Full list of past Daytona 500 winners

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series is set to begin on Tuesday, and the action will kick off at Daytona International Speedway. The first race of the year will be the Clash at Daytona, and the Duels at Daytona will follow that on Thursday. Once the Duels are over, the first major race of the year — the Daytona 500 — will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7th. Will any driver pull off the rare grand slam this year? Let’s take a look at who’s had success at the venue in recent years.

Denny Hamlin has had some great runs at Dayton lately. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has won the Dayton 500 three times in the last five years. If he takes the checkered flag there in 2021, he’ll have won the race three times in a row. No other driver has won twice in the last decade, but Austin Dillion, Kurt Busch, and Joey Logano have all amassed one Daytona 500 victory apiece since 2010.

Hamlin is one of the favorites this year, but every driver has a shot. Last year’s NASCAR Cup Series champ, Chase Elliott, will be in the hunt alongside Martine Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski.

Richard Petty is The King in more ways than one, including his record-setting seven victories at the Daytona 500. Cale Yarborough is second with four. Denny Hamlin is the closest active driver with three over the past five years, including the last two. Hamlin is the favorite to win it a third straight time, installed at +700 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Here’s a year-by-year look at who’s won the Dayton 500 since it began in 1959.