List of Daytona 500 winners

For a list of pole winners, see List of Daytona 500 pole position winners.

Cars being driven on an auto racing track
Three-time race winner Jeff Gordon leads the field to the start of the 2015 Daytona 500.

The Daytona 500 is an annual American stock car race sanctioned by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and held every February at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.[1][2] It was first held in 1959 after NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. wanted to take the sanctioning body away from the Daytona Beach and Road Course and onto a permanent racing facility to allow NASCAR races to continue being held in Daytona Beach.[3][4] The event is the premier and final race of the three-week Speedweeks series of races and has been the first points-paying round of the NASCAR Cup Series since 1982.[2][3] It usually covers 200 laps over a total distance of 500 mi (800 km),[1] but accidents and other incidents have meant that the race has been extended through the use of overtime rules on 12 occasions.[5] Each winning driver is presented with a replica of the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane,[6] an estimated $2.5 million in prize money,[a][9] a championship ring as well as a black leather jacket,[10] and their car is put on display in race-winning condition in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America museum adjacent to the track for 12 months until the following year's Daytona 500.[11][12]

In the 66 editions of the Daytona 500 that have occurred as of the 2024 race, 43 different drivers have won.[13] The winner of the first race was Lee Petty in 1959, and the most recent victor was William Byron in 2024.[1] Richard Petty holds the record for the most victories with seven, with Cale Yarborough in second place with four wins.[14] Four drivers have won the event twice in a row, but no one has won three or more consecutively.[1] Trevor Bayne and Bobby Allison are the youngest and oldest Daytona 500 winners, winning at the ages of 20 years and 1 day in 2011 and 50 years, 2 months, and 11 days old in 1988, respectively.[15][16] Petty also holds the distinction of having the longest time between his first and last wins, 17 years between the 1964 and 1981 races.[17] Buddy Baker and Junior Johnson set the record for the fastest and slowest race-winning average speeds of 177.602 mph (285.823 km/h) in 1980 and 124.740 mph (200.750 km/h) in 1960, respectively.[14] Chevrolet have won the most races as a manufacturer with 26 since their first in 1960, followed by Ford in second with 17 victories. Hendrick Motorsports and Petty Enterprises are the most successful race teams with nine wins each.[18]

  1. ^ a b c d Tikkanen, Amy. "Daytona 500". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b F. Moore, Charles (February 23, 2024). "Daytona 500". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024 – via Encyclopedia.com.
  3. ^ a b O'Malley 2007, pp. 8–9
  4. ^ Falk 2002, pp. 31–32
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Overtime was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Who is Harley J. Earl and why is the Daytona 500 champion's trophy named after him?". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. February 14, 2021. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Treacy, Dan (February 19, 2024). "Daytona 500 purse, payout breakdown: How much prize money will the winner make in 2024?". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Spencer, Reid (February 14, 2024). "2024 Daytona 500 purse tops $28 million, largest in history". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Wire Service. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  9. ^ J. Horrow, Ellen (February 19, 2024). "Daytona 500 highlights: All the top moments from William Byron's win in NASCAR opener". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Denny Hamlin Receives Traditional Gifts as 2020 Daytona 500 Champion". Daytona International Speedway. February 12, 2021. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (January 12, 2022). "One Daytona 500 winner's tradition may be altered this season". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Eley, Jessica (March 8, 2022). "Daytona 500 winning car on display at Motorsports Hall of Fame". WOFL. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Newby, John (February 19, 2024). "Daytona 500 winners: Full year-by-year list". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference TuckerTillerWinners was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Youngest winner of the Daytona 500". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Camp, Ben (February 15, 2023). "Daytona 500: A rich, storied history on the Fun Coast". Faribault Daily News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  17. ^ "Daytona 500 facts & figures". Orlando Sentinel. January 30, 2019 [February 19, 2005]. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference WinnersSportingNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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