One of the most difficult achievements for any driver in the NASCAR Cup Series is finishing every single race. Some would say that it is even more difficult than winning the competition itself and with good reason. Only a third of the season has gone so far and only seven drivers have been able to finish every single race. Some of the big names out of these seven are Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Joe Gibbs Racing youngster Ty Gibbs.
For Elliott, this was supposed to be his season of redemption after failing to win a single race last year. So far he has already booked his place in the round of 16. In the 12 races, the Hendrick Motorsports star finished in the top 5 on five different occasions. He also won a race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Dawsonville native has been the most impressive of the aforementioned four so far in 2024.
Kyle Busch might not be having the best season of his career, but his consistency in finishing races is still very much intact. The Richard Childress Racing driver finished all 12 races, but only came in the top 5 twice and five times in the top 10 positions.
Meanwhile, his former teammates back at JGR have been doing a lot better. Even their youngest driver Ty Gibbs has more finishes in the top five with three and six in the top 10.
Another JGR star who has finished all of the races so far is the veteran and former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. He had a fantastic regular season last time out but he faltered in the playoffs. This time, however, he might not have won a race but has finished in the top five four times and in the top ten seven times. These are some of the big names but they’re not the only ones to have gone without a DNF so far in 2024.
It’s not just the big names that have achieved this feat
Rick Ware Racing driver Justin Haley is considered by many to be a fantastic prospect for NASCAR in the future. Since he does not drive for a competitive team therefore zero finishes in the top 10 after 12 races is understandable. But being able to finish every single race? Now that takes some real talent.
Austin Dillon has been at the receiving end of several fans’ criticism due to the number of the car he drives but he has proven to be a consistent driver without a single DNF despite having only one top-10 finish. However, for a team like RCR, that number should be a lot more than what it is at this point in the season.
Kaulig Racing star Daniel Hemric is also one who is yet to DNF in 2024 with two top 10 finishes to his credit. All of these drivers’ records have been impressive so far but it will be interesting to see how long they can go without suffering a DNF.
