Feb. 19 marks another opportunity for NASCAR Cup Series drivers to etch their names into the record books as they compete in the biggest race on the schedule – the Daytona 500.
The season-opening race is one of NASCAR’s crown jewels and drivers who win it join an exclusive list.
There are several active Cup drivers who have celebrated at least one Daytona 500 win. There are also multiple Cup champions who have missed out despite making numerous starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Active Cup drivers with Daytona 500 wins
Denny Hamlin (three wins) — Hamlin has celebrated three Daytona 500 wins in his career. He first won in 2016 after beating Martin Truex Jr. at the line in the closest finish in the 500. He won back-to-back Daytona 500s in 2019 and 2020.
Jimmie Johnson (two wins) — Johnson, who will become the only Hall of Fame driver to compete in a Cup race this season, has two Daytona 500 wins. He first won in 2006. Johnson won again in 2013. He will try to qualify for this season’s Daytona 500 in an open entry.
Joey Logano (one win) — Logano has one Daytona 500 win in his career. He captured the 2015 race. That was his first of six Cup wins that season.
Austin Dillon (one win) — Dillon has four wins in his Cup career. His first two were both crown jewels. He won the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and then he won the 2018 Daytona 500 — the last time the race was held on Feb. 18, the same date this year’s race is.
Michael McDowell (one win) — McDowell broke through and won the Daytona 500 in 2021. It was his first Cup win in his 358th start.
Austin Cindric (one win) — Cindric won the Daytona 500 in 2022. It was the first race of his rookie season and the win put him in the playoffs for the first time.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (one win) — Stenhouse won last season’s Daytona 500 in overtime. This was his third career Cup win but it was his first with JTG Daugherty Racing. The win put Stenhouse back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Active Cup champions without Daytona 500 wins
Martin Truex Jr. (19 starts) – Truex has never won on a drafting track in 79 career Cup starts. His closest brush with a Daytona 500 win was 2016 when he lost to Hamlin by one-hundredth of a second.
Kyle Busch (18 starts) – Busch has competed in nearly every Daytona 500 since his rookie season in 2005. He missed 2015 due to a leg injury. Busch finished second in the 2019 Daytona 500. He was also in the lead of last season’s Daytona 500 at the scheduled distance but was involved in an overtime crash.
Brad Keselowski (14 starts) – The Daytona 500 is an unchecked goal for Keselowski. He has come close on multiple occasions. His best finish was fourth in 2014. Keselowski was also running second on the final lap of the 2021 Daytona 500 before he and Logano wrecked, opening up the opportunity for McDowell to win under caution.
Kyle Larson (10 starts) – Larson has been unable to win a superspeedway race during a career that includes 23 trips to victory lane and a Cup championship. His best Daytona 500 finishes were seventh in 2016 and 2019. He ran out of fuel on the final lap while leading in 2017 and finished 12th.
Ryan Blaney (nine starts) – Blaney has achieved success on superspeedways by winning at both Daytona and Talladega. What he hasn’t done yet is win the Daytona 500. Blaney’s best finishes were second in 2017 and 2020. Blaney went from seventh to second on the last lap of that 2017 race. Hamlin passed Blaney for the win coming to the checkered flag in 2020 after Blaney made contact with Ryan Newman. Blaney has two consecutive top-10 finishes in the Daytona 500, the longest active streak.
Chase Elliott (eight starts) – Elliott has made eight starts in the Daytona 500 and started from pole three times. His best finish is second in 2021 when the race ended under caution.
