barring a surprise superspeedway victory, you can cross several drivers off of this list. The primary contenders should be Reddick, Custer and Bell, who were known as the “Big 3” in the Xfinity Series before being promoted to the Cup Series ahead of 2020, along with Byron, DiBenedetto and possibly LaJoie.

Reddick, Custer and Bell are all set to drive for teams that are more than capable of winning races at the Cup level. The question will be whether or not they are capable of taking advantage of it in their rookie seasons.

Byron, who won one of the Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway this past Thursday night, entered the 2019 season as one of the likely candidates to notch his first win, but he was unable to do it. However, he was arguably the most improved driver in the series, and after finishing in second place twice, he appears to be poised to take that next step.

Another driver who greatly improved in 2019 was DiBenedetto, who lost his ride with the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Leavine Family Racing but replaced the retired Paul Menard at the Team Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing.

As Leavine Family Racing progressed throughout their first season with a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs’s team, DiBenedetto’s results reflected it, so driving for a team that already have an established technical alliance with a top-tier team should bode well for him.

LaJoie could be in the mix if Go Fas Racing’s new technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing proves to be immediately successful, which is certainly not a guarantee.

Will any driver or drivers be added to the list of NASCAR Cup Series winners at any point throughout the 36-race 2020 season? The season is scheduled to get underway this afternoon at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida with the 62nd annual Daytona 500. This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.