Most consecutive top-20 finishes to start a Cup Series season

Chase Elliott has started the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with 18 consecutive finishes of 20th or better, a remarkable feat, especially after beginning the 2024 campaign with 19 straight top-20 finishes to kick off that year.

Take a look at the drivers who started a NASCAR season with at least 16 consecutive finishes of 20th or better, spanning Lee Petty, Dale Earnhardt and others.

Lee Petty, 1959

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 17th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 24

Buddy Arrington, 1982 

Best finish: 8th
Worst finish: 16th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 16

Dale Earnhardt, 1987

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 20th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 22

Bill Elliott, 1988

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 19th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 29*

*Only driver to accomplish this feat for an entire Cup Series season.

Ricky Rudd, 1991

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 20th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 25

Jeff Burton, 2008

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 15th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 17

Kevin Harvick, 2016

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 17th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 16

Chase Elliott, 2024 

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 19th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 19

Chase Elliott, 2025

Best finish: 1st
Worst finish: 20th
Consecutive races with top-20 finish to start season: 18*

*Active as of June 28, 2025