25 Greatest Daytona 500 Moments

Now that the NFL season is over, it is time for NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500.

No sport begins their season with their biggest event, but NASCAR does and the Daytona 500 has provided NASCAR fans with many of the sport’s most legendary moments.

With the Great American Race coming up this Sunday, I have compiled a list of what I think are the 25 Greatest Moments in the history of the Daytona 500.

There will be some notable omissions, including the 2001 race in which Dale Earnhardt die, because I wanted to this list to be a celebration of the race, even though the 2001 500 was a life-altering moment for NASCAR as it increased its efforts in improving the safety of the sport.

So with that out of the way, here now are the 25 Greatest Daytona 500 Moments:

25. 1997-A 1-2-3 For Hendrick and Earnhardt’s Flip

Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven, honor their owner who was battling leukemia at the time, by taking the top three spots in the 1997 race with Gordon coming in 1st, Labonte 2nd, and Craven 3rd.

Jeff Gordon(24), Terry Labonte(5), and Ricky Craven(25) took the checkered flag to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2-3 finish in the 1997 Daytona 500.

This race is also famous for Dale Earnhardt, flipping his car on the backstretch in an accident with 12 laps to go, but getting back in the car when he noticed all 4 tires were still on the car.

Earnhardt would finish the race 31st, five laps down.

24. 1980-The Fastest 500

It was fitting that the 1st driver to break the 200 mph barrier in NASCAR would win the fastest Daytona 500 ever as Buddy Baker won the race with a speed of 177.602 mph.

Baker dominated the race as he started from the pole and led 143 laps to capture his first and only Daytona 500 in his 18th attempt.

Buddy Baker drove his famous "Grey Ghost" car to victory in the 1980 Daytona 500.

23. 1999-Gordon’s Daredevil Move

Jeff Gordon pulls off a spectacular pass for the lead when he gets on the apron and almost runs into the wrecked racecar of Ricky Rudd before he gets back on the track and passes leader Rusty Wallace with 11 laps to go.

Then, Gordon has to fight off a determined Dale Earnhardt over the final 10 laps to win his 2nd Daytona 500.

22. 1986-The First “Hardt” Breaker

Dale Earnhardt suffered the first of his numerous devastating defeats in the Daytona 500 in the 1986 race as he ran out of gas in the final laps while chasing Geoff Bodine for the win.

Earnhardt had pitted with 40 laps to go, one lap later than Bodine, and had driven Bodine’s bumper by lap 177, where he remained, waiting to until the last lap to make his move for the win.

But with three laps to go, Earnhardt had to come to pit road as he ran out of fuel.

To add insult to injury, Earnhardt blew his engine while coming out of the pits leading to a 14th place finish while Bodine was able to coast the final three laps to win the race by 11.26 seconds over Terry Labonte.

Geoff Bodine (5) was able to outlast Dale Earnhardt on fuel mileage to win the 1986 Daytona 500.

21. 1967-Mario Wins

Showing why he is regarded as one of the most versatile drivers of all time, Mario Andretti wins his only NASCAR race in the 1967 edition of the 500 as he leads nine times for 112 laps.

Andretti is the only driver to ever win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the Formula One Championship.

However, he is not the only Indy 500 winner to win the Great American Race...

Mario Andretti and the Holman-Moody Ford he drove to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500.

20. 1972-A.J. ‘s Guarantee

A.J. Foyt was so confident heading into the 1972 500 that he guaranteed he would win the race.

Foyt delivers on his guarantee as he leads 167 of the 200 laps and laps the entire field as his closest competitor, 2nd place finisher Charlie Glotzbach finishes nearly two laps behind Foyt.

A.J. Foyt(left) holds the winner's trophy with actor James Garner after his 1972 Daytona 500 victory.

19. 1975-BP Wins While DP Crashes

It seemed that David Pearson was on his way  to his first Daytona 500 win in his 14th attempt but with three laps to go he makes contact with Cale Yarborough, causing Pearson to spin out and allowing Benny Parsons, who had been closing in on Pearson thanks to the draft of Richard Petty who was several laps down, to take the lead and go on to win the race while Pearson would go on to finish in 4th place, two laps down.

18. 2002-Marlin’s Fender Blunder

On a restart with six laps to go, leader Jeff Gordon is spun out when he tries to block Sterling Marlin from making a move on the inside.

Marlin races back to the start-finish line and the caution flag, slightly ahead of Ward Burton to take the race lead(Freezing the field during a caution was not enacted until the 2003 season).

While the race is red flagged to clean up the track, Marlin comes out of his race car to check his right front fender to see if there is any damage from the contact with Gordon.

There is and Marlin tries to pull out the fender, which he is not allowed to do because a driver or crew cannot work on a damaged race car during a red-flag period.

Marlin is sent to the rear of the field and Burton moves into 1st place, a position in which he holds for the final five laps to win the race while Marlin finishes in 8th place.

17. 2018-The #3 Rides Again
Twenty years after Dale Earnhardt drove the famous #3 car to Victory Lane, the iconic #3 car wins the Great American Race as Austin Dillon, grandson of car owner Richard Childress, wins the Daytona 500 despite leading only one lap, the last lap after he makes contact with Aric Arimola in turn 3 of the final lap, causing Arimola to crash while Dillon drives away.

