Seven wins for one driver, one win after nineteen tries for another. The same trophy means very different things here.
1Dale EarnhardtWon the 500 in 1998 on his twentieth attempt, after nineteen years of near misses.1000pts
2Richard PettyWon the race a record seven times between 1964 and 1981.912pts
3Cale YarboroughFour wins, and the driver at the centre of the 1979 last-lap fight.566pts
4Kevin HarvickWon in 2007 by 0.020 seconds as the field crashed behind him.566pts
5Jimmie JohnsonWon in 2006 and 2013 during his seven-championship run.566pts
6Michael WaltripWon in 2001 for his first career victory, in the race that killed Earnhardt.500pts
7Darrell WaltripWon in 1989 at his seventeenth attempt and cried in victory lane.500pts
8Trevor BayneWon in 2011 the day after his twentieth birthday, in his second Cup start.500pts
9Bobby AllisonWon three, the last in 1988 ahead of his son Davey.423pts
10Joey LoganoWon in 2015 at 24, one of the youngest winners of the race.423pts
11Bill ElliottWon in 1985 and 1987, and his 1987 pole lap of 210.364 mph remains NASCAR's all-time qualifying record.333pts
12Jeff GordonA three-time winner, in 1997, 1999 and 2005.227pts
13Denny HamlinWon in 2016 by 0.010 seconds, then again in 2019 and 2020.227pts
14Sterling MarlinBack-to-back wins in 1994 and 1995 for his first two career victories.227pts
15Matt KensethWon in 2009 and 2012, the second in a Monday-night finish.227pts
16Dale JarrettThree wins, including a 1993 duel with Earnhardt called by his father on television.0pts
17Junior JohnsonWon in 1960 in an underpowered Chevrolet after discovering the draft, the slipstreaming technique that has shaped Daytona ever since.
18Fireball RobertsWon the 1962 race from pole position, the biggest victory for NASCAR's first superstar.
19Mario AndrettiWon in 1967, and remains the only driver to win the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One title.
20A. J. FoytDominated the 1972 race in the Wood Brothers Mercury, adding NASCAR's biggest prize to his Indianapolis 500 victories.
21Benny ParsonsWon in 1975, two years after his Cup title, and later became one of the sport's best-loved broadcasters.
22Buddy BakerWon in 1980 at an average of 177.602 mph, still the fastest Daytona 500 ever run.
23Geoff BodineWon in 1986 to give Hendrick Motorsports its first Daytona 500 victory.
24Derrike CopeWon in 1990 for his first career victory when leader Dale Earnhardt cut a tyre on the final lap.
25Ernie IrvanWon in 1991 for the small Morgan-McClure team in a race that finished under caution after a late crash.
26Ward BurtonWon in 2002 after leader Sterling Marlin was penalised for pulling on his damaged fender during a red flag.
27Dale Earnhardt Jr.Won in 2004, six years after his father's victory, and again in 2014 after a long rain delay.
28Jamie McMurrayWon in 2010 after leading only the final two laps, and added the Brickyard 400 later that year.
29Kurt BuschWon in 2017 on his seventeenth attempt after leading only the final lap.
30Austin DillonWon in 2018 in the No. 3 car, twenty years after Dale Earnhardt drove it to victory.
31Austin CindricWon in 2022 as a 23-year-old rookie in his first Daytona 500 start, for Team Penske.
32Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Won in 2023 in a double-overtime finish that made it the longest Daytona 500 ever, at 530 miles.
33Tyler ReddickWon in 2026 with a last-lap pass on Chase Elliott, giving Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing its first Daytona 500.
34David PearsonWon in 1976 by limping his wrecked car across the line after a last-lap crash with Richard Petty.
35Ryan NewmanWon in 2008 with a push from teammate Kurt Busch, giving Roger Penske his first Daytona 500.
36William ByronWon back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, the first driver to defend the title since Denny Hamlin.
Photo credits
- Richard Petty — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cale Yarborough — Ted Van Pelt, CC BY 2.0
- Kevin Harvick — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jimmie Johnson — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Michael Waltrip — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Darrell Waltrip — Zach Catanzareti, CC BY 2.0
- Trevor Bayne — Zach Catanzareti, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bobby Allison — Virginia Office of the Governor, CC BY 2.0
- Joey Logano — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bill Elliott — Nascar9919, CC BY 4.0
- Denny Hamlin — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sterling Marlin — Ed McDonald, CC BY 2.0
- Matt Kenseth — Tyman9348, CC BY 4.0
- Dale Jarrett — Ted Van Pelt, CC BY 2.0
- Junior Johnson — Ted Van Pelt from Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Mario Andretti — United Autosports, CC BY-SA 2.0
- A. J. Foyt — SarahStierch, CC BY 4.0
- Buddy Baker — Racing One, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Derrike Cope — Nascar9919, CC BY 4.0
- Ernie Irvan — Darryl Moran, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ward Burton — Zach Catanzareti Photo, CC BY 2.0
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. — Nascar9919, CC BY 4.0
- Jamie McMurray — Nascar9919, CC BY 4.0
- Kurt Busch — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Austin Dillon — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Austin Cindric — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tyler Reddick — TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
- David Pearson — Freewheeling Daredevil from Kingston, TN, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ryan Newman — Zach Catanzareti Photo, CC BY-SA 2.0
- William Byron — Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0
Comments 1
Nineteen attempts passed before Earnhardt won this race once, and Gordon won it three times. The list where a championship count stops helping: https://youpick.best/articles/earnhardt-vs-gordon-ranked
YP
ypb-teamSep 11


















