Third Times The Charm: Over 70 years since Cup has seen three consecutive first-time winners

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season has started in historic fashion becoming just the third season in series history to with two first-time winners to win the first two races of the year; joining the series’ inaugural season 1949 and 1950. Now the 2021 season, has the opportunity to join the inaugural 1949 season as just the second season in series history to start the year with three consecutive first-time winners to win the first three races of the year. A feat that will be difficult, because this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race, the Dixie Vodka 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), will be hosted by Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track that has never had a Cup Series first-time winner.

The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series season holds the record for the most consecutive first-winners to start the season with five.

1949 NASCAR Cup Series Consecutive First-Time Winners

 

Series	Date	Track	First-Time Winners	Season	Race No.
Cup	Sunday, June 19, 1949	Charlotte (Old)	Jim Roper	1949	1
Cup	Sunday, July 10, 1949	Daytona B&R	Red Byron	1949	2
Cup	Sunday, August 7, 1949	Occoneechee	Bob Flock	1949	3
Cup	Sunday, September 11, 1949	Langhorne	Curtis Turner	1949	4
Cup	Sunday, September 18, 1949	Hamburg	Jack White	1949	5

 

Three or more consecutive first-time winners has only happened three times in the NASCAR Cup Series. The first, was the five consecutive first-time winners in 1949. The other two times it occurred was in 1950.

 

1950 NASCAR Cup Series Consecutive First-Time Winners

 

Series	Date	Track	First-Time Winners	Season	Race No.
Cup	Tuesday, May 30, 1950	Canfield	Bill Rexford	1950	5
Cup	Sunday, June 18, 1950	Vernon	Bill Blair	1950	6
Cup	Sunday, June 25, 1950	Dayton	Jimmy Florian	1950	7
Cup	Monday, September 4, 1950	Darlington	Johnny Mantz	1950	13
Cup	Sunday, September 17, 1950	Langhorne	Fonty Flock	1950	14
Cup	Sunday, September 24, 1950	North Wilkesboro	Leon Sales	1950	15

 

This season, Front Row Motorsport’s driver Michael McDowell grabbed his first-career win at Daytona International Speedway in the Daytona 500. He is the eighth different driver to win their first-career race in the Daytona 500. McDowell got the win in his 358th start, the second largest amount of starts before a first Cup win behind Michael Waltrip’s 463.

Then the following week at the DAYTONA Road Course, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell led just five laps en route to his first-career NASCAR Cup Series victory in just his second season at the premier level.

This weekend, 16 of the 38 drivers entered at Homestead-Miami Speedway are looking for their first NASCAR Cup Series career victory. Six former NASCAR Cup Series Homestead-Miami Speedway winners are entered this weekend, led by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin with three victories; followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch (two wins) and Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. each with one win.