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This is a list of Daytona 500 winners. The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at the
Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...
in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four
restrictor plate A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to li ...
races on the Cup schedule. The first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, coinciding with the opening of the speedway, and since 1982, it has been the season-opening race of the Cup series. The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse. Championship points awarded are equal to that of any other NASCAR Cup race. It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. Since 1995, U.S. television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
which in turn greatly surpasses the Daytona 500 in in-track attendance and international viewing. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers. The event serves as the final event of
Speedweeks Daytona Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth is a series of racing events that take place during January and February at Daytona International Speedway. Traditionally leading up to the Daytona 500, in 2021 it concluded with the Daytona road cour ...
and is sometimes referred to as "The Great American Race" or the " Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing". All 62 Daytona 500s since the first race in 1959 have been held in February. From 1971–2011, it was associated with
Presidents Day Presidents' Day, also called Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February to honor all persons who served as presidents of the United States and, since 1879 ...
weekend, taking place on the Sunday before the third Monday in February. For 2012, the race was pushed back a week, to the last Sunday of February. Because of inclement weather conditions on February 26, the day the
2012 Daytona 500 The 2012 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The 54th iteration of the event, it was held between February 27 and 28, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a ...
was supposed to be held, the race was postponed until the evening of Monday, February 27, and it was not until the 2013 Daytona 500, which was held on February 24 of that year, that the race took place on the last Sunday of February for the first time. The winner of the Daytona 500 is presented with the
Harley J. Earl Trophy The Harley J. Earl Trophy is the trophy presented to the winner of the premier – and season-opening – event of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the Daytona 500. It is named after influential automobile designer H ...
in Victory Lane, and the winning car is displayed, in race-winning condition, for one year at
Daytona 500 Experience The Daytona 500 Experience, formerly known as Daytona USA, was an interactive motorsports attraction and museum located at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Intrinsically linked to the Daytona 500, the museum primarily foc ...
, a museum and gallery adjacent to Daytona International Speedway. Austin Cindric is the race's incumbent champion after winning it in 2022.


List of winners

 –
Andretti Andretti is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Mario Andretti (born 1940), Italian-born American father of the prominent Andretti racing family: ** Michael Andretti (born 1962), son of Mario *** Marco A ...
was born in a part of
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
that is now in
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
, but became a
naturalized American citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
. He remains the only foreign-born driver to win the race.
‡ – Record for fastest Daytona 500 at set by Buddy Baker in 1980.
1 – Originally started 39th, but had to go back to the 43rd position due to changing to a backup car after crashing in the qualifying races. A driver who crashes during the qualifying race and goes to a backup car, or after 2003, changes an engine between the first practice after the qualifying race and the Daytona 500, is relegated to the rear of the field.
2 – Originally started 21st, but had to go back to the 39th position due to failing multiple inspections. The following races were shortened: * 1965: 332.5 miles (133 laps) because of rain. * 1966: 495 miles (198 laps) because of rain. * 1974: 450 miles (180 laps) Race scheduled for 90% distance in response to the 1973 oil crisis; scoring began on lap 21. * 2003: 272.5 miles (109 laps) because of rain. * 2009: 380 miles (152 laps) because of rain. The following races were lengthened because of the
green–white–checker finish In North American auto racing, a green–white–checker finish (GWC) is a racing restart procedure one in which the race is restarted from a caution period with 2 laps remaining. When the race distance is extended to accommodate such a finish, i ...
. Note that from 2004 through 2009, only one attempt was permitted in NASCAR Cup Series racing. From 2010 to 2016, a maximum of three attempts were permitted. Since 2017, an unlimited number of attempts are permitted * 2005: 507.5 miles (203 laps) * 2006: 507.5 miles (203 laps) * 2007: 505 miles (202 laps) * 2010: 520 miles (208 laps) (two attempts — Lap 203 & Lap 207; This was the first time a NASCAR Cup Series race used the green-white-checker format 2 times to finish a race) * 2011: 520 miles (208 laps) two attempts  — Lap 203 & Lap 207 * 2012: 505 miles (202 laps) one attempt * 2015: 507.5 miles (203 laps) one attempt * 2018: 517.5 miles (207 laps) one attempt * 2019: 517.5 miles (207 laps) one attempt * 2020: 522.5 miles (209 laps) two attempts  — Lap 204 & Lap 208 * 2022: 502.5 miles (201 laps) one attempt Two races have been rescheduled from their original dates: * 2012: Rescheduled from February 26 to February 27 at noon and later rescheduled to start at 7 p.m. because of rain. (This marks the first time the Daytona 500 was moved to Monday, and the first night-time Daytona 500 race.) * 2020: Rescheduled from February 16 to February 17 at 4 p.m. because of rain. The 2017 Daytona 500 was first time the "stage format" was used in the Daytona 500; it was set up in three stages similar to the all star race (but without the requirement to pit), where drivers are given an chance to pit if they wish to do so.
Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-time ...
won the first stage earning him ten points in the new points format,
Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champion, ...
won the second stage and Kurt Busch won the final stage in a dramatic last lap pass (passing
Kyle Larson Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champi ...
who ran out of gas) to win the race.


Multiple winners (drivers)


Multiple winners (teams)


Manufacturer wins


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daytona 500 winners Florida sports-related lists Lists of NASCAR drivers NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway