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While the NASCAR All-Star Race hasn’t been around nearly as long as the NASCAR Cup Series has been a thing, it’s almost four decades old.

The first NASCAR Cup Series points title was awarded in 1949, while the first NASCAR All-Star Race, then simply called The Winston, took place in 1985. Darrell Waltrip took the checkered flag that day at Charlotte Motor Speedway, edging out Harry Gant in the 12-driver, 70-lap affair by .31 seconds.

As the All-Star Race is merely an exhibition, Waltrip, or any of the other 11 drivers that day, earned no points in the Cup Series standings. But Waltrip wouldn’t need any extra anyway, as he accumulated 4,292 of them in the No. 11 Chevy for Junior Johnson to win his third and final Cup Series points title.

While Waltrip was the first driver to win the NASCAR All-Star Race and a Cup Series points title in the same season, he certainly wasn’t the last.

Nearly a third of drivers to win the NASCAR All-Star Race also won the Cup Series title the same season

Kyle Larson following his win at the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race
Kyle Larson celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 13, 2021 | Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Of the 38 drivers to win the NASCAR All-Star Race, 12 of them won the Cup Series title that same year.

Here’s the complete list of drivers to win both in the same season.

  • 1985: Darrell Waltrip
  • 1987: Dale Earnhardt Sr.
  • 1989: Rusty Wallace
  • 1990: Dale Earnhardt Sr.
  • 1993: Dale Earnhardt Sr.
  • 1995: Jeff Gordon
  • 1997: Jeff Gordon
  • 2001: Jeff Gordon
  • 2006: Jimmie Johnson
  • 2013: Jimmie Johnson
  • 2020: Chase Elliott
  • 2021: Kyle Larson
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Luke Norris

Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting.

Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes.

In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke’s work has appeared on  The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.