NASCAR has loosened the reins on NASCAR Cup drivers from 2026 onward, allowing them to compete in more races in the lower-tier series. Under the current rulebook, Cup drivers can take part in up to 10 races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, formerly the Xfinity Series, and 8 races in the Craftsman Truck Series.
This change came into force at the start of the 2026 season, when NASCAR raised the cap from the earlier five-race limit. Even with that increase, Cup regulars are barred from the regular-season finale and all playoff races.
The playground, however, was once a free-for-all. Before 2011, there were no limits in place, allowing Cup drivers such as Kyle Busch to run full schedules in both series and even chase titles. Busch did just that, winning the 2009 Nationwide Series crown while competing full-time in Cup.
NASCAR stepped in during 2011, requiring drivers to declare a single series for points. The clampdown tightened further in 2017, when race-count limits first came into play. Drivers with five or more years of Cup experience were capped at 10 Xfinity races.
The ceiling dropped again between 2018 and 2019 to seven races, before the strictest phase, from 2020 through 2025, limited drivers with three or more years of experience to five starts per season.
Those earlier open-door years left their mark on the record books, with several drivers piling up more wins in the O’Reilly Series than in Cup. Here are the top 5 Cup drivers who have the highest number of O’Reilly wins in NASCAR.
Carl Edwards won 38 races in the OAP Series across 245 starts, while adding 28 wins in the Cup Series, building his totals on two fronts at the same time.
At a time when there were no restrictions on the Cup drivers, Edwards ran as a “Busch-whacker,” lining up for nearly every race in both series during his peak years. That approach allowed him and many other drivers to stack wins in the lower division and compete for multiple titles.
The 2007 season saw him claim the Nationwide (now O’Reilly Auto Parts) Series championship, with four wins, 15 top-fives, and 21 top-tens, while also finishing ninth in Cup Series standings in the same year. His 2008 campaign marked the high point, as he recorded nine Cup Series wins and seven OAP Series wins, the highest single-season totals of his career across both series.
Edwards’ final win in NASCAR’s second tier came in 2012 at Watkins Glen, closing the chapter on his run in the division. Across NASCAR’s National Series, he stands with a combined total of 72 wins, which includes six wins in the Craftsman Truck Series, placing him among the sport’s leading multi-series performers.
Brad Keselowski sits eight wins shy of third all-time in OAP Series wins with 39 wins, leaving him with ground to make up in the all-time list.
In the Cup Series, Keselowski has built a record that includes the 2012 championship along with 36 race wins, stamping his place among the sport’s greatest. His run in the OAP Series spans 257 starts, during which he finished 174 races inside the top 10.
His last appearance in the series came in 2020 at Phoenix, where he crossed the line in fourth place. His final win in the division dates back to 2018 at Darlington Raceway.
Kevin Harvick stepped away from NASCAR in 2023, but his record in the OAP and Cup Series still speaks for itself.
He bagged 60 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, placing himself among the sport’s leading figures, and added 47 victories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series from 349 starts across 21 years. During that run, the former RCR and SHR driver logged 261 top-10 finishes and claimed 25 pole positions in the Tier 2 series.
Harvick debuted in the OAP Series at Gateway in 2000 and kept adding to the tally over the years, before taking his final win in the division at Atlanta in 2018.
Mark Martin, who recorded 49 victories in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, sits second in the all-time standings.
Martin never secured a Cup championship, yet he remained in the hunt year after year, building a career that kept him among the sport’s leading figures. That same drive carried over into the OAP Series, where he showed no signs of easing off the gas.
Across 236 starts, Martin won close to 50 races, finished 152 times inside the top 10, and claimed 30 pole positions over 23 years in NASCAR. His final trip to victory lane in the series came in 2011 at Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch stands at the top of the list of Cup drivers with the highest OAP Series race wins, with 102 wins from 367 starts across 21 years. Over that span, he recorded 267 top-10 finishes and claimed 70 pole positions.
Busch began his Cup career in 2004, but his run in the OAP Series started in 2003, where he finished second in his debut race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In recent years, his appearances have been few and far between. In 2024, he made a single start at Charlotte, finishing sixth. His most recent win in the series came in 2021 at Atlanta, where he entered five races and swept all five.
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