NASCAR Cup Series

Junior's top runs on record pace

Published Jul. 15, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on track to set his own NASCAR Sprint Cup record.

Earnhardt Jr. has started the season by finishing each race on the lead lap of each and every lap. That's 19 consecutive lead-lap runs this year, the top start to the season in NASCAR's modern era.

Perhaps more important, he closed the 2011 season with a top finish, which means he now has 20 consecutive lead-lap finishes. That ties him for second on the overall list with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.

If Earnhardt Jr. continues his current streak, he soon will hold the record on his own. Jeff Gordon holds the record with for consecutive finishes on the lead lap with 21.