16. 2004-Winning One For Dad
Three years after his father’s death at the same race track, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins his first Daytona 500, six years to the day that Dale Sr. won his first and only 500.

Junior took the lead from Tony Stewart with 20 laps to go and never relinquished it to grab the first of his of two career Daytona 500 wins, the second coming 10 years later in 2014.

Dale Earnhardt Jr crosses the finish line to win the 2004 Daytona 500.

15. 1981-Petty’s 7th

Richard Petty extends his record for Daytona 500 victories as he wins his 7th and final Daytona 500, thanks to some pit strategy.

With 24 laps to go, Petty comes in for his scheduled pit stop, but crew chief calls for fuel only, hoping that Petty(who entered the pits as the leader)could gain an advantage on Bobby Allison, who had led 117 laps on the day.

The gamble pays off as Petty defeats Allison by 3.5 seconds to become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in three different decades.(Cale Yarborough is the only other driver to accomplish that feat)

14. 2013-And a Woman Shall Lead Them

Thirty-six years after Janet Guthrie becomes the first female driver to qualify for the Daytona 500, Danica Patrick becomes the first female driver to win a pole for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Patrick backs up her pole-winning performance by running in the top 10 all day and leading six laps, the first woman to lead in a Daytona 500, and finishing the race 8th, though she was running 3rd at the time of the white flag on the final lap.

Jimmie Johnson went on to win the race for the second time in his career, but it was Patrick who stole the show.

Danica Patrick(10) leads the field as the polesitter to start the 2013 Daytona 500.

13. 1960-Discovering the Draft

While practicing for the 1960 500, Junior Johnson was trying to find a way to make his 1959 Chevrolet go faster, as it was 22 mph slower than the rest of the field.

Then during a test run, Johnson got close to a faster car’s rear bumper and got his car’s speed to increase because of slipstream effect of the faster car, then he could “slingshot” past the faster car for a pass.

Johnson used this technique for the race and was able to win as he passed Bobby Johns with nine laps to go and wins the race by 23 seconds over Johns.

The technique that Johnson developed was called “drafting” and has been used at Daytona ever since.

Junior Johnson and the 1959 Chevy he used to win the 1960 Daytona 500 thanks to a technique now known as "drafting".

12. 1963-The Substitute Wins It

During Speedweeks, Marvin Panch wrecks his Maserati sports car in a test session.

The car flips over and bursts into flames with Panch trapped inside, but he is saved by unemployed driver Tiny Lund, who pulls him out of the car.

In the hospital, Panch asks Lund to take his place in the #21 Wood Brothers car for the 500.

All Lund did was win the race as he passed Fred Lorenzen with eight laps to go and held off Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett who both run out of gas, while Tiny was able to to the finish line on fumes, 24 seconds ahead of Lorenzen to notch his first career victory.

Tiny Lund(middle) is surrounded by the Wood Brothers, Glen(glasses) and Leonard after their win in the 1963 Daytona 500.

11. 1993-The Dale and Dale Show

Dale Jarrett passes Dale Earnhardt in the tri-oval entering Turn 1 on the final lap of the race.

As Jarrett tries to hold off his Earnhardt, his father, Ned who is calling for the race for CBS cheers his son on as Dale Jarrett grabs the first of his three career Daytona 500s.

10. 1989-DW Finally Wins and does The Ickey Shuffle

In his 17th attempt, driving car #17, in pit stall #17, Darrell Waltrip saves enough fuel as he drives the last 53 laps of the race without pitting to win his first Daytona 500.

In victory lane, a jubilant Waltrip does his version of the “Ickey Shuffle”, the touchdown dance that had been made famous by Bengals running back Ickey Woods during the 1988 NFL season.

9. 1990-The Biggest “Hardt” Breaker

One year after Waltrip ended his Daytona 500 drought, it appeared that Dale Earnhardt was going to end his drought in his 12th attempt as he dominated the race, leading 155 laps.

But as he entered turn 3 on the final lap, Earnhardt’s car suddenly went high, shredding his right rear tire after running over a piece of a metal bell housing from the engine of Rick Wilson’s car.

Derrike Cope capitalized on Earnhardt’s misfortune and came to the finish line to grab his first career victory while Earnhardt finished the race 5th.

8. 2011-The Greatest Upset

In just his second career Sprint Cup Series start and one day after his 20th birthday,  Trevor Bayne shocks the world by driving the famous Wood Brothers #21 car to victory lane as he captures the Great American Race in a race that featured a record 74 lead changes among 22 drivers.

Trevor Bayne celebrates with the Harley J. Earl trophy after shocking the world with his win in the 2011 Daytona 500.

7. 1988-A Family Affair

Bobby Allison becomes the oldest driver at 50 years old to win the Daytona 500, as he holds off his own son, Davey, by a car length to win his third career Daytona 500.

It is the first and thus far only time a father and son have finished 1-2 in the Great American Race.

