Daytona 500, annual U.S. stock-car race that is the most prestigious event in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) season. The race has been held every February since 1959 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and it consists of 200 laps around a 2.5-mile (4-km) tri-oval track.
At the turn of the 21st century, NASCAR’s popularity grew to unprecedented levels, and the Daytona 500 became one of the best-attended and highest-rated sporting events in the United States. Prominent drivers who have won at Daytona include Richard Petty (whose father, Lee, won the inaugural race in 1959), Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt, who died after a crash in the 2001 race.
Winners of the Daytona 500 are provided in the table.
| year | winner | average speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Lee Petty | 135.521 |
| 1960 | Junior Johnson | 124.74 |
| 1961 | Marvin Panch | 149.601 |
| 1962 | Glenn ("Fireball") Roberts | 152.529 |
| 1963 | DeWayne ("Tiny") Lund | 151.566 |
| 1964 | Richard Petty | 154.334 |
| 1965 | Fred Lorenzen | 141.539 |
| 1966 | Richard Petty | 160.627 |
| 1967 | Mario Andretti | 149.926 |
| 1968 | Cale Yarborough | 143.251 |
| 1969 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | 157.95 |
| 1970 | Pete Hamilton | 149.601 |
| 1971 | Richard Petty | 144.462 |
| 1972 | A.J. Foyt | 161.55 |
| 1973 | Richard Petty | 157.205 |
| 1974 | Richard Petty | 140.894 |
| 1975 | Benny Parsons | 153.649 |
| 1976 | David Pearson | 152.181 |
| 1977 | Cale Yarborough | 153.218 |
| 1978 | Bobby Allison | 159.73 |
| 1979 | Richard Petty | 143.977 |
| 1980 | Buddy Baker | 177.602 |
| 1981 | Richard Petty | 169.651 |
| 1982 | Bobby Allison | 153.991 |
| 1983 | Cale Yarborough | 155.979 |
| 1984 | Cale Yarborough | 150.994 |
| 1985 | Bill Elliot | 176.263 |
| 1986 | Geoff Bodine | 148.124 |
| 1987 | Bill Elliot | 176.263 |
| 1988 | Bobby Allison | 137.531 |
| 1989 | Darrell Waltrip | 148.466 |
| 1990 | Derrike Cope | 165.761 |
| 1991 | Ernie Irvan | 148.148 |
| 1992 | Davey Allison | 160.256 |
| 1993 | Dale Jarrett | 154.972 |
| 1994 | Sterling Marlin | 156.931 |
| 1995 | Sterling Marlin | 141.71 |
| 1996 | Dale Jarrett | 154.308 |
| 1997 | Jeff Gordon | 148.295 |
| 1998 | Dale Earnhardt, Sr. | 172.712 |
| 1999 | Jeff Gordon | 162.551 |
| 2000 | Dale Jarrett | 155.669 |
| 2001 | Michael Waltrip | 161.783 |
| 2002 | Ward Burton | 142.971 |
| 2003 | Michael Waltrip | 133.870 |
| 2004 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 156.345 |
| 2005 | Jeff Gordon | 135.173 |
| 2006 | Jimmie Johnson | 142.667 |
| 2007 | Kevin Harvick | 149.335 |
| 2008 | Ryan Newman | 152.672 |
| 2009 | Matt Kenseth | 132.816 |
| 2010 | Jamie McMurray | 137.284 |
| 2011 | Trevor Bayne | 130.326 |
| 2012 | Matt Kenseth | 140.256 |
| 2013 | Jimmie Johnson | 159.250 |
| 2014 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 145.290 |
| 2015 | Joey Logano | 161.939 |
| 2016 | Denny Hamlin | 157.549 |
| 2017 | Kurt Busch | 142.891 |
| 2018 | Austin Dillon | 150.545 |
| 2019 | Denny Hamlin | 137.44 |
| 2020 | Denny Hamlin | 141.11 |
| 2021 | Michael McDowell | 144.416 |
| 2022 | Austin Cindric | 142.295 |
| 2023 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 145.283 |
| 2024 | William Byron | 157.178 |