April 8, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

The five drivers likely to extend NASCAR's streak of different winners in 2021

While the Cup Series isn’t close to duplicating the NASCAR record of 10 different winners in the first 10 races set in 2000, there’s a good shot to extend the streak to eight this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. 

Twenty-one years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke the run of unique victors with his win at Richmond Raceway. That year marked the first time in stock car’s modern era that an eight-race streak occurred before it was extended to 10. In 2003, the number of different winners reached nine, before Kurt Busch returned to Victory Lane at Auto Club Speedway after winning at Bristol in race No. 6. 

Contenders without victories in 2021 are an impressive lot, including seven former Martinsville winners—five of whom are Cup champions. Considering that Martin Truex Jr., is the only winner this season with multiple grandfather clocks—the iconic trophy from NASCAR’s oldest venue—it’s very possible that another new winner could emerge in Saturday’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500.

Here are five drivers with the best opportunity to keep the winning streak rolling:

Denny Hamlin—Hamlin leads all active drivers with five wins at the .526-mile track. Not surprisingly, the 40-year-old Virginia native also tops the tour at Martinsville with an average finish of 9.9 and 1,608 laps led. Ten of Hamlin’s 44 Cup career wins have come on short tracks.

“I’m ready to get back onto some asphalt,” said Hamlin after his third-place Bristol dirt run. “Martinsville is always a place we take confidence to, even when we know we need to keep making improvements to our short track program.”

Kyle Busch—With 16 victories on tracks of less than a mile, Busch is best in class when it comes to short tracks. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota claims two Martinsville wins and is second only to Hamlin with 1,429 laps led. In 31 starts at the Henry County track, Busch has finished fifth or better 16 times. He understands the importance of being prepared for the end game. 

“It’s a tough racetrack, Busch said. “Any time you come in the pits and make an adjustment on your car, you certainly hope it goes the right way, or you make enough of it, or you don’t make too much of an adjustment. The last run can be tricky, too, because you can be coming off a 50-lap run on right-side tires and take four and you’ve only got 30 (laps) to go, or you could have 80 to go, and you know you have to manage that run all the way to the end.”

Kurt Busch—The elder Busch sibling also boasts two wins at the paper clip but will start 21st on Saturday. Still, the 2004 champ has won from the back of the field before. He started 36th when he collected his first grandfather clock in 2002. When it comes to experience, Busch leads current drivers with 41 starts and 19,883 laps completed. Busch’s 10 short track wins tie Hamlin for second-most on the tour.

Brad Keselowski—Keselowski scored his second Martinsville victory at the spring race in 2019. His average finish of 10.2 is second only to Hamlin. The 2012 Cup champ has been incredibly consistent on the half-mile, completing 99.4 percent of all laps in races he has entered at the track. In 22 starts, Keselowski has posted 11 top fives and 16 top 10s.

“It’s a 500-lap race, so you get behind early, there is plenty of opportunities to catch up,” Keselowski said. “With the advent of the wave-arounds and the lucky dogs and stages it’s never been easier to catch up from behind in NASCAR. I think having the mental strength and capacity to acknowledge that, work through it and play that to your advantage is super important. Not everybody has it, but the best do, and they’re able to succeed.”

Chase Elliott—The defending Cup champion is also the last driver to win at Martinsville. Elliott’s 429 laps led at the half-mile are his most at any track. And his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, boasts three wins in 33 Martinsville starts. While Elliott doesn’t yet have the Martinsville credentials of the other drivers in this list, he does have a wealth of resources and knowledge that comes from Hendrick Motorsports and its remarkable record of 25 wins in 74 Martinsville appearances. HMS’ 51 short-track wins are the most among active race teams.

“Last year’s win at Martinsville was huge for us,” Elliott said. “It’s great to know that we’ve had some good runs there, but you always have to keep in mind that your past success doesn’t equal success in the future. We will have some good information from last year and I look forward to getting to Martinsville this weekend and seeing what we can do.”