NASCAR Winners On St. Patrick’s Day
by Tom Jensen March 12, 2026
While March 17th marks a global celebration of Irish culture and history, it has rarely been a holiday for NASCAR Cup Series racing.
The elements of St. Patrick’s Day are firmly ingrained in American culture for both people of Irish heritage and people merely wanting to celebrate all things Irish for a day. Parades, wearing of the green, eating corned beef and cabbage and imbibing in adult beverages are just some of the rituals celebrated on March 17th every year.
What there isn’t a lot of on St. Patrick’s Day is NASCAR Cup Series racing.
In fact, in the 73-year history of NASCAR there have only been 10 Cup Series races run on St. Patrick’s Day. Here they all are:
The first NASCAR Cup Series race run on St. Patrick’s Day was won by Ralph Moody. Photo courtesy NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Wilson Speedway, 1957
Ralph Moody (Class of 2025) passed fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Fireball Roberts (Class of 2014) on Lap 101 of the 200-lap race. Moody led the rest of the way to finish 2 laps ahead of the field on the 0.500-mile Wilson Speedway dirt track in North Carolina. The victory was the fifth and final win of Moody’s career before he transitioned out of the cockpit and into the role of co-owner of Holman Moody Racing midway through the season.
During his career, Jack Smith won 21 Cup Series races, most on the short tracks where he excelled. Photo courtesy NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Savannah Speedway, 1962
In the St. Patrick’s Day 200 on the 0.500-mile Georgia dirt track, three Hall of Famers traded the lead for most of the race, as Joe Weatherly (Class of 2015), Ned Jarrett (Class of 2011) and Cotton Owens (Class of 2013) all took turns up front. But with 53 laps to go, Georgia native and short-track ace Jack Smith took the lead for good as he scored one of his single-season career-best five victories in his Pontiac. This was the only Cup race named for St. Patrick’s Day.
Behind the wheel of the No. 28 Holman Moody Racing Ford, Fred Lorenzen was one of the dominant drivers of the mid-1960s. Photo courtesy NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Atlanta International Raceway, 1963
Now known as EchoPark Speedway, the 1.5-mile Georgia track was part of NASCAR’s speedway boom of the early 1960s. In the 1963 Atlanta 500, Fred Lorenzen (Class of 2015) lapped the field in his Holman Moody Racing Ford. Later that year, Lorenzen would become the first NASCAR driver in history to earn $100,000 in prize money in a single season, despite competing in just 29 of 55 races.
David Pearson won 105 Cup Series races in his NASCAR Hall of Fame career, second best all-time behind only Richard Petty. Photo courtesy NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Bristol International Speedway, 1968
The Southeastern 500 was one of 63 races where Richard Petty (Class of 2010) and David Pearson (Class of 2011) were the top two finishers. Pearson was the victor in 33 of the 63 1-2 finishes with Petty, including this race at what today is Bristol Motor Speedway. There, Pearson finished three car lengths ahead of Petty, as the two Hall of Famers were the only drivers to finish on the lead lap. Pearson went on to win his second of three Cup Series championships that season.
Equally at home on short tracks and superspeedways, Cale Yarborough was strong at virtually every track he raced at. Photo courtesy NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Bristol International Speedway, 1974
Another Southeastern 500 at Bristol, another NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee who won by lapping the entire field. This time, it was Cale Yarborough (Class of 2012) doing the honors in a Chevrolet owned by Richard Howard. It was an all Hall of Fame top five, as Yarborough finished ahead of Bobby Isaac (Class of 2016), Benny Parsons (Class of 2017), Bobby Allison (Class of 2011) and Donnie Allison (Class of 2024). In a dominating performance, Yarborough led the final 310 circuits in the 500-lap race.
In 1985, Bill Elliott led the Cup Series with 11 race victories. Photo courtesy NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Atlanta International Raceway, 1985
At the Coca-Cola 500, Georgia’s favorite son Bill Elliott (Class of 2015) put his Harry Melling-owned Ford Thunderbird in Victory Lane ahead of Geoff Bodine and his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Nursing an injured leg, Elliott passed Cale Yarborough (Class of 2012) with 55 laps to go to secure the victory, one of a personal-best 11 race wins on the season. Despite posting double-digit wins, Elliott ended the year second in the Cup Series points standings to Darrell Waltrip (Class of 2012).
In 2002, Sterling Marlin led the Cup Series points for most of the season until an injury sidelined him in late September. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Darlington Raceway, 2002
The Dodge Dealers 400 at historic Darlington Raceway was a memorable race for Sterling Marlin. Although he qualified 11th, Marlin had to start at the rear of the field due to an engine change in his Chip Ganassi-owned Dodge. Starting in the 43rd and final position, Marlin methodically worked his way through the field, passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Class of 2021) with 43 laps to go to take the lead. From there, Marlin held on to score his 10th and final career Cup Series race victory.
Kasey Kahne had some of his most productive years driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Photo courtesy of Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
Bristol Motor Speedway, 2013
It took Kasey Kahne 19 tries to get to Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway, but he finally accomplished the feat in an epic duel in the Food City 500 with reigning Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. Over the final 111 laps around the 0.533-mile high-banked track, Kahne and Keselowski traded the lead five times. But on the final restart, Keselowski spun his tires when the green flag dropped, handing the win to Kahne and his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
In NASCAR’s three National Series, Kyle Busch has won more races than any other driver. Photo courtesy of Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Auto Club Speedway, 2019
Southern California’s Auto Club Speedway is long gone, but in its heyday the 2.0-mile track put on some great races, including in the 2019 Auto Club 400, when Kyle Busch overcame a pit-road speeding penalty to score a huge victory. Busch swept all three stages to win his 53rd Cup Series race and the 200th NASCAR National Series race of his career. Busch would go on to win his second Cup Series championship later that year.
The last driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race on St. Patrick’s Day is Denny Hamlin. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Bacchman/Getty Images
Bristol Motor Speedway, 2024
After racing on dirt for the previous three Bristol Motor Speedway spring races, the Cup Series returned to racing on concrete for the Food City 500. Tire wear proved to be a major issue for the competitors during the race. Veteran Denny Hamlin managed his tires efficiently to win for the second consecutive time at Bristol and the fourth time in his career. The race saw a short-track record 54 lead changes among 17 different drivers before Hamlin took the checkered flag in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
