The 210th completely different winner within the historical past of the NASCAR Cup Collection is Ryan Preece, breaking by in his 249th profession begin at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
The victory got here on the identical weekend the place one other Ryan — Ryan Sieg, earned his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Collection win in his 424th profession begin. That is a document for the secondary stage of NASCAR, however what about Cup?
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Effectively, solely three drivers have ever run extra races than Preece earlier than their first profession Cup win.
Trying solely at lively drivers, Ty Dillon holds the unlucky distinction of most begins within the Cup Collection and not using a Cup win, presently at 307 begins and he shall be at 0-317 by the tip of the 2026 season, until he pulls off an upset within the closing weeks of the racing 12 months. Behind him was Preece till his Daytona triumph. J.J. Yeley, who nonetheless competes part-time in varied Cup races, has began 399 Cup races and not using a win.
However who else needed to wait so long as Preece — or longer — earlier than lastly reaching Victory Lane on the prime stage of inventory automotive racing? Check out the listing under:
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5. Dave Marcis — 227 races (~7 years after Cup debut)Driver Dave Marcis (R) celebrates in victory lane at Martinsville Speedway together with his crew chief Harry Hyde
Driver Dave Marcis (R) celebrates in victory lane at Martinsville Speedway together with his crew chief Harry Hyde
After arriving within the Cup Collection in 1968, Marcis needed to run over 200 races earlier than incomes his first win in 1975. He’s the one driver on this listing who did not get that breakthrough victory at Daytona, however as a substitute, the enduring Martinsville brief monitor. He took the lead from Benny Parsons with 40 laps to go and by no means relinquished it, profitable the race by about three seconds whereas driving for Nord Krauskopf’s &Okay&Okay Insurance coverage Racing Workforce. Marcis went on to win 5 Cup races in his profession, and ranks fourth on the all-time begins listing at 883.
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4. Ryan Preece — 249 races (~11 years after Cup debut)
Watch: Preece on Daytona win, Chase berth: ‘That is redemption’
Preece made his Cup debut in 2015, and it was over eleven years he needed to look forward to that first points-paying Cup win in 2026. When he misplaced his full-time Cup experience after the 2021 season, Preece wasn’t positive if his NASCAR profession would even proceed, however he persevered and clawed his means again to the highest stage. And regardless of horrifying airborne crashes at Daytona in each 2023 and 2025, Preece has all the time beloved racing on the historic superspeedway, and it lastly gave him one thing to smile about this previous weekend. Combating again from a spin on the finish of Stage 1 the place he impressively recovered the automotive from the infield grass, the RFK Racing driver took the lead in extra time and held again Daniel Suarez because the race-ending warning flew for a number of crashes on the backstretch. The victory helped Preece to make it into the postseason for the primary time in his Cup profession.
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3. Sterling Marlin — 279 races (~18 years after Cup debut)Sterling Marlin in Victory Lane
Sterling Marlin in Victory Lane
Most individuals do not realize how lengthy Marlin needed to look forward to his first win, as he had loads of success later in his profession. Marlin made his Cup Collection debut in 1976, racing part-time for a number of years earlier than lastly securing a steady experience. And it wasn’t till 1994 when he lastly received a Cup race. In that 12 months’s Daytona 500, Marlin did not lead a single lap till Lap 149/200, however he proceeded to guide 30 within the closing quarter of the race, narrowly holding off Ernie Irvan for the win in his No. 4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports machine. He defended the victory in 1995, and ended his profession with a complete ten Cup wins — greater than anybody else on this prime 5.
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(2.) Michael McDowell — 358 races (~13 years after Cup debut)
Watch: Cinderella: McDowell wins the Daytona 500 in wreck-filled final lap
McDowell made his Cup debut in 2008, however did not attain Victory Lane till 2021. For many of his profession, he was well-known just for the horrific rollover crash he suffered at Texas in his rookie season, miraculously strolling away and not using a scratch because of the security upgrades included as a part of the Automotive of Tomorrow. He even needed to start-and-park early in his profession, however within the 2021 Daytona 500, McDowell lastly acquired to erase the goose egg within the win column. On the ultimate lap of NASCAR’s crown jewel, the Penske duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano collided in entrance of him. As Keselowski spun to the suitable and Logano to the left, McDowell drove up the center and was main when the race-ending warning got here out, taking the win for Entrance Row Motorsports. He nonetheless competes full-time and now has two profession wins with the opposite one coming on the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis.
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(1.) Michael Waltrip — 463 races (~16 years after Cup debut)Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt side-by-side
Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt side-by-side
A document that isn’t prone to be damaged anytime quickly, and a race that can by no means be forgotten. Michael Waltrip, the youthful brother of NASCAR Corridor of Famer Darrell Waltrip, made his Cup debut in 1985. Nevertheless, it wasn’t till 2001 on some of the tragic days in NASCAR historical past when he lastly acquired that first win, and what a Pyrrhic victory it was. Waltrip joined Dale Earnhardt Inc. forward of the 2001 season, and dealing along with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his boss, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Waltrip ended his 463-race winless streak within the greatest race of all of them — the Daytona 500. Waltrip’s older brother known as him to the checkered flag through the printed sales space, whereas Dale Earnhardt crashed from third whereas defending the main duo of Waltrip and Dale Jr.. As even probably the most informal of NASCAR followers know, the most effective day of Waltrip’s racing profession rapidly was the worst, as Earnhardt was killed upon affect in that last-lap crash. It was a race that utterly modified NASCAR, and a day the place Waltrip — who went on to win a complete of 4 races in his prolonged Cup profession — skilled each the best of highs and lowest of lows within the blink of an eye fixed.
Learn Additionally:
76 years later: The shared historical past of Ryan Preece and NASCAR’s forgotten champion
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