NASCAR History: Who Has the Most Daytona 500 Wins?

While the NFL may be the 5,000-pound gorilla on the North American sports landscape, the Super Bowl has come and gone. That opens up a window for other events to stake their claim. And while late February can be something of a dead zone—football is done, the NBA hasn't really heated up yet, Spring Training doesn't move the needle and March Madness is yet to arrive—there is one major occasion lurking around the corner: The Daytona 500.

And ahead of the 2024 edition of the Great American Race, which takes place on Sunday, February 18, let's take a walk (or drive) down memory lane and consider the drivers who have captured the most Daytona 500 checkered flags over the years.

With 2 Wins:

T-4. Bill Elliott, Sterling Marlin, Michael Waltrip, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While winning the Daytona 500 once is an achievement, six different drivers have lifted the Harley J. Earl Trophy on two different occasions.

Bill Elliott was the first to accomplish that feat, reaching Victory Lane in 1985 and 1987. Sterling Marlin then joined him in the history books with back-to-back checkered flags in 1994 and 1995.

Michael Waltrip claimed victory in 2001 and 2003 and, after that, we saw three other drivers secure two 500 victories with some larger gaps in-between. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won an emotional race in 2004, but it took him until 2014 to repeat the feat. Jimmie Johnson's two victories came in 2006 and 2013, while Matt Kenseth took first place in 2009 and 2012.

3 Wins:

T-3. Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin

If two Daytona wins are impressive, three wins are even better, right? Well, four men have managed to pull that off.

The legendary Bobby Allison was the earliest of the three-time winners, finishing first in 1972, 1978 and 1988. He's also remembered for his role in a famous fistfight in 1979, but that came after a crash handed Richard Petty the checkered flag.

After Allison, both Dale Jarrett (1993, 1996 and 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2005) accomplished the feat during the same window. Denny Hamin, who reached Victory Lane in 2016, 2019 and 2020 is the most recent driver to secure a third Daytona title.

With 4 Wins:

2. Cale Yarborough

While the previous places on the list have contained multiple drivers, we're reaching the truly rarified air now. And Cale Yarborough sits alone in second with four Daytona 500 wins under his belt.

The late legend notched his first win at the iconic track in 1968 and didn't record his second until 1977. There was another gap but wins three and four arrived in quick succession in 1983 and 1984.

Four wins, however, largely speak for themselves regardless of the timeline.

With 7 Wins:

1. Richard Petty

When you're nicknamed "The King" you need a resume to back it up. And if Richard Petty's seven Cup Series titles weren't enough, he also won the Daytona 500 an incredible seven times.

His first victory at the famous Florida race came in 1964 and number two arrived shortly after in 1966. Petty claimed four more checkered flags in the 1970s (1971, 1973, 1974 and 1979), with his final Daytona victory arriving early into a third decade (1981).

Add some other history into the mix—Richard celebrated his 200th victory at Daytona, winning the 1984 Firecracker 400 with Ronald Reagan in attendance, and Richard's father, Lee, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959—and it's safe to assume the iconic racetrack holds a special place in the family's collective heart.