With all the unknowns and the outstanding unpredictability of the competition this season, this week’s new venue – the Circuit of The Americas – could offer a great opportunity for a driver to grab a first-time win.
Road course events are notorious for granting drivers their first career win in the NASCAR Cup Series. The most recent example of that was at the Daytona Road Course earlier this season when Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell grabbed his first Cup career victory. Even the sport’s ‘Most Popular’ driver Chase Elliott, now considered a road course favorite, grabbed his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International in 2018. In total, 16 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have earned their first NASCAR Cup Series career victory on a road course.
Drivers That Earned Their First NASCAR Cup Series Win On A Road Course
| First-Time Winners | Dates | Road Courses |
| Christopher Bell | Sunday, February 21, 2021 | Daytona RC |
| Chase Elliott | Sunday, August 5, 2018 | Watkins Glen |
| AJ Allmendinger | Sunday, August 10, 2014 | Watkins Glen |
| Marcos Ambrose | Monday, August 15, 2011 | Watkins Glen |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | Sunday, June 24, 2007 | Sonoma |
| Steve Park | Sunday, August 13, 2000 | Watkins Glen |
| Bill Elliott | Sunday, November 20, 1983 | Riverside |
| Ricky Rudd | Sunday, June 5, 1983 | Riverside |
| Tim Richmond | Sunday, June 13, 1982 | Riverside |
| Mark Donohue | Sunday, January 21, 1973 | Riverside |
| Ray Elder | Sunday, January 10, 1971 | Riverside |
| Darel Dieringer | Sunday, November 3, 1963 | Riverside |
| Dan Gurney | Sunday, January 20, 1963 | Riverside |
| Eddie Gray | Sunday, June 1, 1958 | Riverside |
| Parnelli Jones | Sunday, August 4, 1957 | Kitsap |
| Chuck Stevenson | Sunday, November 20, 1955 | Lancaster |
This weekend, 19 different drivers entered at the Circuit of The Americas are looking for their first career NASCAR Cup Series win.
