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How’s it going, NASCAR fans? We here at the Daily Downforce thought it would be interesting this week to take a look back at some drivers who never won in any given series, specifically some of the races where they were close but just not closer enough to hoisting a trophy in victory lane. In no particular order, here are the closest calls for drivers who never won a NASCAR race. Check it out!
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The only Xfinity Series-exclusive driver on this list, Ryan Sieg, came oh so close to scoring his first-ever career victory in the second-tier series just this year. We all remember it: the track was Texas Motor Speedway. Throughout 2024, Sieg, in his family-owned number 39, had shown flashes of speed. At Las Vegas in the spring, he scored his first top-10 of the year with a 7th-place finish. For the vast majority of the season, Sieg has been a solidly top-15 driver, with only 4 races where he finished outside the top 20.
His best race of the year thus far came at Texas Motor Speedway, where he went on to finish 2nd to Sam Mayer in a heartbreaking loss. Sieg started the race in the 14th position but slowly worked his way up and inside the top 10. He finished the first stage in 8th place and even cracked the top-5 by the end of Stage 2. In the race’s closing laps, it appeared as though Sieg was on his way to his first-ever NASCAR victory. He led a total of 17 laps before being chased down and passed by the 1 of Sam Mayer on the last lap. It was a photo finish at the line, with Sieg losing the race by just 0.002 seconds.
This was the closest Ryan Sieg has come thus far to winning a NASCAR race. Will he bust through that glass ceiling someday? Only time will tell.
For many of the later years of Matt Dibenedetto’s full-time NASCAR career, Matty D has been dogged on by fans. Much of the criticism against him stems from his possibly goofy personality and perceived arrogance for a driver who could never hoist a trophy at NASCAR’s highest level. Though he could score a single lone win in the Truck Series, the victory is often scrutinized as it came at Talladega, a drafting track where he was, by no means, the dominant truck.
But there was a time when fans were largely on the side of the underdog driver. The race that started the whole hype train came at Bristol Motor Speedway in the fall of 2019–a race he almost won but came up just shy of going to victory lane. DiBenedetto drove for the under-funded Levine Family Racing in their number 95 entry. The team had just formed an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing and unloaded fast right off the bat that weekend. In fact, Matty D. was the fastest car in final practice ahead of the race, and he was even able to qualify in seventh.
In the opening stage of the race, DiBenedetto was able to finish in the top-5 in 5th, though he finished outside the top-10 in the second stage. In the final stage of the race, Matty D. was able to wrestle away the lead from Erik Jones. He went on to lead a career-high of 93 laps before being chased down and passed by Denny Hamlin with only 12 laps to go. DiBenedetto finished second in that race but never came so close to winning in the NASCAR Cup Series again.
Returning to Rockingham Speedway in the fall of 2001, the number 1 Pennzoil Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated was looking to repeat their win from the spring. The catch was that the driver signed to the team was out with serious injuries, and replacing him was a decent enough but largely unproven driver in Kenny Wallace.
The kid brother to Rusty Wallace, Kenny had flashes of success but was still largely outshined by his championship-winning brother. Wallace had finished second once before in 2000, pushing the legendary Dale Earnhardt to what would end up being his 76th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory. Over a year later, Kenny Wallace nearly shattered that would-be career highlight by winning his first-ever Cup Series race. Unfortunately, he fell just shy of that landmark.
Impressively, Kenny was able to put the number 1 DEI Chevy on the pole ahead of the 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400. He ran inside the top-5 for most of the day, even leading a grand total of 101 laps before being passed by eventual race winner Joe Nemechek. Wallace went on to finish the race in second. He never did come that close to winning (in the Cup Series) again.
Despite his struggles in NASCAR’s highest division, Kenny Wallace is credited with 9 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His best points finish in the second-tier series was 2nd in 1991.
The father of 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney never achieved the same level of success in the sport as his son. Dave Blaney went winless throughout his NASCAR Cup Series career, which lasted 473 starts. The closest he came to winning was during 2007’s UAW Ford 500 at Talladega Super Speedway.
2007 was a tough year for Toyota. It was their first year in the sport, and teams such as Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull were struggling mightily. Oddly enough, the team that performed the best was Bill Davis Racing. In 36 starts, Dave Blaney only failed to qualify for 4 races, which is a far cry from the 18 or so of Michael Waltrip.
When the 22 Caterpillar team unloaded at ‘Dega that fall, they were noticeably fast. Dave Blaney qualified second, making for a shocking all-Toyota front row. The 22 team led only a single lap and ended up finishing 3rd behind the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Still, it is the closest Blaney had ever come to winning a race at NASCAR’s highest level.
In 2000, Jeff Green joined his brother David in becoming a champion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The future looked bright. In 2001, he made some select starts in the number 30 America Online (AOL) Chevy for Richard Childress Racing before taking the effort full-time in 2002. In his rookie season at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway summer race, the younger Green came the closest he would ever come to winning a race at NASCAR’s highest level.
Jeff Green started the race in the 30th position and ran mid-pack for much of the event. However, through various strategies and an improving hotrod, Green found himself in second by the time the checkered flag waived. Ward Burton went on to win the race. Green failed to lead a single lap in the race. This is easily the best race in the NASCAR Cup Series that Jeff Green had ever run.
Member of the historic Alabama Game and son-in-law to NASCAR great Donnie Allison, Hut Stricklin finished runner-up a handful of times throughout his career. However, the closest he ever came to winning came in the 1996 Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway. At the time, Stricklin drove his iconic number 8 Circuit City Ford.
Stricklin started the race in the 10th position, a solid qualifying effort for the struggling Stavola Brothers Racing. Following an outstanding pit stop by the number 8 crew, which propelled Stricklin up to the 4th position, Hut started racing the leaders more aggressively and ultimately took the lead for the first time on Lap 193. The number 8 Ford unloaded fast and quickly showed off their speed. He went on to lead a total of 143 laps, the most of any driver in the race.
After a series of issues on pit road, Stricklin relinquished the lead a number of times only to fight his way back up through the field and snatch it back away from Jeff Gordon. With the laps winding down, it was clear that this race would come down between Gordon and Stricklin. With less than 40 to go, the race for the lead was on. Stricklin held off the charging number 24 Dupont Chevy of Gordon for as long as he could before relinquishing the lead for the final time with under 20 laps to go.
Stricklin ultimately finished the race in the 2nd position behind Gordon. It was the closest he had ever come to winning a race in NASCAR, and he never came that close again.
What do you make of this list, Daily Downforce readers? Which drivers listed here do you wish would have reached up and grabbed that brass ring? What other drivers who never won should we look at? What were some of their closest calls? Let us know!
Be sure to keep tuning in back here at DailyDownforce.com for all the latest news, silly season rumors, and fan discussions in the world of NASCAR! We look forward to drivers taking back to the track really soon!
