The 13 NASCAR Drivers With the Most Daytona 500 Wins

The Daytona 500 is the biggest race in NASCAR, and it is the event that countless drivers dream about winning.

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Some drivers have won the crown jewel once. This group includes several drivers, such as Kurt Busch, Michael McDowell, Trevor Bayne, and Tyler Reddick.

Even fewer have won the Daytona 500 two or more times. In fact, only 13 drivers have multiple wins in the crown jewel race. These are the members of that elite group.

No. 1 - Richard Petty (Seven Daytona 500 wins)

The all-time leader in Cup Series wins, Petty also has the most Daytona 500 wins in history. He scored his first in 1964 and then added his second in 1966. Petty won the crown jewel race four times during the 1970s — 1971, 1973-74, 1978). He won the Daytona 500 for the final time in 1981, becoming the first of only two drivers to win the crown jewel race in three different decades.

Petty also won the most iconic Daytona 500 of all-time, the 1979 race. As he celebrated his win, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison fought in the infield grass. They had wrecked on the final lap while battling for the win, which opened up the opportunity for Petty to steal the win from third place.

Memorable Moments of the Daytona 500 (according to @bobpockrass).

No. 2: "Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough wreck on the final lap in 1979. Richard Petty wins while Yarborough gets in a fight with Bobby and Donnie Allison. Thanks to a snowstorm, it had a captive TV audience." pic.twitter.com/Dubys7fuZl

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 14, 2026

No. 2 - Cale Yarborough (Four wins)

Yarborough is the only other driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the season-opening crown jewel race in three different decades. He won his first in 1968 before adding his second in 1977.

His third and fourth Daytona 500 wins took place in 1983 and 1984. These latter two wins made him the second driver in history to go back-to-back in the race.

No. 3 - Bobby Allison (Three wins)

Allison, a Hall of Famer with 85 career Cup Series wins, accomplished an incredible amount during his championship-winning career. He particularly won the Daytona 500 three times — 1978, 1982, and 1988. He joined an elite club of drivers while cementing his status as an all-time great.

No. 4 - Dale Jarrett (Three wins)

Another member of the Hall of Fame, Dale Jarrett celebrated three Daytona 500 wins during his career. He also joined the group of drivers to win in two different decades.

Jarrett won the race for the first time in 1993. He then repeated in 1996 before becoming the first driver to win the race in the 2000s. His third Daytona 500 served as a fitting way to kick off his title defense after he won the 1999 championship.

No. 5 - Jeff Gordon (Three wins)

Hendrick Motorsports has the all-time lead in Daytona 500 wins, and Jeff Gordon is a prominent reason why. The four-time Cup Series champion won the crown jewel race three times while driving the No. 24 Chevrolet.

Gordon's first Daytona 500 win came in 1997, the same year that he won his second championship. He then won the race again in 1999. His third win came in 2005 as he kicked off a four-win season.

No. 6 - Denny Hamlin (Three wins)

Of the drivers on this list, Hamlin has two of the wildest Daytona 500 wins. His first (2016) featured him beating Martin Truex Jr. at the line by 0.010 seconds. His third (2020) featured him winning while Ryan Newman crashed in a frightening incident that sent him to the hospital.

Compared to those two races, the 2019 Daytona 500 win seemed to be tamer in comparison. Hamlin just had to hold off the field in overtime after an eight-car caution that brought out the red flag.

No. 7 - Bill Elliott (Two wins)

Awesome Bill From Dawsonville celebrated two different Daytona 500 wins during the 1980s, an era in which he achieved considerable success. Elliott scored 32 of his 44 career wins in the 1980s, as well as his lone Cup Series championship (1988).

His first win in the crown jewel race came in 1985. He kicked off the year at Daytona International Speedway and then won 10 more times while driving the No. 9 Ford. He ended the season second in the championship standings.

Elliott's second Daytona 500 win came in 1987. This victory also kicked off a big year for the future Hall of Famer as he went on to win five more times. Once again, he finished second in the championship standings.

No. 8 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Two wins)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. created a reputation with his drafting track prowess. Any time the Cup Series headed to Talladega or Daytona, he became the driver to watch regardless of car generation.

The Hall of Famer kicked off two different seasons with wins at Daytona International Speedway, and he did so with two different teams. He won his first Daytona 500 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2004. He won his second with Hendrick Motorsports in 2014.

No. 9 - Jimmie Johnson (Two wins)

If Jimmie Johnson taught us anything during his Hall of Fame career, it's that he would win the Cup Series championship if he won the Daytona 500.

The seven-time champion kicked off two of his campaigns with wins in the Daytona 500. He scored his first in 2006, the same year that he started a five-year title run. He then won the crown jewel race again in 2013, the same year that he won his sixth championship.

No. 10 - Matt Kenseth (Two wins)

Matt Kenseth won multiple races for multiple teams during his Hall of Fame career. Yet, he scored two of his biggest while driving for team owner Jack Roush.

Kenseth won the Daytona 500 in 2009 and 2012 while driving the No. 17 Ford. He held off Earnhardt in the second of these races while showcasing his abilities as a superspeedway contender.

Kenseth had an opportunity to win a third Daytona 500 near the end of his full-time driving career. He put himself in contention on the final lap of the 2016 season-opening race. However, that particular battle came down to Hamlin and Truex.

No. 11 - Michael Waltrip (Two wins)

Michael Waltrip has the unfortunate distinction of being the winner of the most tragic race in NASCAR history. The DEI driver won his first Daytona 500 in 2001, the same year that Dale Earnhardt Sr. died after a crash on the final lap.

Waltrip won the crown jewel race for the second time in 2003. That year, he didn't complete every lap due to the weather. Rainfall in Florida brought the race to an end at Lap 109, a mere eight laps after the point at which it became official.

No. 12 - Sterling Marlin (Two wins)

Another member of an exclusive club, Sterling Marlin scored both of his Daytona 500 wins in a two-year stretch. At that point in NASCAR history, he was only the third driver in history to go back-to-back. Hamlin became the fourth in 2019-20 while Byron became the fifth in 2024-25.

Marlin's first win in the crown jewel race and in the Cup Series came in 1994, the same year that two drivers tragically passed away during Speedweeks. Marlin won the race for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. He then won again in 1995 after leading 105 laps.

No. 13 - William Byron (Two wins)

WILLIAM BYRON WINS THE DAYTONA 500! AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/hPvnCkcNRa

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025

The newest member of the two-time Daytona 500 winners club, Byron scored his back-to-back crown jewel wins in 2024 and 2025. The second win, in particular, featured chaos at the 2.5-mile superspeedway that helped Byron go from ninth to first in one lap.

Austin Cindric had the lead with Denny Hamlin behind him. As Hamlin moved to the right of Cindric, Cole Custer took the third lane by the outside wall. The field went three-wide before Custer veered left and kicked off a multi-car crash.

Byron raced through unscathed with Tyler Reddick behind. They raced back to the finish line with Byron remaining in first place. He scored his second consecutive Daytona 500 win.