List of NASCAR drivers who have won in each of top three series

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is an American business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto-racing sports events. The top three NASCAR national divisions are: Sprint Cup Series, operating since 1949; Xfinity Series, operating since 1982, and; Camping World Truck Series, operating since 1995. NASCAR drivers who have won in each of top three series are labeled Triple Threats.^[1]

Starting with the inaugural 1995 season of the Camping World Truck Series, counting through the end of the 2015 NASCAR racing season, only 27 drivers have earned the Triple Threat moniker. The first driver to accomplish the feat was Ken Schrader, with his "Truck" win on 15 April 1995.

Triple Threats

Below is a list of 27 drivers, through August 28, 2016, who have won at least one race in each of the top three NASCAR national divisions.

The shortest time from first win to Triple Threat, and the youngest driver to become a Triple Threat, was accomplished by Kyle Busch, scoring his first win in each series within a 16-month span from May 14, 2004 to September 4, 2005—completing the feat at 20 years 4 months of age.

While no driver has completed all three of their first-ever Triple Threat wins in a single season, 7 of these drivers did go on to score a subsequent Triple Threat season: Terry Labonte (1995), Kevin Harvick (2003, 2010), Kyle Busch (2005–2011, 2013–2016), Denny Hamlin (2011), Brad Keselowski (2014), Joey Logano (2015), and Kyle Larson (2016).

With a win in the Truck race at Martinsville on April 9, 2005, Bobby Labonte became the first driver to complete a Triple Threat at the same track: 1992 Busch Winston Classic; 2002 Winston Cup Virginia 500; and 2005 Craftsman Truck Kroger 250.

With his win in the Cup race at Bristol on August 21, 2010, Kyle Busch became the first driver to complete a Triple Threat on the same weekend, winning the Bristol Motor Speedway-hosted: O'Reilly Auto Parts 200; Food City 250; and Irwin Tools Night Race.^[2]

Showing only their first win in each of the top three NASCAR national divisions, the Triple Threat drivers are:

Drivers with wins in two of the top three series

As of the end of the 2015 NASCAR racing season, an additional 45 drivers have scored wins in two of the top three NASCAR national divisions. Some of these drivers have retired from racing, making it unlikely that they will return (and win) to become a Triple Threat, while driver Jason Leffler's opportunity ended with his racing death on June 12, 2013.

Below is an alphabetical list of drivers who have scored victories in just two of the top three series.^[3]

Driver championships in two of the top divisions

In the history of NASCAR (to the end of the 2015 season), only 7 drivers have accomplished championship seasons in more than one of the top three national divisions. Of these, 4 have championships in both the Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series, while 3 have championships in both the Xfinity and Truck Series.

The feat was first accomplished by Bobby Labonte, with a championship season in the 2000 Winston Cup Series (now the Sprint Cup) to go with his championship season in the 1991 Busch Series (now the Xfinity Series). Labonte was also the first ever driver to become a Triple Threat winner.

The quickest to accomplish this feat, from the start of his NASCAR career, is Austin Dillon, who started NASCAR racing in a regional series in 2008 and had won national championships in both the Xfinity and Truck Series by 2013.

All but one of these drivers (the exception being Dillon) are also members of the Triple Threat club shown above.

References