First-time winners in NASCAR Cup Series races are always exciting to watch, and this is because the youngest drivers who emerge as winners are the talents of the future. Here are the 10 talents who kicked off their careers on the right note as they took their first NASCAR victories at a young age.
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10. Jeff Gordon (22 years, 9 months, 25 days)
Jeff Gordon’s Cup victory count kicked off on May 29th, 1994, in the Coca-Cola 600 that was held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This was the start of a great career, and within a few years, Gordon was to win the Cup Series Championship a record four times and carve his name as one of the legends in NASCAR. He started his Cup Series racing at the age of 21.
9. Chase Elliott (22 years, 8 months, 8 days)
Chase Elliott, Bill Elliott’s son, got his first win on August 5th, 2018 at Watkins Glen International. Still driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott has added to his early accomplishments by winning the Cup Series championship in 2020. He became a full-time Cup Series driver in 2016 at the age of 20.
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8. Richard Petty (22 years, 7 months, 26 days)
On February 28th, 1960, Richard Petty, ‘The King’, scored his first victory at the Charlotte Fairgrounds. Described as aggressive and tenacious on the track, Petty’s first win and being one of the youngest drivers to do so, launched what would later become NASCAR’s most celebrated career: Petty recorded a record 200 Cup Series wins and seven championships to his name. He started his NASCAR career at 21.
7. Bobby Hillin Jr. (22 years, 1 month, 22 days)
Bobby Hillin Jr. has only won a single Cup Series race which he achieved on July 27th 1986 at Talladega Superspeedway. Hillin’s career milestone was the victory in the Talladega 500 after he joined the Stavola Brothers Racing team, where he out-competed other drivers on one of the toughest circuits in NASCAR to become one of the youngest drivers to win a race.
6. Erik Jones (22 years, 1 month, 7 days)
Erik Jones was awarded his first Cup Series victory on July 7th, 2018, at the Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Jones’ win showed he was a great driver and a fierce competitor on the race track. He began to race in the NASCAR Premier Series at the age of 20.
5. Fireball Roberts (21 years, 6 months, 24 days)
Fireball Roberts won his first Cup Series race at Occoneechee Speedway on July 10, 1952. Roberts was one of NASCAR’s first true stars because of his speed and on-track personality. Unfortunately, he died in a fatal accident at 35 but he had done a lot in his life both in his personal and sporting career and he will always be missed by the NASCAR family.
4. Kyle Busch (20 years, 4 months, 2 days)
Kyle Busch won his first Cup Series at the Auto Club Speedway in California on September 4, 2005. With a rather aggressive driving style and great talent, Busch was a young star in the NASCAR circuits, driving the Hendrick Motorsports №5 Chevrolet. This win placed him on the right track for his prolific career in the future, which would lead to two Cup Series championship titles.
3. Donald Thomas (20 years, 4 months, 6 days)
Donald Thomas has only ever won one NASCAR race, which took place on November 16th 1952 at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the greatest accomplishment in his racing career. Even though he was involved in Cup Series racing for only a short time, he is among the youngest drivers ever to win a race. He made his debut in NASCAR racing at 17.
2. Trevor Bayne (20 years, 1 day)
The winner of the 2011 Daytona 500 race came as a big surprise; Trevor Bayne won the race just a day after his twentieth birthday and became the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500. Bayne, driving for the Wood Brothers Racing team in the №21 Ford, clinched an unexpected win in one of the most popular races in motorsports. Prior to this historic victory, he had a limited number of starts in the Cup Series.
1. Joey Logano (19 years, 1 month, 4 days)
Joey Logano made his debut in NASCAR in 2008 at 18 and rose through the ranks rapidly. Logano scored his first victory in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 held on June 28, 2009, at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, he was able to capitalize and storm his way to the win in a rain-shortened race to become, at 19, the youngest driver ever to win a Cup Series race.