5 kings of lead-lap consistency in NASCAR history ft. Kevin Harvick & Jeff Gordon

Some NASCAR Cup Series drivers have built long careers full of finishes where they stayed on the lead lap at the end of several races. However, they might not be who you expected.

NASCAR legends like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. had 430 and 352 lead-lap finishes. While many Cup drivers in the past 15 years have exceeded their lead lap consistency, Dale Jr. finished 430 races on the lead lap and beat seven-time Cup champions, his father and Petty.

Here are five drivers who have logged the most lead-lap finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series, according to NASCAR Insights on X.

#1. Kevin Harvick - 633 lead-lap finishes

Kevin Harvick raced full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2001 through 2023. The 2014 Cup champion finished his full-time career with 60 Cup wins and leads the all-time list with 633 lead-lap finishes.

After retiring from full-time racing in 2023, Harvick moved into broadcasting and now covers the Cup Series on Fox TV.

#2. Jeff Gordon - 588 lead-lap finishes

Jeff Gordon trails Harvick but stands out with 588 lead-lap finishes. He made about 805 starts over 24 years.

The former Hendrick Motorsports driver also collected 93 Cup wins and four championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. Gordon also set the record for the most consecutive seasons with at least one pole at 23 years.

#3. Mark Martin - 558 lead-lap finishes

Mark Martin recorded 558 lead-lap finishes over a NASCAR Cup career that spanned 31 years. He earned 40 Cup wins and finished second in championship points several times, but he never took home a title in the series despite that success.

Martin stepped away from racing in the mid-2010s.

#4. Denny Hamlin - 558 lead-lap finishes

Denny Hamlin shares the 558-finish mark with Martin. Just like Martin, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is still without a championship in over 21 years in the series.

Hamlin lost the 2025 Cup title to Kyle Larson after a disappointing season finale race that saw a late-race caution erase his lead and cost him the title. The 46-year-old has two more years in his contract with JGR and can move up the list to beat Gordon or Harvick in the upcoming seasons.

#5. Kyle Busch - 549 lead-lap finishes

Kyle Busch rounds out this list with 549 lead-lap finishes in NASCAR Cup races. The 40-year-old made his Cup debut in 2005 and is also the most winning active driver in the series with 63 wins.

Busch also leads all active Cup drivers in total laps led (19,441). Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman make up the top-10 most lead-lap finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series.