This week, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the best drivers to ever sit behind the wheel of a NASCAR stockcar to never win the Daytona 500. So, with no further ado, here are the 5 greatest drivers who never won the Great American Race!
First on our list is NASCAR’s greatest runner-up driver. It’s a cruel joke, I know. Mark Martin is inarguably one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history to never win a few of those crown jewels. He never hoisted a NASCAR Cup championship and never got his name engraved on the Harley J. Earl trophy down in Daytona Beach. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. He had several solid runs on superspeedways, winning twice at Talladega and even winning the 1999 Clash at Daytona. He has had some close calls at Daytona in his career as well. Martin finished in the top-5 in the Daytona 500 6 times, the most painful of those being a runner-up photo finish against Kevin Harvick in 2007. You can relive that historic finish in the video clip below!
With this finish in consideration, Mark Martin will most certainly be remembered as an all-time great but also as a driver who was more often a bridesmaid than a bride.
Another driver who never won the Great American Race is none other than Mark Martin’s 2005 retirement mate (until he wasn’t), Rusty Wallace. Like Martin, Wallace had always been strong in superspeedway-style racing but never won at Daytona or Talladega. In the Daytona 500 specifically, Wallace earned 3 top-5 finishes and 9-top 10s. His best finish came in 2001, where he finished 3rd in that tragic running of the event. Wallace was Penske’s franchise driver for many years, though he wasn’t the one who delivered The Captain his first Daytona 500 win. That honor belongs to Ryan Newman, who captured the ring in 2008. The second driver to win for The Captain was Austin Cendric in 2022, driving the duce that made Rusty Wallace famous.
Still, without this win, Rusty Wallace had a storied NASCAR career. He visited victory lane 55 times and won the Cup title in 1989. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Daytona 500, Wallace’s biggest highlight is the video clip from the 1993 edition of the event below.
Ned Jarrett is one of the greatest drivers to ever slip in behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car. Unfortunately, his career was cut short at the young age of 34. His retirement from driving stemmed following Fireball Robert’s horrific fatal crash and was a partial response to Ford withdrawing from the sport. He still managed 50 wins in his short career and competed in the Daytona 500 only 7 times. His average finish in the Great American Race was 9.1. For 6 of his 7 events, he finished in the top-10. His best finish was in 1963, where he came in 3rd.
Ned Jarrett never won the Great American Race, but he was often the class of the field throughout his career. If he had driven a little longer, who knows? Maybe he could have captured this missing ring. After retiring from driving, Jarrett took to the broadcast booth. One of his more memorable moments came in 1993 and 1996 when he was able to call his son, Dale, to two of his three 500 victories.
Another driver whose career was cut short is Carl Edwards. In his career, he only competed in 12 Daytona 500s. His best start in the Great American Race came in 2012 when he won the pole. His best finish was a runner-up (similarly to Mark Martin, Edwards was more often a bridesmaid than a bride) the year prior in 2011. In his last start in the Great American Race, he finished in a very solid 5th place. Following the 2016 championship finale at Homestead, after dominating the race and being crashed out at the very end, Edwards retired from NASCAR competition and never really looked back, capping off a storied Hall-of-Fame-worthy career.
Edwards ended his career in NASCAR with 28 wins and 2 runner-up points finishes in 2008 and 2011, respectively.
I included an honorable mention section because several veteran, active NASCAR drivers had never won the Daytona 500. Many of these drivers are closer to the end of their respective careers than they are to the beginning. Still, there is a big ole goose egg in the win column for the Daytona 500. Here are a few of those drivers.
Kyle Busch has seemingly won it all when it comes to NASCAR. He has 63 Cup wins to his name and has won at least 1 race every year in his career until 2024. He’s consistently a threat to win on all styles of tracks, including superspeedways. He has 1 win at Daytona, which came in July of 2008. He’s also won his duel and/or Clash events a total of 4 times. He also has 2 wins at Talladega. But he has yet to have the privilege of hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
The closest he came to winning the Daytona 500 was in 2019, where he finished runner-up. The 2025 running of the race will mark his 20th attempt. Will RCR’s history repeat itself?
Martin Truex Jr. might have only 1 more opportunity to win the Daytona 500 finally. He will presumably make his final start in the Daytona 500 in 2025, driving the number 56 Toyota for Tricon Garage. He earned his lone pole for the 500 in 2009, driving for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. The closest he ever came to winning the Great American Race was in 201,6 where he finished runner-up with Furniture Row. Will 2025 be the year he finally breaks through?
Brad Keselowski is the last active driver who may have dwindling opportunities to win the Daytona 500. Unlike the other two honorable mentions, Brad Keselowski is presumably an ace in superspeedway-style racing. He’s currently tied for 2nd most wins at Talladega and won the 2016 summer race at Daytona. He’s also won a handful of his duels throughout his career. But, like one of his predecessors in the Blue Duce, he has yet to win the Daytona 500. The closest he came was in 2014, where he finished 4th.
Tony Stewart is the last driver on our list who never won the Daytona 500 (as a driver…more on that later). Stewart is one of those drivers who is more than capable of winning in every kind of car he climbs in. He has won 3 IndyCar races and even took the series title in 1997. He has won 49 Cup Series races and practically owned the February Daytona Xfinity Race, winning the event 7 times. He also has a few Truck Series wins to his credit and won the 2006 IROC and 2021 SRX Series championships. In NASCAR, he also won 3 Cup Series titles, the final one in thrilling fashion in 2011.
Stewart has always been a very strong superspeedway racer. In his Cup Series career, he won the summer Daytona race four times and his Daytona duel several times throughout his career. He also has a lone win at Talladega. But even with all his success at “drafting tracks,” Tony Stewart never won the Daytona 500. The closest he ever came was in 2004 when he finished runner-up to NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Though he never won the Great American Race as a driver, he is credited with owning the winning car. In 2017, Kurt Busch won the race, driving the number 41 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.
That’s all on our end, Daily Downforce readers! We hope you enjoy the Rolex 24 at Daytona if you choose to watch it, and we can’t wait for the Clash next weekend. Once again, with it being race week, be sure to keep checking back here at DailyDownforce.com for all the latest breaking news in the world of NASCAR.
