Winning a Championship one year does not guarantee success the following season. Some drivers have had a difficult time recapturing the magic that allowed them to win a Cup Series Championship. Which NASCAR Cup Series title defenses were the worst in history?
Kurt Busch won two races and made the Playoffs in his Championship defending season in 2005, but he was never a serious threat for the Championship. However, the thing that puts this season on this list is that Busch never finished the season with Roush Racing. He was suspended for the final two races of the season after being charged with reckless driving during a race weekend at Phoenix in November of 2005. He also did not return to Roush Racing after the season, and he moved to Team Penske in the 2 car replacing Rusty Wallace in 2006.
Bill Elliott finally nabbed that elusive Championship in 1988, but his follow-up campaign was less than stellar. He had his worst season since running starting to full-time in the Cup Series in 1983. He had the fewest top-5s and top-10s of his career to that point, even though he won three races. He also finished outside of the top-5 in points for the first time in his full-time Cup Series career.
None of Tony Stewart’s three title defenses were particularly stellar, but his title defense in 2006 was by far the most disappointing. He won two races and was solidly in the top 5 in points at the halfway point of the season, but he stumbled down the stretch and missed the Playoffs. To make matters more bittersweet, Stewart went on to win three races in the Playoffs, leaving many to wonder what might have been had he made the big show.
From 1986 through 1995, Dale Earnhardt never finished worse than third in the points standings…except for 1992. Earnhardt suffered through an atrocious campaign in 1992 with only one win at the Coca-Cola 600, six top-5s and 15 top-10s and a 12th-place points finish. It was so bad that longtime crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine left at season end, but Andy Petree joined the team in 1993 as Earnhardt won his sixth Championship.
Kyle Busch won his second series Championship in 2019, but 2020 was a tough year for Busch. 2020 was a strange year with the pandemic throwing everyone in the world for a loop, including Busch seemingly. He was just a bit off for most of the year, and he nearly had his first winless season before winning at Texas in a rain-marred event in the fall.
Brad Keselowski surprised many by winning the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, but he would fail to make the Playoffs in 2013. This was the first time a defending champion would fail to make the Postseason since Tony Stewart in 2005. Keselowski was in Playoff position late in the regular season, but four finishes outside of the top 10 to finish off the regular season left him on the outside looking in. However, he was able to salvage the season somewhat by nabbing his lone win at Charlotte during the Playoffs.
Yes, “The Intimidator” is on this list twice. After winning his first Championship in 1980, he went winless in 1981. Yes, he won zero races in 1980 which was the first of only two times he would do so in his full-time career. He would finish seventh in the series standings before finishing 12th in 1982. Two seasons later, however, in 1984, he joined Richard Childress, and the rest as they say is history.
Joey Logano’s 2023 season seems to be a candidate to be added to this list. Sometimes being the defending Champion does not lead to great results.
NBA legend Michael Jordan matched Tyler Reddick step for step after the latter’s first win in the Daytona 500. In Victory Lane, MJ lifted the Harley J. Earl Trophy with his No. 45 23XI Racing driver, soaking in the moment like he once did after title runs on the hardwood, and shared the celebration with Reddick’s family. But chatter took a turn when a clip showed MJ pinching Reddick’s son, Beau, and brushing his fingers across the back of the child’s legs, sparking debate online despite no sign of wrongdoing. The Hall of Famer soon found himself in the crosshairs over the interaction.
Reddick later stepped in to bat for his boss, saying MJ has long been close to his family and that he saw nothing out of bounds in the moment. Speaking with Stephen A. Smith on his podcast, the #45 driver said, “I mean, from my perspective, I’ve gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years I’ve been here with 23XI, and I don’t see what other people see when it comes to this.”
The No. 45 Toyota driver stressed the setting, pointing to the weight of the win for everyone tied to the team, including members of MJ’s circle who were present for the milestone. He framed it as a once-in-a-lifetime moment shared by two families standing shoulder to shoulder. “For me, it’s a huge moment. This is the biggest moment of my career. It’s a huge moment for my family and for his family. And I put that off to the side and just think about how I think about the look on Avet’s face. And the whole family and his whole group when they got to victory lane, too. And just how happy and everybody was celebrating together. So, that’s where I’m at with it.”
Many simply brushed it off as a storm in a teacup, arguing the clip was merely being taken out of context. In fact, one theory floated that some ice had slipped under the child’s shorts during the celebration, and MJ was just trying to shake it loose. Podcaster Bubba The Love Sponge Clem echoed that sentiment, saying critics were likely making a mountain out of a molehill.
Others, however, tied the moment to wider chatter in the public sphere and labeled the gesture out of line, fueling online debate and prompting inquiries to MJ’s camp, NASCAR, and the team.
Reddick noted that MJ’s bond with Beau runs deep. The families go back years, with Reddick’s father-in-law, MLB pitcher Jose DeLeon, having crossed paths with MJ decades ago. With that shared history, the moment likely came from familiarity within an extended racing circle. Reddick told The Athletic that there may even be a photo of MJ holding his wife, Alexa, as a baby.
On his show, Smith also sided with Reddick’s comments, stating that the child is someone MJ knows well and cares about deeply, framing the whole scene as a personal exchange amid a career-defining win rather than something meant to raise eyebrows.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
Ahead of the Daytona 500, a troubling incident rattled fans and officials when a Volusia County man, Adrian Morales, was arrested for making threats to kill or harm a former colleague. The 45-year-old sent a video on Feb. 11 to a man he knew, saying, “This is what’s in store,” while cursing and firing a gun.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office Domestic Security Unit tracked Morales to the Icon One Daytona apartments across from Daytona International Speedway and took him into custody without incident the day before the race.
Authorities released only 28 seconds of the roughly 90-second video, but the arrest report noted that in another segment, Morales said, “This is what’s gonna happen. Got all the sheriff’s department, DEA, FBI, and the rest,” while repeating that he did not care and was done.
Morales’ vicinity to the track raised alarms due to earlier grievances and messages he had sent to a NASCAR executive. His behavior prompted law enforcement to take immediate action, resulting in his detention.
According to the report, a NASCAR executive flagged Morales in 2025 after he requested sponsorship support but did not receive it, though no charges were filed.
In Saturday’s incident, however, deputies cited the video, its statements, and the fact that it was sent to the victim as grounds to believe Morales knowingly made threats to kill or cause deliberate harm.
After his arrest, detectives were able to find the AR-15 seen in the video, along with ammunition from his vehicle, in the Icon One Daytona parking lot. A judge ordered him held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond.
Meanwhile, the race went ahead at Daytona on Sunday, where fans saw Tyler Reddick capture The Great American Race, scoring his first Daytona 500 win and his first Cup win since October 2024.
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