Big Drivers Never to Win The 500

It took Dale Earnhardt Sr 20 years to finally get his Daytona 500 win.

Easily the most prestigious race of the NASCAR season, it is also one of the hardest races to win; despite the race being on an oval track – a 2.5 33 degree banked track.

How difficult can it be??????

There are 15 top ranked legends of NASCAR who have yet to win the big race – eight of them are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame driver Terry Labonte made 32 Daytona 500 starts with three second place finishes, but never managed to win the race.

New Hall of Fame driver Ricky Rudd made 29 500 starts with the best finish of third in 1981.

Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin made 29 Daytona 500 starts with one second place finish in 2007.

Hall of Fame driver Bobby Labonte made 24 Daytona 500 starts with his best finish of second in 1998; behind Dale Sr’s only 500 win.

Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace made 23 500 starts with the best finish of third in 2001.

Martin Truex Jr made 20 Daytona 500 starts before retiring from full time driving at the end of last season.  But he will have one more chance for the win when he joins the full field in an attempt to make the race later this week.

Last year was the first time in his 19 year career that Kyle Busch failed to win a race.  Next week he will make his 20^th Daytona 500 start…still looking for the win.

Hall of Fame driver Tony Stewart made 17 starts in the Daytona 500 but a second place finish in 2004 was the best he could do.

Kasey Kahne made 15 Daytona 500 starts with the best finish of seventh – three times.

Greg Biffle also made 15 500 starts and earned two third place finishes.

Current driver Brad Keselowski will make his Daytona 500 start next week and hopes that he can top his best finish of third place.

New Hall of Fame driver Carl Edwards never got the chance to do a back flip on the hallowed grounds of Daytona in his 12 starts.  He earned a second place finish in the in 2011.

Current driver Kyle Larson has only managed a best seventh place finish in his eleven starts; but is looking to get the 2025 racing season off to a good start after brining home the Golden Driller trophy in the Chili Bowl.

Current driver Chase Elliott will make his tenth start in the 500 next week and hopes to make it two in a row after winning The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Ned Jarrett made just seven starts in the Daytona 500 with the best finish of third in 1963. But he did get to call the race when his son Dale won the race…not once, but twice!