The Best Daytona 500 Races and Most Legendary Moments
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 04 October 2024
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
The Best Daytona 500 Races
While Daytona 500 betting online is crazy popular today, there were times in the past when it wasn’t available, and there were still legendary moments that racing faces will never forget.
With these being such high-profile moments, these are also the best Daytona 500 races.
Below, I’ll look at the most legendary moments in Daytona 500 history.
Let’s walk down memory lane together of “The Great American Race,” shall we?
- Dale Earnhardt’s 1990 Disaster
- Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 Win
- Trevor Bayne’s 2011 Win
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2004 Win
- Richard Petty’s Utter Dominance
- Kevin Harvick’s Photo Finish
- Denny Hamlin’s Photo Finish
Dale Earnhardt’s 1990 Disaster
Earnhardt Sr. is remembered as one of the best drivers ever, and in 1990, he added to that legacy in a devastating way.
The 1990 Daytona 500 had 150,000 people on hand on February 18, 1990, and it looked like Earnhardt would take home the win.
After all, he led an astonishing 155 laps. The race was 200 laps in total.
During the final ten laps, Earnhardt Sr. had a lead that lasted longer than 40 seconds. Competitors like Rick Wilson had car trouble in these final ten laps, and Geoff Bodine spun out.
After Bodine’s spin-out, the caution flags came out, which allowed Earnhardt Sr. to take on four new tires. Terry Labonte and Ricky Rudd did the same thing.
Eventually, Earnhardt, with those new tires, took the lead with Derrike Cope right behind him. However, Cope didn’t change his tires, so it looked good for Earnhardt Sr.
Wilson’s engine gave in, but in doing so, a piece from the metal bell housing broke off and went onto the course undetected.
Sadly, Earnhardt Sr. discovered it by way of it piercing his tire on the final turn of the race. He would’ve won the race but came in fifth in a brutal loss. It was amazing he managed to be among the Daytona 500 top 10 finishers. This will be forever remembered in Daytona 500 history.
Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 Win
Let’s get to something more positive: Earnhardt Sr. finally winning the Daytona 500. This was one of the best Daytona 500 races ever.
Eight years prior, Earnhardt Sr. suffered perhaps one of the most brutal ways to lose a race of this caliber, getting a flat tire by a piece of undetected debris.
Well, Earnhardt Sr. rebounded here.
While he didn’t lead 155 of the 200 laps like in 1990, he did lead in more than half at 107.
Before this race, Earnhardt Sr. tried and failed to win the race 19 times.
This win was even more special because it was his first win since Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 1996. He ended a 59-race losing skid. This wasn’t another “Daytona 500 top 10 finishers” type of race.
Another element that made this win even more special was Earnhardt Sr.’s dedication to Neil Bonnett, who had died four years earlier during practice for the 1994 Daytona 500.
This was pure Daytona 500 history.
Trevor Bayne’s 2011 Win
While Earnhardt Sr. led a shocking number of laps in his win and terrible loss, Bayne didn’t lead the most laps in the 2011 Daytona 500. That belonged to Ryan Newman and his 37.
At this time, Bayne was a rookie and relatively unknown. He was driving for Wood Brothers Racing.
Going into lap 202 of 208, David Ragan led Bayne, but he was black-flagged for changing lanes. Then, the 16th caution flag came out, and Ragan came in, which gave Bayne the lead.
Coming out of this, Carl Edwards eventually pulled up on Bobby Labonte and got closer to Bayne.
Bayne responded beautifully as he moved to the bottom to block out Edwards, winning the race.
This was Bayne’s second-ever Cup Series start, and he was a rookie at just 20 years old. These attributes made this one of the most famous Daytona 500 races.
As for points, Bayne was part of the Nationwide Series and couldn’t receive any.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2004 Win
The 46th Daytona 500 saw Earnhardt Jr. take home the win in 2004. This was exactly six years to the day after his father, Earnhardt Sr., won.
In Earnhardt Sr.’s win in 1998, he dedicated the win to a fellow race that passed away four years earlier. Here, Earnhardt Jr. won about three years after his father passed away on February 18, 2001, during the 2001 Daytona 500.
Earnhardt Jr. led 56 laps while the second-place finisher, Tony Stewart, led 98.
On lap 181, Earnhardt Jr. passed Stewart and fended him off the rest of the race.
This win was massive. The emotion following this win cannot be overstated.
After the race, the broadcast caught up with Tony Eury Sr., Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, who had some great things to say about the win.
“I know what Big E [Earnhardt Sr.] went through all them years trying to win this race. We just won the Super Bowl.”
He then tried to thank people but was overcome with emotion before blurting out, “It’s great!”
Richard Petty’s Utter Dominance
This isn’t exactly a moment but rather a collection of them. Richard Petty is arguably the greatest NASCAR driver ever, and he won a stunning seven Daytona 500 races over his career.
These wins came in 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, and 1981. These are the most Daytona 500 wins in NASCAR history.
The next closest to him is Cale Yarborough, who won four.
Because of these wins, his record 27 wins in a single season, and more, Petty is known as “The King.”
Kevin Harvick’s Photo Finish
Kevin Harvick took over for Earnhardt Sr. following his death in 2001, and he won the 2007 Dayonta 500. There’s been an eerie coincidence that someone closely linked to the Earnhardt’s has won the Daytona 500 every three years.
In 2001, Earnhardt Sr. won; in 2004, Dale Jr. won; and in 2007, Harvick had his photo finish win.
Kurt Busch led 95 laps in this race, while the winner, Harvick, led just four. There were 202 laps in this race.
Before the race ended, Kyle Busch hit the apron, spun out, and caused a chain reaction crash, but Mark Martin and Harvick were unscathed. Clint Bowyer got hit the worst, going upside down and setting the car on fire.
Before the chaos of the crash, Martin was fending off Busch, which allowed Harvick to sneak up. It was a drag race right to the exciting finish.
Harvick won by just 0.020 seconds.
Denny Hamlin’s Photo Finish
In 2016, Hamlin had a photo finish of his own, winning by just 0.010 seconds, the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500.
This was also one of the most incredible broadcasting calls ever, too.
Matt Kenseth had the lead on the final lap, but Hamlin came up on his side, and it almost looked like it spooked Kenseth to an extent because he fell way back in the order while Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were side by side, with Hamlin just ahead of him.
The call from Mike Joy on the broadcast was phenomenal:
“Kenseth saves it! Here they come to the line; this is the finish of the Daytona 500! Side by side, bouncing off each other!”
Goosebump-inducing indeed in what was one of the best Daytona 500 races.
