Top 10 NASCAR Champions Who Never Won the Daytona 500
NASCAR Champions Who Never Won the Daytona 500
Kyle Larson and Tony Stewart
10. Chase Elliott — Still Chasing His Daytona Moment
The 2020 champion has been a frequent contender in the race’s closing laps. But multiple late crashes and superspeedway unpredictability have kept him from victory so far.
9. Bobby Labonte — Strong But Never Close Enough
The 2000 champion consistently ran well at superspeedways during his peak years. Still, he never quite had the late-race positioning needed to win the Daytona 500.
8. Terry Labonte — Inches Away From Glory
A two-time champion, Labonte nearly won in 1993 before being passed in the closing laps. That late heartbreak defined his long relationship with the race.
7. Matt Kenseth — Consistent But Never Victorious
The 2003 champion thrived at Daytona overall, winning the July race twice. Yet despite multiple strong runs, the Daytona 500 itself always slipped away.
6. Rusty Wallace — A Superstar Denied The Big One
The 1989 champion was one of NASCAR’s biggest stars through the 1990s. His best chance came in 2001 when he finished second, just short of finally claiming the sport’s crown jewel.
5. Brad Keselowski — Always Fast, Never Lucky
The 2012 champion has led plenty of laps and consistently runs near the front at Daytona. However, late crashes and bad timing have repeatedly robbed him of a realistic chance to win.
4. Martin Truex Jr. — The Closest Loss In Daytona History
The 2017 champion came heartbreakingly close in 2016, losing to Denny Hamlin by just 0.010 seconds — the closest finish ever. That moment remains one of the most painful near-misses in modern NASCAR history.
3. Kevin Harvick — Dominant Everywhere Except The 500
The 2014 Cup champion built a reputation as one of NASCAR’s clutch performers. Yet even with multiple superspeedway wins elsewhere, the Daytona 500 remained the biggest missing piece of his legendary résumé.
2. Kyle Larson — Superspeedway Chaos Keeps Him Winless
The 2021 champion is one of the most talented drivers of his generation, but Daytona’s pack racing has rarely played to his strengths. Despite flashes of speed, crashes and late-race chaos have repeatedly denied him a shot at victory.
1. Tony Stewart — The Greatest Daytona 500 “What If” Ever
A three-time Cup champion, Stewart somehow never conquered NASCAR’s biggest race despite dominating Speedweeks for years. He finished runner-up four times and led nearly 700 laps, making his Daytona 500 drought one of the sport’s most shocking stats.
