The Daytona 500 has produced kings, launched championship dynasties, cemented legacies and elevated relative unknowns into the spotlight.
The “Great American Race” has been held 64 times, with Petty family patriarch Lee Petty taking the first Daytona 500 checkered flag in 1959. His son, Richard “The King” Petty, holds the record for the most Daytona 500 victories, winning the first of his seven Harley J. Earl trophies in 1964.
Five other drivers have won NASCAR’s premier event at least three times: Cale Yarborough (four), Bobby Allison (three), Dale Jarrett (three), Jeff Gordon (three) and Denny Hamlin (three).
Twice-winning Jimmie Johnson began a run of five straight Cup Series championships after winning the 2006 race, while his triumph at Daytona in 2013 kicked off a season that led to his sixth Cup title at the end of the year (Johnson would later add a record seventh Cup championship in 2016).
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ended a 199-race winless streak by winning the 2023 Daytona 500 on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the two previous drivers to triumph in the Daytona 500 – Michael McDowell (2021) and Austin Cindric (2022) – also earned their first-ever Cup Series victories.
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Here are the Daytona 500 winners by year:
1959: Lee Petty
1960: JUNIOR JOHNSON
1961: Marvin Panch
1962: Roberts Fireball
1963: Little Lund
1964: Richard Small
1965: Fred Lorenzen
1966: Richard Small
1967: Mario Andretti
1968: Cale Yarborough
1969: Lee Roy Yarbrough
1970: pete hamilton
1971: Richard Small
1972: A.J. Foyt
1973: Richard Small
1974: Richard Small
1975: Benny Parson
1976: David Pearson
1977: Cale Yarborough
1978: Bobby Allison
1979: Richard Small
1980: Baker buddy
nineteen eighty one : Richard Small
1982: Bobby Allison
1983: Cale Yarborough
1984: Cale Yarborough
1985: Bill Elliot
1986: Geoff Bodine
1987: Bill Elliot
1988: Bobby Allison
1989: Darrell Waltrip
1990 : Derrike Cope
1991: Ernie Irvan
1992: Davey Allison
1993: Dale Shank
1994: Marlin Sterling
1995: Marlin Sterling
1996: Dale Shank
1997 : Jeff Gordon
1998: Dale Earnhardt Sr.
1999: Jeff Gordon
2000: Dale Shank
2001: Michael Waltrip
2002: Ward Burton
2003: Michael Waltrip
2004 : Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2005: Jeff Gordon
2006: jimmy johnson
2007: Kevin Harvick
2008: Ryan Newman
2009: Matt Kenseth
2010: Jamie McMurray
2011: Trevor Bayne
2012: Matt Kenseth
2013: jimmy johnson
2014 : Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2015 : Joey Logan
2016: Denny Hamlin
2017: Kurt Busch
2018: Austin Dillon
2019: Denny Hamlin
2020: Denny Hamlin
2021: Michael McDowell
2022: Austin Cindric
2023: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
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