NASCAR drivers who earned their first Cup Series win at Charlotte

The Charlotte Motor Speedway, the venue for the next event in the Cup Series calendar, has been the location of the start of the successes of many NASCAR drivers, including future champions. Going into this weekend's Coca-Cola 600, it's been eight seasons since a first-time winner was crowned at the intermediate track, and with the grid filled with drivers looking for their first wins, the North Carolina track might be the place where their luck will turn.

This list will look at three drivers who scored their first wins at the one-and-a-half-mile-long track, and how their careers panned out.

3. Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon (24) at Charlotte Motor Speedway, October 11th 2015 - Source: Imagn

The future NASCAR Cup Series title winner started his win record at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1994. In his second season with Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon piloted his eventually iconic #24 car in a battle against the 1989 Cup Series champion, Rusty Wallace, with Gordon leading a total of 16 laps of the race to finally cross the finish line and achieve his first win.

The HMS driver would go on to achieve another 92 wins over the course of his career, as well as win four championship titles, with the first coming the season after his first win.

2. Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth (42) during qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 24th 2020 - Source: Imagn

At the May 2000 running of the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR event, Matt Kenseth, who was driving for Roush Fenway Racing for his first-ever full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, emerged triumphant and scored his first win. In the final restart of the event, Kenseth was running in fourth place, but by lap 373 of 400, he had overtaken the likes of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Bobby Labonte. After keeping Labonte behind, the Roush Fenway driver crossed the checkered flag to mark the beginning of his illustrious career in the sport.

Matt Kenseth went on to his first and only Cup Series title in 2003, as well as tacking on another 38 wins. He scored a total of 182 Top-fives and 331 Top 10s.

1. Austin Dillon

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) celebrates his first Cup win during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 28th 2017 - Source: Imagn

The most recent NASCAR driver to join the list of first-time winners at the Charlotte Motor Speedway is the pilot of the #3 car, Austin Dillon, who scored his first career win at the track during the 2017 running of the Coca-Cola 600. The Richard Childress Racing driver had spent three full-time seasons winless before his luck changed in the final two laps of the event, when Jimmie Johnson ran out of fuel, allowing Dillon to steal the lead. Holding back Martin Truex Jr. (who had dominated most of the event) and Kyle Busch, the grandson of Richard Childress crossed the line to be the last first-time winner at the North Carolina venue.

Austin Dillon went on to add another four wins to his career, including the 2018 running of the Daytona 500. He's the only driver on the list heading into this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series event, which takes place on Sunday, May 25th at 6:00 pm ET.