Final 12 months, Christopher Bell grew to become the , with Tyler Reddick not too long ago turning into the second. Nonetheless, Reddick is now the one driver within the 78-year historical past of NASCAR to win the primary three races of a brand new season, successful two drafting tracks and a highway course.
Because the fashionable period of NASCAR started in 1972, solely eight drivers have managed to win 4 consecutive Cup races and it is fairly a powerful listing. All of these drivers have since been enshrined within the NASCAR Corridor of Fame, and 6 of them are Cup Sequence champions. It’s really elite firm.
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Nonetheless, nobody has completed the feat in practically 20 years. Reddick’s highway right here has been no easy Sunday drive both, preventing to the very finish in opposition to a number of drivers on his solution to capturing the checkered flag at Daytona, Atlanta and COTA. That, together with how shut the modern-day NASCAR subject is today makes Reddick’s three-peat astoundingly spectacular.
At Daytona, he escaped two last-lap crashes, main a single lap to win the game’s greatest race. At Atlanta, he fought again from a late-race wreck, taking the lead in double extra time and hanging on regardless of lacking a complete fender. And at COTA, he needed to maintain again none aside from highway racing famous person Shane van Gisbergen within the closing laps.
So, if he does handle to proceed the win streak into Phoenix, listed below are the drivers he would be a part of and their very own paths to finishing the uncommon four-peat feat.
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Cale Yarborough – 1976Cale Yarborough in James Hylton’s Mercury
Cale Yarborough in James Hylton’s Mercury
Yarborough’s 4 wins got here in his first championship-winning season and it was considered one of full domination — main 200+ laps in every of the races he gained between September and October of that 12 months. It started on the Richmond quick observe, keeping off Bobby Allison by roughly a automobile size. However the margins of victory solely grew for every win that adopted. Onto Dover the place he beat Richard Petty by over seven seconds, after which doubled that margin to 14 seconds over Darrell Waltrip at Martinsville. He accomplished the unimaginable run at North Wilkesboro, successful by a full lap over Benny Parsons and inserting an exclamation level on the finish of it.
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Darrell Waltrip – 1981Race winner Darrell Waltrip
Race winner Darrell Waltrip
Waltrip’s win streak got here across the similar time of 12 months and even lined two of the identical races as Yarborough. Humorous sufficient, it additionally got here with the identical group as each had been driving the No. 11 for Junior Johnson. For Waltrip, it started at Martinsville with Harry Gant trailing him by 7.8 seconds on the end. He went to North Wilkesboro the place (like Yarborough) he beat his closest competitor – Bobby Allison – by over a lap. DW confronted off with Allison once more at Charlotte, successful by practically a full lap with 31.8 seconds between them.
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And at last, Waltrip accomplished this uncommon four-peat at one other North Carolina observe, as soon as once more keeping off Allison on his solution to victory at Rockingham. Solely this time, Waltrip didn’t make the cross for the win till simply 11 laps to go. And persevering with to comply with the instance set by Yarborough earlier than him, Waltrip ended the 1981 season by successful his first of three NASCAR Cup Sequence titles.
Dale Earnhardt – 1987Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Earnhardt’s spectacular win streak happened a lot earlier within the season, however nonetheless not fairly as early as Reddick’s present run. As the game superior and the fields grew to become extra aggressive, ‘The Intimidator’ needed to combat a bit tougher than the earlier two names to tug this accomplishment off. It started at Darlington, passing Invoice Elliott as he dramatically ran out of gas by the ultimate set of corners on the white flag lap. He gained at North Wilkesboro the next week, protecting Kyle Petty at bay within the closing laps with simply a few seconds between them. After besting the son, he then beat the daddy, Richard Petty, doing so by just below a second at Bristol. He completed it off at Martinsville, holding again rival Rusty Wallace on his solution to capturing the checkered flag. And sure, he went on to win the title that 12 months too.
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Harry Gant – 1991Harry Gant’s automobile within the NASCAR Corridor of Fame
Harry Gant’s automobile within the NASCAR Corridor of Fame
Gant is a novel title amongst this group. He’s not a champion, and he was over 50 years outdated on the time of reaching this. Grant additionally has the excellence of being the oldest winner in Cup Sequence historical past, a file he secured one 12 months after this spectacular stretch when he was 52 years outdated. This previous 12 months, he was elected to the NASCAR Corridor of Fame.
However in 1991, the person generally known as ‘Mr. September’ earned his nickname. He gained each race that month, starting with the Southern 500, beating Ernie Irvan by over ten seconds. At Richmond, he shadowed Davey Allison in a spirited battle earlier than lastly finishing the cross with simply 18 laps to go. His Dover victory was a bit extra simple, dominating the occasion and beating runner-up Geoff Bodine by over a lap. Nonetheless, the fourth win didn’t come as simple as Gant truly crashed late within the race. He was turned from the lead and suffered vital injury to the nostril of the automobile (significantly the proper entrance fender). Undeterred, he (like Reddick at Atlanta) charged again by the sphere, taking the lead from Brett Bodine with 46 laps remaining and successful anyway.
