There have been countless instances in NASCAR where the drivers end up leading the majority of the race and finish in a dominating fashion. Other times, the win slips out of their hand without notice. There are two drivers specifically who hold the record for leading more than 75% of the races since 2019. These two are Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr.
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Truex Jr. was the man who kicked things off back in 2019 at the Martinsville playoff race, leading 92.8% of the race. He also ended up winning it ahead of William Byron. Thereafter it was the 2021 Atlanta race, where Larson led 82.8% of the race. But in the end, it was Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney who took the victory.
Since then, only the two of them have dominated more than 75% of the laps in a race. Truex led 84.6% at Darlington in 2021, and 84.4% at Loudon in 2023, winning on both occasions. Meanwhile, Larson led 81.8% of the laps at Charlotte, 88% at Nashville, and Texas at 77.6%, also winning in all three of these races.
The last 10 Cup races in which a driver led 75% or more of the laps
In other words, it has been nearly FIVE YEARS since someone other than Martin Truex Jr or Kyle Larson has led 75% of a Cup race. pic.twitter.com/YiQdXPaye3
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) April 26, 2024
Can Kyle Larson dominate in Dover this weekend?
Heading into the Cup Series weekend, the drivers will take to the Dover Motor Speedway for a challenging yet rewarding race. Larson won a race here back in 2019 when he was driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He also had two stage wins in the 2021 race with Hendrick Motorsports at the track.
Looking at these statistics and his past form at the racetrack, dominating isn’t exactly something that would be correct to assume, but surely he’ll be able to mount a serious challenge for his second possible trip to victory lane come race day. The HMS driver will have quite a lot of talented drivers like Denny Hamlin, Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, and William Byron among several others to contest against. Regardless, this weekend’s race should be an exciting one to witness.