Bobby Allison hugs his son Davey after they finished 1-2 in the 1988 Daytona 500.

The 1988 500 is also notable for Richard Petty’s horrifying crash on lap 106 where he rolled over eight times and was hit by Brett Bodine after his car was done flipping.

Petty walked away with only minor injuries.

6. 2007-Harvick Nips Martin 

Mark Martin was poised to win his first Daytona 500 in his 23rd attempt.

All he had to do was hold off the field for two laps during a green-white-checkered finish that extended the race’s distance from 200 to 202.

Martin still had the lead on the final lap but as he was trying to block 2nd-place Kyle Busch, out of nowhere came Kevin Harvick, who restarted 7th, came on the outside thanks to some drafting help from Matt Kenseth to blow past Busch and pull alongside Martin as the two entered Turn 4.

But while Harvick and Martin were dueling for the win, Busch spun out causing a multi-car accident that many felt would have brought out the caution, freezing the field, and giving Martin the victory.

However, NASCAR officials did not throw the caution flag and allowed for Martin and Harvick to race back to the line which Harvick won by .020 seconds, the third closest finish in Daytona 500 history(Electronic scoring began in 1993).

Even after Harvick took the checkered flag, cars were still crashing including Clint Bowyer, who ended crossing the finish line upside down in 18th place.

5. 2016-The Closest Finish

Denny Hamlin, who was in 4th place as the white flag came out, jumps to the outside and gets a push from Kevin Harvick down the backstretch to get close enough to challenge leader Matt Kenseth in turn 3.

The two make contact, but don't wreck as Kenseth fades to 14th place while Hamlin battles it out with Martin Truex Jr. to the start-finish line.

Hamlin nips Truex Jr. by 0.01 seconds in the closest finish in Daytona 500 history.

4. 1959-The Photo Finish

In the inaugural edition of the 500, Lee Petty, Johnny Beauchamp, and the lapped car of Joe Weatherly, cross the finish line in a three-wide photo finish.

Beauchamp is declared the unofficial winner and celebrates to victory lane to the protest of Petty, who proclaims he won the race.

But thanks to newsreel footage and photographs, three days later, Petty is declared the winner as it is shown he beats Beauchamp by two feet.

This photo helped prove that Lee Petty(42) beat Johnny Beauchamp(73) to win the 1959 Daytona 500. The top car is Joe Weatherly, who is one lap down.

3. 1976-Petty & Pearson

There is no question that the greatest rivalry in NASCAR history is the one between Richard Petty and David Pearson as the two drivers combined to win 305 races and finished 1-2 in 63 races with Pearson finishing 1st 33 times.

Their most famous duel came in the 1976 500 when coming out of Turn 4 on the final lap, Petty’s rear bumper clipped Pearson’s front bumper, causing both cars to crash and spin toward the infield grass.

While Petty’s car stalled 50 yards from the finish line, Pearson was able to keep his car running as he limped the finish line at 20 mph to take the checkered flag and win his 1st and only Daytona 500 in his 15th attempt.

Petty would finish the race 3rd because he was issued a one-lap penalty after his pit crew pushed him across the finish line.

2. 1998-Finally

After several heartbreaking defeats, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt finally wins the Daytona 500 in his 20th attempt.

Earnhardt dominated the race as he led five times for 107 laps, including the last 61.

But it wasn’t until an accident between Lake Speed and John Andretti on the backstretch of lap 199, that allowed for Earnhardt to seal the victory as he beat Bobby Labonte and Jeremy Mayfield to the start/finish line as the final lap of the race would end under caution.(The overtime or green-white-checkered finish was instituted until the 2004 season).

As he came down pit road on his way to victory lane, Earnhardt was greeted by every member of every pit crew, who wanted to congratulate “The Intimidator” and finally conquering his Daytona 500 demons.

Then, Earnhardt went into the infield grass, and circled his car twice, leaving a big 3 in the infield grass indicting his number.

1. 1979-The Fight

The 1979 Daytona 500 is to NASCAR as the 1958 NFL Championship Game is to the NFL as it changed the landscape of the sport and helped became a mainstream sport.

The 1979 race marked the first time the 500 would be that the entire race would be shown on live television as CBS televised the race from start to finish.

15 million people tuned in as a huge snowstorm had buried the Northeast and some of the Midwest.

What they saw was an incredible finish between Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough engaged in a duel for the win as the white flag came out.

On the backstretch, Yarborough attempted to pass Allison for the lead, but Allison came to block, causing the left side tires of Yarborough’s car to hit the infield, which was muddy from an overnight rainstorm.

Both drivers lost control of their cars and ended up locking together and crashing in turn 3.

This allowed Richard Petty, who was running half a lap behind in 3rd place, to swoop in and take the victory for his sixth career Daytona 500 win.

But the action was not over as Allison's brother, Bobby, came on to check to see if he was all right.

However, Bobby and Donnie get into a heated argument with Cale and a fight broke out between Yarborough and the Allisons while Petty was celebrating the victory.

The wild finish made the front page of the New York Times sports section and marked the beginning of NASCAR’s rise from a regional sport to a national sport.