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Invoice Elliott – 1992Alan Kulwicki battles with Invoice Elliott
Alan Kulwicki battles with Invoice Elliott
Within the second race of the 12 months at Rockingham, Elliott cruised to victory over Davey Allison. Nonetheless, the streak practically didn’t ever attain two after a very sensational end at Richmond. Elliott gained in an exhilarating picture end over Alan Kulwicki with virtually nothing between the 2 automobiles on the checkered flag. He didn’t should sweat practically as a lot at Atlanta, successful by over 18 seconds, whereas Gant completed a distant second. He beat Gant once more the next week as he accomplished the four-peat at Darlington, taking the lead late and driving away with the win.
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Mark Martin – 1993#6 Mark Martin Valvoline Ford
#6 Mark Martin Valvoline Ford
Martin’s win streak started at Watkins Glen, inheriting the race lead solely after Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt crashed dramatically by the esses. He then took a reasonably simple victory over Morgan Shepherd at Michigan earlier than having an actual combat on his palms at Bristol. Martin ran Rusty Wallace down by slower visitors, cleanly slicing underneath him and taking the lead with simply 12 laps to go. Wallace remained glued to his rear bumper for the remainder of the race, by no means giving him a second to chill out. Martin’s fourth win got here on the Southern 500 at Darlington, denying Brett Bodine as he accomplished the four-peat.
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– 1998Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
In the summertime of 1998, the long-lasting No. 24 Chevrolet was a power of nature. Gordon gained 13 of 33 races that 12 months, however it was between the 18th and twenty first rounds of the 12 months the place he managed to win 4 consecutively. It started at Pocono, beating Mark Martin to the road by simply over a second after a dominant displaying. Gordon then bested Martin once more, this time within the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hanging on regardless of a late-race yellow bringing the sphere again to his rear bumper. At Watkins Glen, Gordon handed Mike Skinner for the lead with 4 laps to go, and as soon as once more, Martin adopted him throughout the road in second after passing Skinner as effectively. Martin shadowed Gordon all through this complete summer season stretch and after they arrived at Michigan, it was none aside from Martin who Gordon needed to cross for the win with lower than 10 laps to go. Nonetheless, the then-Roush driver didn’t find yourself second this time as and Dale Jarrett battled round him, permitting Gordon to sneak away.
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– 2007Race winner Jimmie Johnson celebrates
Race winner Jimmie Johnson celebrates
Prior to now 30 years, it’s no shock that the one two drivers to have completed this spectacular feat are two titans of HMS. The latest driver to tug it off was Johnson, proper in the midst of his unprecedented run of 5 consecutive NASCAR Cup Sequence titles (earlier than successful seven complete). His victories got here on the very finish of the season, blowing the championship combat vast open (regardless of the Chase format) as he crushed the competitors.
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He held on in opposition to and his teammate Gordon at Martinsville with out a lot of a problem, however the next week at Atlanta was a really completely different story. He was operating fifth with simply ten laps to go, however an unimaginable pit cease underneath warning vaulted him into second on observe. stayed out, however ran out of gas coming to the restart zone. Johnson was capable of keep away from him as others crashed, happening to take the victory forward of Carl Edwards. After which it was onto Texas the place Johnson confirmed up proper close to the tip. Dissimilar to lots of the victories talked about on this listing, Johnson led single digit laps in two of his 4 victories, however all the time managed to place himself into an ideal place when the checkered flag loomed. At Texas, he ran down and took the lead with simply two laps remaining in your entire race. He ended his run at Phoenix, taking the lead from . with simply 23 laps left and in the end holding off to formally win 4 in a row.
The duty forward of Reddick
Now, current historical past tells us simply how onerous successful 4 consecutive Cup races may be on this fashionable age. It’s already been a dogfight for Reddick to succeed in three, and a number of other different stars have been on this similar place however failed to succeed in 4. Each and gained three consecutive races in 2018, however neither of those Cup champions may prolong the streak to 4. In that very same 12 months, Kevin Harvick did it earlier than a mid-race wreck at Fontana denied him a shot at 4. gained three consecutive TWICE through the 2021 season and nonetheless couldn’t proceed it, though he was tire robbed him of the win. gained a complete three-race spherical through the 2015 playoffs, however and likewise denied him an opportunity at 4. And most not too long ago, Christopher Bell gained three consecutive races one 12 months in the past, earlier than it ended with a Twelfth-place end in Vegas.
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NASCAR heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend, which is nice information for Reddick because it’s a extra simple race than a few of these wildcard occasions at drafting tracks or highway programs. If he has the tempo, he will probably be a menace. Nonetheless, Reddick can also be 0-12 at Phoenix with a pair of third-place finishes being his finest consequence. Final 12 months throughout his winless season, he positioned twentieth and twenty sixth within the two Phoenix races, however he additionally led essentially the most laps in a Phoenix race as not too long ago as 2024.
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