Cup Series drivers with 20-year gap between first win and last

Longevity in any career field is as huge of an accomplishment as any other, and the NASCAR Cup Series is no exception. Kevin Harvick certainly showed as such in 2022 as his win at Richmond Raceway marked more than a 20-year difference from his first Cup Series win to his last.

View each driver who holds a two-decade-plus difference from finding Victory Lane for the first time and last time.

Kurt Busch

First win: March 24, 2002 (Bristol Motor Speedway) 

Last win: May 15, 2022 (Kansas Speedway) 

The gap: 20 years

Total Cup wins: 34 

Comment: A Bristol victory to open his Cup career would be the first of six at the short track during Busch's Cup career, while his lone Kansas win would be his only Victory Lane appearance at the 1.5-mile oval.

Cale Yarborough

First win: June 27, 1965 (Valdosta 75 Speedway)

Last win: Oct. 6, 1985 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) 

The gap: 20 years 

Total Cup wins: 83 

Comment: As pilot of the No. 28 Hardee's Ford, the ever-resilient Yarborough led 49 laps in his final victory and even held off somone by the name of Bill Elliott, who won 11 Cup races in 1985. Talk about star power. 

Kevin Harvick 

First win: March 11, 2001 (Atlanta Motor Speedway) 

Last win: Aug. 14, 2022 (Richmond Raceway) 

The gap: 21 years

Total Cup wins: 60

Comment: "The Closer" might not have found Victory Lane during his final full-time Cup season in 2023, but he did win back-to-back races in 2022, first at Michigan International Speedway and then at Richmond. Consider this storybook career to be a Hall-of-Fame-caliber one. 

Dale Earnhardt 

First win: April 1, 1979 (Bristol Motor Speedway) 

Last win: Oct. 15, 2000 (Talladega Superspeedway) 

The gap: 21 years 

Total Cup wins: 76 

Comment: "The Intimidator" has a reputation that speaks for itself, but one tidbit that sticks out (one of many, anyway) -- his first and last win came at two of the tracks he won the most at. Earnhardt won at Talladega a career-best 10 times, while he triumphed at Bristol nine times, tied with Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway. 

Bobby Allison

First win: July 12, 1966 (Oxford Plains Speedway) 

Last win: Feb. 14, 1988 (Daytona International Speedway)

The gap: 21 years 

Total Cup wins: 84 

Comment: Although Allison piloted the No. 12 the Miller High Life Buick to Victory Lane after leading a race-high 70 laps, arguably the biggest (or at least one of the coolest) factoids from the race came in who finished runner-up. After all, it isn't an everyday occurence when your own son -- Davey Allison -- finishes right behind you in a racing competition. But it happened nonetheless. 

Jeff Gordon

First win: May 29, 1994 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) 

Last win: Nov. 1, 2015 (Martinsville Speedway) 

The gap: 21 years

Total Cup wins: 93 

Comment: Talk about dominance, especially when it comes to Martinsville. Gordon finished his Cup career with nine wins at the track. He won five times at Charlotte.

Terry Labonte 

First win: Sept. 1, 1980 (Darlington Raceway) 

Last win: Aug. 31, 2003 (Darlington Raceway) 

The gap: 22 years

Total Cup wins: 22

Comment: Labonte's two career wins at Darlington, coincidentally enough, came in his first-ever Cup win and his last. 

Richard Petty 

First win: Feb. 28, 1960 (Southern States Fairgrounds) 

Last win: July 4, 1984 (Daytona International Speedway) 

The gap: 24 years

Total Cup wins: 200 

Comment: NASCAR's winningest Cup Series driver ever had to make this list, and it was well deserved. When discussing longevity in this sport, "The King" arguably comes first. Case in point.