As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season prepares to kick off from the 2.5-mile-long tri-oval at Daytona Beach, Florida, here is a look at a few drivers who could, or rather need to turn their performances around this year. Bigtime names such as Kyle Busch and Bubba Wallace find themselves on the list of drivers with the longest winless streaks in the sport currently, with other notable additions as well.
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#5 Kyle Busch
Jumping right into it, the Richard Childress Racing driver has come off one of the worst seasons of his NASCAR career with RCR last year. Busch broke the record of winning at least one race every year since his debut in the sport last year, indicating the struggles the #8 crew has going on. He has gone winless for the past 58 races including the 2025 Clash at Bowman Gray where he finished in P15.
Busch remains the only Cup Series champion on this list, with two titles in NASCAR’s top tier. It remains to be seen if and how things can turn around for him this season.
#4 Erik Jones
Driving the #43 for Legacy Motor Club, a team struggling for performance despite superstar owners Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty, Jones comes in fourth on the list with an 80-race-long winless streak in the sport’s highest echelon. Jones’ last victory in the sport came at Darlington Raceway in 2022.
The 28-year-old’s most recent result saw him get eliminated in one of the qualifying heat races for the Clash at Bowman Gray. The 2025 season might have something in store for the Legacy MC team if they can keep themselves in a position to contend.
#3 Bubba Wallace
Tied with his peer Erik Jones on the number of races since his last victory in the sport, Bubba Wallace comes in at third place on the list owing to 23XI Racing’s general performance. The team won the regular season championship with Wallace’s teammate Tyler Reddick last year while the #23 Toyota driver failed to make the playoffs.
Wallace won his last race at Kansas Speedway in 2022, driving the #45 entry that weekend. His recent finish in the 2025 Clash at Bowman Gray seems to indicate good form heading into this season, with him finishing the exhibition-style event in P5.
#2 Cole Custer
Custer will drive for the Haas Factory Team in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025 as the Xfinity Series champion returns to the top tier of stock car racing. With a 98-race winless streak to break this year, Custer will look forward to making the most of 2025 after sitting the last two seasons out of the premier series.
The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver’s bid during the Clash at Bowman Gray ended before the main event. He finished in P12 during the Last-Chance Qualifier (LCQ) before the main race.
#1 Justin Haley
The driver with the longest winless streak in the NASCAR Cup Series is Spire Motorsports’ Justin Haley with 142 races without a trip to victory lane. Haley’s last win came at Daytona International Speedway all the way back in 2019. Since then, Haley has been unable to replicate his achievement in the sport’s top tier.
With Spire Motorsports’ performance levels not the best heading into 2025, it remains to be seen if Haley can cash in on a lucky break this season.
