Shanna Lockwood Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
The late Dale Earnhardt once famously remarked, “Second sucks, don’t it, son?”
Well, maybe, maybe not.
Kyle Larson has finished second in each of the last three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix, and he seems pretty happy about it. Those runner-up finishes put Larson No. 1 in the points standings and it also made him one of only 16 drivers in NASCAR Premier Series history to finish second in at least three consecutive races.
Here are all 16:
RacingOne ISC Archives via Getty Images
16
Herb Thomas, 1952, 1955
Thomas immortalized The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, winning two championships. In 1952, he posted three straight runner-up finishes at Detroit, Niagara Falls, and Oswego, N.Y. Three years later, he did it at Montgomery, Ala.; Langhorne, Pa.; and Raleigh, N.C.
15
Dick Rathman, 1953
In addition to winning five races in 1953, Rathmann finished second 12 times in 35 races. Three of those came consecutively at High Point, N.C.; Wilson, N.C.; and Rochester, N.Y.
RacingOne ISC Archives via Getty Images
14
Bob Welborn, 1958
Welborn’s second-place streak began at Columbia, S.C., then continued in Nashville and North Carolina’s Asheville-Weaverville Speedway.
13
Richard Petty, 1963, ’64, ’66, ’75
Petty won more races than anyone in NASCAR and he had three consecutive runner-up finishes three times in his career. And in 1964, he finished second in four races in a row: Charlotte, Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, North Carolina’s Asheville-Weaverville Speedway and Atlanta. Petty then won the next two races after that before finishing second again in the next two.
RacingOne ISC Archives via Getty Images
12
Dick Hutcherso, 1965, ’67
How’s this for obscure? In 1965, Hutcherson drove his Holman-Moody Ford to consecutive runner-up finishes at Manassas, Va.; Old Bridge, N.J.; and Islip, N.Y. Two years later, Hutcherson did it again while driving for Bondy Long, finishing second at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, Daytona and Bristol.
RacingOne ISC Archives via Getty Images
11
David Pearson, 1969, ’77
Pearson’s first runner-up trifecta in 1969 included Macon, Ga., Maryville, Tenn., and Michigan in a Holman-Moody Ford. Eight years later, in did it at Dover, Charlotte and Riverside in a Mercury fielded by the Wood Brothers.
RacingOne ISC Archives via Getty Images
10
Darrell Waltrip, 1978, ’83
The three-time NASCAR champ had a three-race runner-up streak in 1978 at Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Charlotte. Five years later he finished second in four consecutive races at Nashville, Talladega, Pocono and Michigan. In 1983, Waltrip posted 12 top-five finishes in a row.
RacingOne ISC Archives via Getty Images
9
Bobby Allison, 1981
Toward the end of the season, the future NASCAR Hall of Fame member was second in three races in a row, all in North Carolina: North Wilkesboro, Charlotte and Rockingham.
8
Harry Gant, 1985
Toward the end of the season, the future NASCAR Hall of Fame member was second in three races in a row, all in North Carolina: North Wilkesboro, Charlotte and Rockingham.
This content is subject to copyright. Getty Images
7
Mark Martin, 1998
The five-time NASCAR Premier Series runner-up posted consecutive second-place finishes at New Hampshire, Pocono, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen.
©, Nigel Kinrade ©2011, Nigel Kinrade
6
Jeff Gordon, 1998, ’99
In 1998, Gordon (left, with the late Dale Earnhardt in 1999) won an amazing 13 races, with consecutive runner-up runs at Richmond, Dover and Martinsville in the fall. The next season, his three straight second-place finishes came at Dover, Michigan and Pocono.
5
Bobby Labonte, 2003
Early in the 2003 season, the 2000 NASCAR champ drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolets to second-place finishes at Martinsville, Auto Club and Richmond.
4
Kevin Harvick, 2003
The 2014 NASCAR champion had his streak near the end of the summer in 2003, when he was runner-up at Michigan, Bristol and Darlington.
3
Jimmie Johnson, 2006
In the very first of his seven championship seasons, Johnson finished second in consecutive NASCAR playoff races at Atlanta, Texas and Phoenix.
Getty Images Getty Images for NASCAR
2
Carl Edwards, 2011
In a gut-wrenching end to a great season, Edwards finished second in the final three races of 2011, leaving him tied in points with Tony Stewart. But Stewart took the title on the basis of a tiebreaker for most race victories.
1
Kyle Larson, 2017
So far, it’s been a fabulous season for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who in the last three weeks has finished second at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
FOX Fantasy Auto Form a Racing Team, Compete for Prizes
Play Now!
Recent Comments