Top 25 NASCAR Legends Who Never Won the Daytona 500

25. Ernie Irvan

15 career wins, known for his raw talent and comeback from a near-fatal injury. His best Daytona 500 finish was 3rd in 1990. Irvan was a powerhouse at superspeedways, scoring multiple Talladega victories and often leading big chunks of races at Daytona, but the 500 itself slipped through his grasp.

24. Rusty Wallace

1989 Cup champion with 55 wins, but best 500 result was 3rd in 1988 and 2001. Despite his success elsewhere, superspeedways were his kryptonite, with just one Talladega win in his entire career.

23. Tony Stewart

49 wins, 2 championships, and a 4-time winner at Daytona in July, but only 2nd in 2004’s 500. He was often dominant at Daytona and Talladega in non-500 races, making his misses in the big one even more shocking.

22. Kyle Busch

2 championships, 60+ wins, and a future Hall of Famer, but best 500 finish is 2nd in 2019. Busch has wins at both Daytona (summer) and Talladega, but the 500 itself continues to haunt him.

21. Junior Johnson

50 wins and a pioneer of the draft at Daytona, yet never better than 2nd in 1963. Ironically, the man who taught everyone how to draft never conquered the superspeedway crown jewel.

20. Carl Edwards

28 wins and 2× championship runner-up, most famously 2nd in 2011’s 500 to Trevor Bayne. He was a frequent threat on plate tracks, with two Talladega wins, but Daytona’s February race eluded him.

19. Bobby Labonte

2000 Cup champ with 21 wins, his best Daytona 500 was 2nd in 1998. Labonte was consistent at superspeedways, including wins at both Daytona (summer) and Talladega.

18. Matt Kenseth

2003 Cup champ with 39 wins, but his best 500 result was 3rd in 2009. Kenseth was usually a dark horse at Daytona, collecting multiple top-fives across his career.

17. Kevin Harvick

2014 Cup champ with 60+ wins, came painfully close with a 2nd in 2009’s 500. He was one of the best at plate racing in the 2000s, with a Daytona 400 win and Talladega victories to prove it.

16. Clint Bowyer

10 career wins and two near-misses, finishing 2nd in 2007 and 2008. Bowyer was a plate racing ace, scoring Talladega victories and often running near the front in the draft.

15. Tim Richmond

13 wins in a short, electric career, with a best Daytona 500 of 3rd in 1986. Richmond’s raw talent carried him to strong plate performances despite little experience on the big tracks.

14. Kasey Kahne

18 wins and the 2008 Coke 600 champ, but his best Daytona 500 was only 7th in 2010. He had flashes of brilliance at plate tracks but never translated them into consistent results.

13. Greg Biffle

19 wins and championships in both Trucks and Xfinity, best 500 run was 3rd in 2010. Biffle was a frequent factor at Talladega, though Daytona was often less kind.

12. Harry Gant

18 wins, “Mr. September,” but never better than 4th in 1984’s Daytona 500. He was competitive in the draft but never found the breakthrough moment on superspeedways.

11. Ken Schrader

4 career wins and 23 poles, with a best Daytona 500 finish of 4th in 1988. Schrader was always fast in qualifying at plate tracks, but the races rarely went his way.

10. Ricky Rudd

23 wins and 1997 Brickyard champ, but his closest call was 2nd in 1991’s 500. Rudd was a gritty competitor at plate tracks, with numerous top-fives despite no Daytona or Talladega victories.

9. Curtis Turner

Early NASCAR star with 17 wins, but never captured the 500 despite his superspeedway skill. Turner’s aggressive style made him exciting to watch on the big ovals, though it often ended in heartbreak.

8. Jeff Burton

21 wins, nicknamed “The Mayor,” but fell short with a 2nd-place finish in 2000’s Daytona 500. Burton was often strong in the draft and led laps at both Daytona and Talladega, but never sealed the deal.

7. Martin Truex Jr.

2017 Cup champ with 30+ wins, lost the closest finish in Daytona 500 history in 2016 by 0.010 seconds to Hamlin. Ironically, despite his championship pedigree, he has zero wins at either Daytona or Talladega.

6. Ned Jarrett

50 wins and 2 titles, but never managed better than 3rd in the Daytona 500. He was more dominant on short tracks, rarely finding the same success on superspeedways.

5. Kyle Larson

2021 Cup champ and one of the sport’s most talented, but his best Daytona 500 result so far is just 18th (2016). Larson has struggled on plate tracks in general, with no wins at Daytona or Talladega to date.

4. Terry Labonte

2-time Cup champion with 22 wins, but his closest call was 2nd in 1986’s Daytona 500. Though not flashy, he quietly earned solid top-ten finishes at superspeedways throughout his career.

3. Fireball Roberts

33 wins and one of NASCAR’s first superspeedway stars, but despite dominating Daytona races, he never won the 500. Roberts did, however, claim multiple July Daytona wins, proving his mastery of the track.

2. Davey Allison

19 wins and 1992 Daytona 500 pole-sitter, came up short with a 2nd in 1993 before his tragic death later that year. He was one of the most consistent superspeedway racers of the early 1990s, with multiple Talladega wins.

1. Mark Martin

Arguably the greatest driver to never win NASCAR’s biggest race, with 40 wins and a heartbreaking photo-finish 2nd in 2007. Despite his Hall of Fame career, Daytona and Talladega were tracks where he always seemed cursed.