Analysis: Notable drivers to claim first win in third season

Newly-signed 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick made the most of his final season driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2022. The native Californian struck gold for his first win this past year — adding another two along the way before the campaign wrapped — joining an elite group of drivers whose first victory came during Year 3 of their respective Cup Series careers (counting full-time seasons only). See which current (and potentially future) Hall of Famers have also accomplished the feat.

Rusty Wallace

Year 3: 1986

Age: 29

Wins: 2, at Bristol and Martinsville

Career: Wallace is the most decorated driver on this list, capping his career after the 2005 season with 55 wins. He was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.

Alan Kulwicki

Year 3: 1988

Age: 33

Wins: 1, at Phoenix Raceway

Career: Kulwicki would win four more races, including two in his storybook 1992 championship year before his death in an aviation crash in 1993. He was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.

Bobby Labonte

Year 3: 1995

Age: 31

Wins: 3, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and twice at Michigan

Career: Labonte made steady improvement after breaking through in 1995, culminating in the NASCAR Cup Series title in 2000. With 21 career wins, Labonte was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Kyle Larson

Year 3: 2016

Age: 23

Wins: 1, at Michigan

Career: Larson's one-win third year set the stage for a championship push in 2017, when he won four races and logged 15 top fives. He fell short that year, but turned in one of the finest seasons of this century in 2021 with 10 wins on the way to his first championship.

Chase Elliott

Year 3: 2018

Age: 23

Wins: 3, at Watkins Glen, Dover and Kansas

Career: Elliott won another three races in Year 4 (2019) and emerged even stronger in 2020, landing a career-high five victories while taking it all the way to his first Cup title. He added another seven wins and two Championship 4 appearances in 2021 and '22.

Wiliam Byron

Year 3: 2020

Age: 22

Wins: 1, at Daytona

Career: Byron has steadily progressed upward throughout his Cup career, tacking on another win in 2021 before looking like a bona fide championship contender — and nearly making the Championship 4 — in 2022, finishing with a career best two wins and sixth-place standings result.

Tyler Reddick

Year 3: 2022

Age: 26

Wins: 3, at Road America, Indianapolis Road Course and Texas

Career: Reddick's third season was just about as interesting and topsy-turvy as you could imagine, seeing him break through to show his true Cup Series talent — while simultaneously very publicly break up with the team he's taking to Victory Lane. The sky's the limit for Reddick, however, and he very well could top this number as he moves over to 23XI Racing for the '23 season.