NASCAR Cup Series

Does it take second Cup win to be legit?

Published Jul. 6, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

David Ragan enjoyed the greatest moment of his NASCAR career last week, winning the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway for his first Sprint Cup victory.

Now the pressure is on.

The pressure to win again.

Ragan must win again to prove that his victory was not a fluke, especially since it came in a restrictor-plate race, a style of racing that has produced a long line of surprise winners over the years.

He must win again to avoid becoming a dreaded one-hit wonder, of which there is a long list in NASCAR.

Stock-car racing is one of the most competitive forms of motorsports in the world, its intense competition and parity giving a wide range of drivers an opportunity to win.

In its 62-year history, NASCAR has had 180 different winners in its top series. Of those, 60 have won just one race.

Most of those drivers toiled in misery through most of their careers, doggedly trying to win Sprint Cup races, and then striving desperately to win another one.

Recent winners such as Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Reutimann and Brad Keselowski will tell you that their second Sprint Cup win was nearly as important as their first. For each, their second victory validated the first, making them legitimate winners.

McMurray’s second win came nearly five years after his first. Reuitmann’s first win came in a rain-shortened race; his second proved that he could win under normal circumstances.

Keselowski’s first win came at Talladega Superspeedway, a restrictor-plate track, and was shrouded in controversy after he wrecked Carl Edwards during a mad dash to the checkered flag. His second win last month at Kansas Speedway — though it came in a fuel-mileage race — added legitimacy to his status as a NASCAR winner.

As hard as winning one Sprint Cup race may be, winning a second one might be even harder. Numerous talented drivers have found that out.

Some of the most famous drivers in American motorsports — Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue and Johnny Rutherford — won just one NASCAR Cup race.

Some scored historic victories: Jim Roper, winner of the first NASCAR Strictly Stock race; Wendell Scott, the only African-American driver to win a Cup race; Johnny Mantz, winner of the first Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway; and Richard Brickhouse, winner of the infamous boycott race at Talladega.

But many drivers finished their careers with the dubious distinction of having won just once. While that is better than having never won at all, their accomplishments are clouded with a bit of doubt — was their lone Cup victory a fluke?

Some drivers who won just one race are clearly labeled as one-hit wonders, their lone victories among the biggest upsets in NASCAR history. Drivers such as Jody Ridley, Greg Sacks, Ron Bouchard, Bobby Hillin Jr., Phil Parsons and Brett Bodine fit that category.

Four active drivers entered this season with just one Sprint Cup victory — Joey Logano, Keselowski, Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr.

Keselowski already has gotten the monkey of his back, winning last month at Kansas Speedway. He figures to win many more.

Logano, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, is a good bet to win again. At age 21, it would be no surprise to see him win many races before his career is over.

Mears is facing long odds. He won his only Cup race in 2007 with Hendrick Motorsports. He now drives for Germain Racing and has spent the past two years wheeling cars for underfunded, struggling teams. Unless he gets another major break, the odds of him landing a ride with another winning team are slim.

Truex is under enormous pressure to win again. He won his first Cup race in 2007 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Since then, he has driven for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and is now with Michael Waltrip Racing.

He has been a contender at times this year, but something always seems to go wrong. While it would not be a huge surprise to see him win again, until he does, he is at risk of becoming a one-hit wonder.

Now, three other active drivers have joined him this year — Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, Furniture Row Racing’s Regan Smith and, now, Ragan.

Of the three, Ragan seems to have the best shot to win again, primarily because he drives for Roush Fenway Racing, one of the sport’s elite teams. Now that he has broken through, his newfound confidence could easily propel him and his team to another victory.

Bayne faces longer odds because he drives for Wood Brothers Racing, a part-time team. But at age 20, the talented Bayne figures to get many more opportunities to win.

Smith, too, is young enough to develop into a consistent winner.

But the pressure is on them to win again.

Until they do, they risk joining the long list of one-hit wonders.