Daytona 500 Tidbits

Daytona 500 Tidbits

• The 2012 edition will be the 54th running of the Daytona 500.
• Although the first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, it has been the season-opener only since 1982.
• 518 drivers have competed in at least one Daytona 500; 306 in more than one.
• 35 drivers have won a Daytona 500.
• Youngest Daytona 500 winner: Trevor Bayne (02/20/2011 - 20 years, 0 months, 1 days)
• Oldest Daytona 500 winner: Bobby Allison (02/14/1988 - 50 years, 2 months, 11 days)
• Eight drivers have won more than one Daytona 500, led by Richard Petty with seven victories.
• The eight drivers who have won the Daytona 500 more than once: Richard Petty (seven), Cale Yarborough (four), Bobby Allison (three), Dale Jarrett (three), Jeff Gordon (three), Bill Elliott (two), Sterling Marlin (two) and Michael Waltrip (two).
• Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 with five; Kurt Busch leads all active drivers in Daytona 500 second-place finishes with three.
• Dale Earnhardt finished in the top 10 in 16 of his 23 Daytona 500s.
• Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty each had 16 top 10s in the Daytona 500, more than any other driver.
• Dale Earnhardt had 12 top fives in the Daytona 500, more than any other driver.
• Only 13 drivers have an average finish of 10th or better in the Daytona 500, six of those competed in the Daytona 500 only once.
• Clint Bowyer has a 12.2 average finish in six appearances, the best of the active drivers who have competed in more than one Daytona 500.
• Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, and Trevor Bayne, 2011 Daytona 500 champion, are the only two drivers to win the Daytona 500 in their first appearance.
• 28 of the 35 drivers who have won, participated in at least two Daytona 500s before visiting Victory Lane.
• Dale Earnhardt competed 19 times before winning his only Daytona 500 (1998), the longest span of any of the 35 race winners.
• Six drivers made 10 or more attempts before their first Daytona 500 victory: Dale Earnhardt (19), Buddy Baker (18), Darrell Waltrip (16), Bobby Allison (14), Michael Waltrip (14) and Sterling Marlin 12).
• The most Daytona 500s all-time without a victory was Dave Marcis (33 races).
• Mark Martin (27) leads active drivers without a victory.
• Six drivers posted their career-first victory with a win in the Daytona 500: Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994), Michael Waltrip (2001) and Trevor Bayne (2011).
• Three other drivers posted their career-first victory in (point-paying) qualifying races: Johnny Rutherford (1963), Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).
• A driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500s three times. Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95)
•  Kevin Harvick’s 0.020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 is the 12th-closest overall since the advent of electronic timing in 1993, and the closest in a Daytona 500.
• 26 of the 53 Daytona 500s have been won from a top-five starting position.
• Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 from the 39th starting position in 2009, the deepest a race winner has started.
• Nine have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Dale Jarrett in 2000.
• 16 Daytona 500s have been won from the front row.
• Danica Patrick will become the third female driver to compete in a Daytona 500 joining Janet Guthrie and Shawna Robinson.

Race	Season	Driver	Start	Finish
Daytona 500	1977	Janet Guthrie	39	12
Daytona 500	1980	Janet Guthrie	18	11
Daytona 500	2002	Shawna Robinson	36	24

• Driver Ratings for Winners – Pre-Race Daytona 500 Driver Ratings heading into 2012 for past Daytona 500 winners (past 6 years)

Driver – Year – Driver Rating

• • Trevor Bayne – 2011 – 68.9
  • Jamie McMurray – 2010 – 80.2
  • Matt Kenseth – 2009 – 89.0
  • Ryan Newman – 2008 – 82.9
  • Kevin Harvick – 2007 – 86.3
  • Jimmie Johnson – 2006 – 87.5

• Drivers who have won the Daytona 500 in more than one car manufacturer:

Driver – Manufacturer (Number of wins in that manufacturer)

• • Richard Petty – Plymouth (3), Dodge (2), Oldsmobile (1) and Buick (1)
  • Cale Yarborough – Chevrolet (2), Mercury (1) and Pontiac (1)
  • Bobby Allison – Buick (2) and Ford (1)
  • Dale Jarrett – Ford (2) and Chevrolet (1)

• Drivers who have won the Shootout at Daytona and the Daytona 500 in the same season:

Driver – (Year)

• • Bobby Allison (1982)
  • Bill Elliott (1987)
  • Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
  • Jeff Gordon (1997)