These 8 Texas Drivers Have Won in the NASCAR Cup Series

Since NASCAR was founded in 1948, we have seen many talented drivers from Texas race throughout history. Not every driver wins, but we HAVE seen Texas drivers take the checkered flag and win. Some go one to win championships. Here's a look at all the drivers to win a NASCAR race for the state of Texas.

Shorty Rollins

Lloyd George "Shorty" Rollins became the first driver to win a NASCAR race from Texas; born in Granbury, Texas on March 4, 1929. He became the very first NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1958; that same year he had his sole win at the 1958 State Line Speedway Race. Shorty would have a total of 43 starts before he retired from racing in 1960. Not bad at all.

Once the 60s rolled around, we would start to see more Texas winners.

Johnny Rutherford

Mr. Lone Star Jr, Johnny Rutherford would be known for his incredible open wheel racing career, including 3 Indy 500 wins. But he would have one NASCAR win to his name; during the 2nd qualifier race for the 1963 Daytona 500. He would only participate in 35 total races but he DOES have a NASCAR win to his long illustrious career.

Billy Wade

Houston would see 2 amazing NASCAR drivers that we'll see on this list; the first one being Billy Wade, the 1963 NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Billy has a record that no other NASCAR driver has, win 4 consecutive races after he got his first win. In July 1964, Billy would win 4 races in just 10 days.

Billy's career would be cut short when his car crashed during a tire test at the Daytona International Speedway in 1965. Billy would be killed in the crash; he was 34 years old. In total Billy Wade won 4 races during his career.

A.J. Foyt

Our other Houston, Texas driver is none other than the legendary, A.J. Foyt. He has won the Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and he has 7 wins during his stint in NASCAR. His first win came during the 1964 Firecracker 400 but his proudest achievement has to be the 1972 Daytona 500.

Bobby Hillin Jr.

When speaking of Texas race car drivers, you can't forget about Bobby Hillin Jr from Midland, Texas. He has 334 starts to his name & one win to his name; and that win came during the 1986 Talladega 500. He won at the age of 22 years, 1 month & 22 days. At the time, he was the youngest driver to win a NASCAR race. That's certainly not bad for the Texas racer.

Terry Labonte

If you watched NASCAR in the 90s & 00s, you definitely remember the Labonte brothers from Corpus Cristi. We'll start with The Iceman, "Texas" Terry Labonte first. Terry raced between 1978 to 2014. His first win came during the 1980 Southern 500 in Darlington & his final win would be the very same race in 2003. Terry would become a 2 time NASCAR champion (1984 & 1996) with 22 total wins. Terry would join the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016.

Bobby Labonte

Terry's brother, Bobby Labonte, would also rack up an impressive NASCAR career. Bobby's first win came at the 1995 Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte & his last win at the 2003 Ford 400 at Homestead. Bobby would also become a NASCAR champion in 2000 & with 23 total wins. Bobby would retire from racing in 2016 & would join the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

Chris Buescher

The current driver that has been winning for Texas is Chris Buescher from Prosper, Texas. Since his career is still active, his stats are likely to change quickly. But for now, he know his first win was the 2016 Pennsylvania 600 at Pocono. He would win the night race at Bristol in 2022 and would win 3 more races in 2023. Chris currently has 5 total wins in the NASCAR Cup Series.

It's only a matter of time before we see more Texas drivers win in NASCAR & before we can crown another champion for the state of Texas.

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