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We’ve already looked at the longest driver losing streaks in NASCAR, but, today, it’s time to look at race teams as a whole. Sometimes, an entire race team has to go through an incredibly long dry spell between wins, and some of those are in the Cup Series. Today, we look at who those race teams are, and why it has taken so long for them to find victory lane again.
JTG-Daugherty Racing’s last win was Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s triumph at the 2023 Daytona 500, the most significant trophy of them all. This was their second win as an organization, and their first since A.J. Allmendinger’s 2014 win at Watkins Glen (302 Races). It was a big win for them, and it probably secured Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s seat for a while.
So, why have they not won since? JTG Daugherty is a small, single-car team that rarely competes for wins. They’re not necessarily backmarkers, but, they do not have the funds or resources to compete with the bigger teams every week. When they have won, it’s been at wild card tracks like Daytona and Watkins Glen
Legacy Motor Club’s last win came in the 2022 Southern 500 with Erik Jones, which was back when the team was still named Petty-GMS. This was their first win since 2014 with Aric Almirola at Daytona (296 Races) back when it was still Richard Petty Motorsports. A lot has changed with this organization in recent years, and that’s part of why they have not won much recently.
Jimmie Johnson bought into the ownership group, which rebranded the team as Legacy Motor Club starting in 2023. Early in the season, the struggling team announced they would switch from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2024. The lack of support from Chevy was the nail in the coffin for their 2023 season, but, things are looking up as they are now a current “Tier One” Toyota team. Time will tell if it results in consistent performance on track.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s last win came at Richmond in 2022 with Kevin Harvick, who accounts for more than half of the organization’s 69 all-time victories. While it was SHR’s 14th consecutive season with at least one trophy, the team had slowed considerably in recent years. After Harvick alone had won at least 4 races per season every year between 2018 and 2020, SHR had only won 4 races as an organization between 2021 and 2022. We did not know it at the time, but, SHR was at the beginning of a steep decline.
The why behind the decline is still a mystery. Maybe SHR just could not get a good handle on the Next-Gen car. The team’s owners were also growing more absent with Tony Stewart out drag racing and Gene Haas having an eye on his Formula One team. Still, SHR has shown some small promise early in 2024, so, maybe things are turning around.
Spire Motorsports proved in 2019 that it is indeed possible to win a NASCAR race by sheer happenstance. Justin Haley just so happened to be in the lead under a caution flag when literal lightning struck. While Haley and the team did put themselves in a position to take advantage of incredible luck, this win was largely a fluke. It’s the only win Spire has to date.
However, Spire Motorsports has made incredible strides in recent years, and they just might be creeping into the territory of genuine contenders for a Playoff spot. Their second win, perhaps a less flukey one, maybe just around the corner for them. This losing streak may be the first on this list to tumble.
The Wood Brothers’ last victory came at Pocono in 2017 with then-Team Penske prospect, Ryan Blaney. It was their first win since the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne (122 Starts), which was their first win since 2001 at Bristol with Elliott Sadler (298 Starts), which was their first win since 1993 at Atlanta with Morgan Shepherd (255 Starts). It’s been a pattern with The Wood Brothers for the past three decades to go a long time between victories. Imagine telling someone after Shepherd’s win in 1993 (96 wins at the time) that The Wood Brothers would still be chasing win number 100 in 2024.
Regardless, The Wood Brothers just have not been the same juggernaut over the past three decades that they once were throughout the first four decades of the sport. They’re still a single-car team, which does not generally win races nowadays. They are also not a key-partner team; they now function as a Team Penske satellite operation. Just like JTG Daugherty, The Wood Brothers do not have the resources to compete for wins every week.
These race teams are in the midst of major dry spells. Which one breaks theirs first?
