Ties Are on the Line During the 2023 NASCAR Season

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Cup Series drivers race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The NASCAR season kicks off with the Daytona 500 on February 19, 2023. The drivers will take on the 36-race schedule while aiming to break ties with each other.

There are multiple Cup Series drivers that are in a tie with each other, as well as retired stars, in terms of wins. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are atop the list. They have the most wins among active drivers (60), which is good enough for ninth and 10th on the all-time wins list.

Busch secured his 60th win during the trip to Bristol Motor Speedway (dirt). He took the lead on the final turn and won the race after Chase Briscoe spun and collected Tyler Reddick.

Harvick, for comparison, entered the season with 58 career wins, a number he reached in 2020. The veteran driver snapped his winless streak that lasted 65 races, and he punched his ticket to the playoffs at Michigan International Speedway. One week later, he won his 60th career race during a trip to Richmond Raceway.

Harvick and Busch will now have an opportunity during the 2023 season to break the tie with each other for most wins among active drivers while also chasing down a legend. Seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt holds the eighth spot on the all-time wins list with 76 trips to Victory Lane.

2 Champions Remain in Pursuit of Dale Jarrett

GettyMartin Truex Jr. (left) & Joey Logano (right) have the same number of wins.

While Harvick and Busch each sit inside the top 10 on the all-time wins list, there are two other champions that are currently in pursuit of Dale Jarrett. 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. and two-time champion Joey Logano are both one win behind the Hall of Famer.

Truex and Logano each have 31 career Cup Series wins. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry reached 31 wins during the 2021 season by capturing four races. The one that moved him within a single win of Jarrett took place at Richmond Raceway during the playoffs.

Logano entered the 2022 season with 27 career wins. He was one ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and one behind both Carl Edwards and Rex White. He then went on to win four races, including the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Both Logano and Truex have put themselves in consideration for Hall of Fame enshrinement during their careers. They have both won Crown Jewel races and championships. Passing Jarrett and Fireball Roberts (33 wins) would only further ensure that they will eventually don the blue jacket.

Young Drivers Continue Their Pursuit of Tie-Breaking Wins

GettyRyan Blaney prepares for a race at Richmond Raceway.

Champions will enter the 2023 season in ties with each other. A similar situation exists further down the all-time wins list. For example, Austin Dillon, William Byron, and Christopher Bell all have four wins each. Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, and Erik Jones all have three wins each.

Multiple drivers will enter the 2023 season with two previous trips to Victory Lane. This list includes AJ Allmendinger, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace, David Ragan, and Chris Buescher. They will all have opportunities to break this tie during the second year of the Next Gen era.

One of the more interesting ties features one driver from Team Penske and one from Hendrick Motorsports. Ryan Blaney sits at seven wins, as does Alex Bowman. They are both one behind Kyle Petty.

Blaney hit seven career wins during the 2021 season, his first with multiple trips to Victory Lane. He entered the year with four wins and left with seven. However, he went winless in 2022.

Alex Bowman, for comparison, won four races during the 2021 season to reach six overall. He then went out and won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway early in 2022, which put him in a tie with Blaney.

The two drivers will now enter the 2023 season in different situations. Blaney inked a “long-term,” multi-year contract extension in 2022, so he is secure in the No. 12 Ford Mustang.

Bowman is entering the final year of the multi-year extension he signed in 2021. He is the last Hendrick Motorsports driver in need of an extension, and he will use his contract year as an opportunity to win more races and break this tie.