Denny Hamlin has set plenty of records in the NASCAR Cup Series over the last two decades that young drivers can only dream of beating. Amongst those feats is a 71-race string in which he never finished 30th or worse. The streak that began at Dover in 2019 saw him go through nearly two whole seasons before he succumbed to a 32nd-place finish in Talladega.
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Notably, this is the longest streak achieved in the premier tier since field sizes were over thirty cars. Most drivers with such lengthy streaks have long retired from the game. With the NextGen car forcing parity across the field and increasing competitiveness, it is unlikely that any active driver will be able to match or exceed Hamlin’s record.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. has the second-longest streak of consecutive finishes inside the top 30. Between 1985 and 1987, the legend went 63 races hitting inside the mark. He had another 60-race streak between 1990 and 1992. Yet another streak of 52 races followed between 1992 and 1994. The list is scattered with his name in these three different periods.
Cool stat I stumbled on:
At Dover in the Spring of 2019, Denny Hamlin began a run of 71 CONSECUTIVE races without a finish of 30th or worse.
This is the longest streak EVER achieved in the NASCAR Cup Series (since field sizes were over 30 cars each race) pic.twitter.com/wzdKUnzoP4
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) July 30, 2024
Only Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman come close to Hamlin’s numbers apart from the Intimidator. Harvick began a streak of 61 races in 2019. He began the run with a fourth-place finish in Darlington and ended it in 2021 with a DNF at the Circuit of the Americas. Newman began his streak of 51 races at the Pocono Raceway in 2018. It would come down to the 2019 Charlotte Roval race to stop him.
The two active Cup Series drivers who could break Hamlin’s record
Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott has finished outside the top 20 just once this season. His top-30 record has been on for the last 25 races. The confidence in his consistency could potentially turn out to be a threat to Hamlin but for now, there is a long way to go. The 2020 champion’s next step towards the goal will be at the Richmond Raceway.
The other driver who is brewing a streak is Spire Motorsports’ newbie Carson Hocevar. The Rookie of the Year contender hasn’t finished outside the top 30 in the last 21 races. The season-opening Daytona 500 is the only time he hit outside the mark. His best finish of eighth place came at the World Wide Technology Raceway in June.
