Ranking 5 drivers with the most consecutive NASCAR Cup Series starts

NASCAR is considered the pinnacle of stock car racing, where speed and skill are key. However, being consistent is just as important as winning. Drivers need to stay competitive and keep showing up on the track to compete for the championship.

Among NASCAR's legendary figures, some drivers have become particularly iconic, not only for their accomplishments but also for their consistent participation in Cup Series events. Here’s a look at five drivers with the most consecutive race starts in NASCAR’s top division.

---

Five most consecutive appearances in the NASCAR Cup Series

#5 Rusty Wallace

Pepsi 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race (Image via Getty)

Former Cup Series driver Rusty Wallace had a memorable NASCAR career. Wallace secured 55 race wins in the top division and was also crowned the 1989 Winston Cup Series champion. He secured 6 of his 55 wins in his title-winning year with Blue Max Racing, piloting their #27 Pontiac. The veteran's streak of 697 consecutive race starts in the Cup Series began in February 1984 at Daytona International Speedway and ended at Homestead-Miami in November 2005.

---

#4 Bobby Labonte

Superstar Racing Experience - Lucas Oil Raceway (Image via Getty)

Bobby Labonte debuted in the Cup Series in the 1991 Budweiser 500, piloting the #44 Oldsmobile for Labonte Motorsports. In a career spanning 25 years, Labonte secured 25 race wins in NASCAR's top division. Moreover, the 60-year-old was crowned the Cup Series champion in 2000 while driving the #18 Pontiac for Joe Gibbs Racing. Labonte made 704 consecutive starts in the Cup Series, from Daytona in 1993 to Sonoma in 2013.

---

#3 Kevin Harvick

AUTO: FEB 09 NASCAR Cup Series - DAYTONA 500 (Image via Getty)

NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick is considered a legend of the sport for his outstanding achievements. Harvick secured 60 race wins in the Cup Series and 121 across all NASCAR divisions. In 2014, he was also crowned the Cup Series champion, a year in which he dominated the grid throughout. Harvick made 750 consecutive race starts, with his streak stretching from April 2002 until his retirement at the end of the 2023 season.

---

#2 Ricky Rudd

NASCAR Nextel Cup: Checker 500-Practice (Image via Imagn)

Ricky Rudd made his Cup Series debut at Rockingham Speedway in the Carolina 500. Over a 32-year career, the veteran driver accumulated 23 race wins and 374 top-ten finishes. However, despite his success on the track, Rudd could never get his hands on a championship title, with his best career finish being P2 in 1991. During the course of his career, Rudd made 788 consecutive appearances in the Cup Series.

---

#1 Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt -Daytona 1993 (Image via Getty)

Jeff Gordon, one of the best drivers the sport has seen, tops the list with 797 back-to-back race starts in the Cup Series. In a 25-year career behind the wheel of the #24 for Hendrick Motorsports, the NASCAR Hall of Famer amassed an impressive 93 Cup Series victories. His first triumph came at the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, which was a Crown Jewel event. A four-time Cup Series champion, Gordon's resume includes multiple victories across all of NASCAR's prestigious Crown Jewel events.