NASCAR: 28-race playoff streak snapped at Texas
By Asher Fair
Kyle Busch became the first non-championship eligible driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race since Matt Kenseth won at Phoenix Raceway in 2017.
In addition to ending a 33-race win drought to start the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the longest win drought to open up a season throughout any of his 16 seasons as a full-time driver, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch ended another lengthy drought at Texas Motor Speedway when he took the checkered flag ahead of teammate and championship contender Martin Truex Jr.
It had been almost three years since a driver who had no chance to win the championship won a playoff race.
In other words, during that span, every single playoff win had advanced the race winner to the next round, sans Kevin Harvick’s encumbered 2018 round of 8 win at Texas Motor Speedway, although he still advanced to the Championship 4 anyway.
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Matt Kenseth, who hasn’t won a race since he pulled off this feat, was the most recent driver to do it prior to Busch’s victory on Wednesday night.
The 2003 champion pulled it off in November of 2017 in the round of 8 race at Phoenix Raceway after a late pass on Chase Elliott spoiled Elliott’s chances to qualify for the Championship 4 for the first time in his career.
Kenseth, who was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing at the time, had been eliminated following the round 12, just as Busch was this season, so his victory did not advance him to the Championship 4.
Busch’s victory ended a 28-race win streak of championship eligible drivers winning playoff races.
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It is worth noting that the last time a true non-playoff driver won a playoff race was in 2013, when Denny Hamlin won the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway despite having not qualified for the postseason. Jimmie Johnson secured the sixth of his seven championships that year. That drought is now up to 68 races.