Here’s A Shocking List Of Five Drivers Who Never Won The Daytona 500
Since its start in 1959, the Daytona 500 has been the most prestigious event in NASCAR. It’s a bucket list win for every driver who starts it, and the winners are legendary: Pearson, Petty, Gordon, Earnhardt, Johnson, Allison, and Yarborough.
However, there are a few NASCAR luminaries who have never won – or are still attempting – the ‘Great American Race.’ Here are the four greatest drivers who never won the Daytona 500.
Tony Stewart
Stewart won three Cup Series championships and 49 Cup Series races, including two victories in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, but never won the 500 in 17 attempts. From 1999 to 2015, he failed to win NASCAR’s most prestigious award. Stewart was involved in one of NASCAR’s most terrifying incidents in 2001, when he flipped upside down on the back stretch. In 2007, Stewart and Kurt Busch had the two fastest cars at Daytona Beach until they collided on lap 152 and were put out of contention. A year later, Stewart appeared to be on his way to redemption at Daytona, leading at the white flag. However, his longtime friend Kyle Busch pushed eventual winner Ryan Newman past Stewart in a sad finish. Following 2008, Stewart never came close to winning the Daytona 500, and he was unable to compete in the race during his last season. A back issue kept him out of the 2016 race, dealing Stewart his ultimate blow at a track that never liked him.
Kyle Busch (still active)
Busch might be off this list by February 16, as he is still a full-time Cup Series driver with several Daytona 500 starts left in his career. As it stands now, he could be the most accomplished NASCAR driver to never win the Harley J. Earl trophy. Busch had one of the cars to beat in only his second Daytona 500 start in 2007, but his race was cut short when he and the rest of the field collided on the penultimate lap exiting turn 4. Busch’s most agonizing defeat in the ‘Great American Race’ occurred in 2023, when he led at the 500-mile mark in his debut with Richard Childress Racing. He lost the NASCAR race in overtime to Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and he will make his 20th Daytona 500 appearance in 2025.
Mark Martin
Mark Martin is regarded as one of the best drivers who never won a championship. In the same line, he’s one of the top drivers who has never won the Daytona 500. The aforementioned 2007 race will always be remembered as one of the greatest ‘what-if’ moments in NASCAR history. Martin and Kevin Harvick raced to the finish line as the rest of the group crashed. Harvick beat Mattin by.02 seconds in one of NASCAR’s most memorable finishes. Martin came closest to winning the Daytona 500 in 2007, and he is 0-29 in Daytona 500 starts, according to the official record.
Ned Jarrett
Jarrett’s entire career is a giant ‘what-if.’ In just six full-time seasons, the Newton, North Carolina native claimed two championships and 48 races. While he finished his career with 50 Cup Series victories, including a championship win at the Southern 500, he never won the Daytona 500 in seven attempts. If Jarrett had maintained his full-time career, it’s difficult to picture him not earning more championships and at least one Daytona 500 triumph.
