The Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious crown jewelry events and is often called ‘The Great American Race’. It was held for the first time in 1959 and has been the first point -paying race of the season since February 1982. The race takes place in the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
There have been several drivers that have won the 500-round tile since the introduction, but only one driver dominated the job in the modern NextGen era. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has shown his courage in the 200-Mile Race and has won three titles in the last 15 years.
Hamlin debuted in the Cup series in 2005 with Joe Gibbs Racing and provided a full-time chair in 2006, to replace Jason Leffler. He has completed 20 seasons in the Cup series with the team, with 54 victories, 358 top ten finishes and 44 Poles in 685 Starts. In addition, his three Daytona 500 victories came in 2016, 2019 and 2020.
The NextGen cars were introduced in NASCAR in 2021, and since then the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver has been very lucky in achieving a victory in the event. His best Daytona 500 finish in the NextGen car came in 2023, where it finished in 17th place in the rankings, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race.
Denny Hamlin will drive his iconic Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota car in the 2025 season with his new crew chef Chris Gayle. He previously participated in the collision in Bowman Gray Stadium and finished in third place behind Ryan Blaney.
Daytona 500 finishes of the top three scorers of the 2024 Cup series
#1 Joey Logano
Team Penske driver Joey Logano took his third title in the Cup Series season 2024. However, he had no successful run at the start of the season. Logano closed its 2024 Daytona 500 -Run in 32nd place on the rankings.
The Cup Series driver won the pole position with a best time of 49,465 seconds and led most laps last season, but did not succeed in winning racing title in his second 500 rounds. His first and only 200 miles event victory came in 2015.
#2. Ryan Blaney
Former Nascar Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney also finished his run on the 2024 Daytona 500, just like his teammate Joey Logano. Blaney qualified in 32nd place and finished the race in 30th place after he became involved in a crash.
In his 11-year career in the Cup series, the Penske driver team did not obtain a title in the 500-Mile Race. His best finish on the most prestigious Crown Jewel event came in 2020, where he finished second behind Denny Hamlin.
#3. William Byron
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron finished the 2024 season in third place. He achieved three wins, 21 top ten and 13 top-five finishes in 36 Starts. He also won the 2024 Daytona 500 after the qualification of the 18th and led only four laps before he crossed the finish line.
Moreover, Byron secured a pole position in the 2019 race and finished in 21st place while Denny Hamlin took his second title home.
Ex-Packer’s champion not convinced with Jalen Hurts after winning Super Bowl MVP: “He is still not an absolute elite QB”
Published by Anisha Chatterjee