Honestly, the list of Daytona 500 winners is a weird, beautiful, and sometimes cruel document of NASCAR history. You’ve got the titans of the sport who dominated for decades, and then you’ve got guys who basically caught lightning in a bottle for one afternoon and were never heard from again in Victory Lane. It’s the "Great American Race," but sometimes it feels more like a 200-lap lottery.
Winning Daytona isn’t just about being the fastest. If it were, Kyle Busch wouldn’t be sitting at home with zero Harley J. Earl trophies after 20 attempts. It’s about surviving the "Big One," finding the right drafting partner at the exact right millisecond, and—let’s be real—having a massive amount of luck.
The King and the Modern Dynasty
Richard Petty isn’t called "The King" just because he wore a cool hat. He absolutely owned this race. Looking at the all-time records, Petty’s seven wins (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981) feel like a record that’s never getting touched. Cale Yarborough is the only one who even got close with four wins.
Lately, though, it's been the William Byron show. Just last year, in February 2025, Byron managed to pull off something we rarely see anymore: back-to-back wins. He became the first driver to do it since Denny Hamlin in 2019-2020. Byron’s 2025 win was a classic Daytona mess. He moved from ninth to the lead on the very last lap because everyone in front of him decided to wreck. That’s Daytona. One second you’re looking at a top-ten finish, the next you’re being showered in Gatorade because you were the only one who didn't hit the wall.
Byron is now the youngest driver to ever have multiple Daytona 500 wins. It’s a massive statement for Hendrick Motorsports, which now has 10 wins as an organization, officially breaking their tie with Petty Enterprises.
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Every Daytona 500 Winner Since the Beginning
If you want to see how the sport evolved from dirt tracks and beach racing to the high-tech engineering of 2026, just look at the names. It started with Lee Petty in 1959—a finish so close it took three days of looking at photos to decide who actually won.
The Early Era (1959–1979)
The first couple of decades were dominated by the legends. You had Junior Johnson taking the checkers in 1960 at a whopping average speed of 124 mph. Then came the era of the aero-cars. Mario Andretti showed up in 1967 and beat the stock car specialists at their own game. A.J. Foyt did the same in 1972. But mostly, it was Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson trading blows. The 1976 finish between Petty and Pearson remains the most famous moment in NASCAR history—both crashed in the final turn, but Pearson managed to keep his engine running and limped across the line at 20 mph to win.
The Middle Years (1980–2000)
In 1980, Buddy Baker set a speed record that still stands: 177.602 mph. The cars were getting dangerously fast. This era also gave us the "Dale and Dale Show" in 1993, where Dale Jarrett beat Dale Earnhardt Sr. as Jarrett's dad, Ned, called the race on TV. It took Earnhardt 20 years of heartbreak to finally get his win in 1998. Every crew member from every team lined up on pit road to shake his hand. It was probably the most emotional win the sport has ever seen.
The Modern Chaos (2001–Present)
The 2001 race changed everything. Michael Waltrip won his first race ever after 462 starts, but the sport lost Dale Earnhardt in the final turn. Since then, the race has become increasingly unpredictable. We’ve seen huge upsets like Trevor Bayne winning at 20 years old in 2011, or Michael McDowell snagging his first career win in 2021.
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Here is how the recent history shakes out:
- 2025: William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)
- 2024: William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)
- 2023: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing)
- 2022: Austin Cindric (Team Penske)
- 2021: Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports)
- 2020: Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- 2019: Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- 2018: Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
- 2017: Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing)
- 2016: Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- 2015: Joey Logano (Team Penske)
Why the Underdogs Keep Winning
You'll notice names like Michael McDowell and Trevor Bayne on that list. These aren't guys who usually dominate the season standings. So why do they win Daytona?
Restrictor plates (and now the tapered spacers on the Next Gen cars) are the great equalizer. They keep the cars bunched together in a giant pack. This means the best driver in the best car can't just pull away. They’re stuck in the draft. If you’re a mid-tier team, you just have to stay on the lead lap and hope the leaders wipe each other out in "The Big One."
Take 2023 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He’s a great driver, but JTG Daugherty isn’t a powerhouse team like Hendrick or Gibbs. He won because he was aggressive at the right time and the race ended under caution. Honestly, that’s the secret. You don’t need the best car for 500 miles; you just need the lead for the last 500 feet.
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The Hall of Heartbreak
It’s kinda crazy to think about who isn't on the list of Daytona 500 winners. Mark Martin, one of the greatest to ever do it, never won. Tony Stewart? Zero 500 wins. Kyle Busch is still chasing it.
These guys have won championships and hundreds of other races, but Daytona is a different beast. It requires a specific kind of patience—and a willingness to accept that you might get wrecked through no fault of your own. Jimmie Johnson, who has two wins, showed he’s still got it by finishing third in the 2025 race at nearly 50 years old. It proves that experience matters, but it also shows how hard it is to actually close the deal.
What to Watch for Next
If you’re looking to get into the weeds of NASCAR history, keep an eye on the manufacturers. Chevrolet has basically owned Daytona lately, with 27 total wins. Ford is trailing with 17.
The Next Gen car has made the racing even tighter, which usually leads to more of those "random" winners we talked about. If you're betting on the next race, don't just look at the favorites. Look at the guys who are good at "staying clean."
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Track the Draft: If you're watching, notice how the Toyotas usually stick together while the Chevys spread out. Team tactics are the only way to beat the chaos.
- Watch the Duels: The qualifying races on Thursday tell you more about who has a fast car than the actual qualifying speeds.
- Respect the "Save": The best Daytona drivers, like Denny Hamlin, know how to "save" their car until the final 10 laps. If a driver is leading on lap 50, they're probably going to be in a wreck by lap 150.
The Daytona 500 remains the only race where a rookie can become a legend in three hours, and a legend can look like a rookie in three seconds. That’s why we keep watching.