Top 10 NASCAR Drivers Without a Daytona 500 Win

Drivers often offer the opinion that the Daytona 500 is exceptionally hard to win.

It’s a chess game, they say, and so much of what happens is out of the drivers’ hands. A huge crash sparked by one errant move can take out 10 contenders. Luck plays a big role.

But some drivers have been particularly successful in NASCAR’s biggest race. King Richard Petty won it seven times, and foot-to-the-floor Cale Yarborough scored four times. Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Allison own three wins each in the 500.

Across the years, some of the sport’s leading drivers have been 0-for-forever in the 500. Despite otherwise sparkling resumes, that hole looms large.

A look at the top 10 drivers without a win in the 500:

Brad Keselowski

Of the current crop of drivers, Bad Brad is one of the best at superspeedway drafting. His best finish in the 500? Third.

Bobby Labonte

The Cup Series’ 2000 champion has a best finish of second in 24 Daytona 500 appearances.

Chase Elliott

Elliott has 18 Cup wins and a championship but a best finish of second in the 500. His dad, Bill, won the race twice.

Kyle Larson

Larson is celebrated as one of auto racing’s most versatile drivers, but his skills haven’t transferred to the 500, where his top finish is seventh.

Martin Truex Jr.

Truex “lost” one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history in the 2016 500, taking the checkered flag.01 of a second alongside winner Denny Hamlin.

Rusty Wallace

Wallace spent much of his career chasing Dale Earnhardt around the high banks of Daytona and Talladega. In 23 races, Wallace’s best 500 finish was third.

Terry Labonte

Texas Terry was solid at virtually every track on the schedule, but he could do no better than second in 32 Daytona 500 runs.

Mark Martin

Martin’s decorated Hall of Fame career did not include a Cup championship or a Daytona 500 win. His top finish in 29 500s was second.

Tony Stewart

There are gaping holes in Stewart’s otherwise shining career – no wins in the Daytona 500 or Indianapolis 500.

Kyle Busch

Busch’s frustrations in the 500 are approaching the level of Dale Earnhardt’s.

Earnhardt needed 20 500s to finally win. Busch, acknowledged as one of the best drivers of his generation, is 0-for-18 in the 500.

“Okay, I finished second, third, fourth, fifth,” Busch said. “I think there might be five finishing positions that I haven't finished in in this race, but I've gotten all the rest of them.

“There's a lot that have stung that you still think about. Damnit, man, should have, could have, would have.”