The Cup Series season has featured 22 races spread throughout the continental United States. Kyle Larson leads the series with four wins, but Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. are the best in another crucial statistic.
The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota are the only competitors to make at least two starts without a single DNF. They have completed all 22 races while every other driver with at least two starts has failed to finish at least one race.
Rookie Josh Berry has the most DNFs with six this season. Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Michael McDowell, and Kyle Busch all have five DNFs in the first 22 races of the season. Jimmie Johnson, who has only started six races this season, has two DNFs.
Corey LaJoie led the Cup Series last season as he completed all 36 races and 98.3% of the possible laps. He has one DNF this season.
The early consistency is key for Elliott and Truex. Neither championship driver has finished a full Cup season without a single DNF.
Along with avoiding DNFs, both Elliott and Truex have been in contention for top-10 finishes and wins. Elliott won at Texas Motor Speedway, one of his seven top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. He has completed 5,823 of the 5,824 possible laps while leading 179.
Truex, for comparison, is winless through 22 races. However, he has four top-five finishes and nine top-10s. Truex has completed 5,817 of the 5,824 possible laps while leading 461 of them.
Avoiding DNFs doesn't necessarily play as much of a role in a deep playoff run as piling up stage wins and race wins, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
After all, Elliott only has one race win and one stage win this season, giving him just six playoff points. Yet he is second in the Cup standings behind Larson. Elliott has just been consistent.
Truex has three playoff points gained through stage wins. He is seventh in the Cup standings. Truex is only one point behind William Byron, who has three race wins this season.