Five drivers in NASCAR history have won the Daytona 500 right after taking home the championship.
Known as the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 is the most prestigious race on the NASCAR season schedule. In addition to the sport’s legends, the victor of the crown jewel race is inducted into the annals of stock car racing history.
Winning the Harley J. Earl trophy as the current Cup winner takes the already amazing achievement of winning the Daytona 500 to even greater heights. The occurrence is so uncommon that only five NASCAR legends—all of whom have been inducted into the Hall of Fame—have ever pulled off this incredible achievement in the history of the sport.
Ryan Blaney, the reigning NASCAR Cup champion, is hoping to get on the elite list by taking home the season-opening victory on February 18, 2024. As mentioned by Blaney in an interview with the Money Lap podcast, pulling off the feat would be “a unique opportunity, the dream deal, and the ultimate mission.”
Here are the five drivers who have achieved the feat before the #12 Penske driver sets out to lift the Harley J. Earl trophy with his championship ring.
Five NASCAR champions in the running to win the Daytona 500 #5 Dale Jarrett (1900-
Dale Jarrett won his third and final Daytona 500 victory in spectacular fashion to start his championship defense tour after earning his first Cup Series victory in 1999.
In front of a packed house of 200,000 spectators, Jarrett led the most laps while operating the #88 Robert Yates Racing. With four laps remaining in the race, he passed Johnny Benson Jr. and won the checkered flag under yellow flags to win the season’s opening race.
#4 Jeff Gordon from 1999
Following a record-breaking 1998 season that saw him win 13 races and his third Cup Series championship, NASCAR icon Jeff Gordon won his second Daytona 500 at the start of the 1999 season.
Starting from pole position, the legendary #24 Hendrick Motorsports driver won the crown jewel race to begin his championship defense campaign.
#3 (1977) Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough, a late member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, gained notoriety for his achievements at Daytona International Speedway, where he won four championship races on the 2.5-mile circuit.
Cale Yarborough and Benny Parsons battled it out for the victory after David Pearson and Richard Petty were eliminated from the race due to mechanical problems. In addition to winning his second Daytona 500, Yarborough’s success would result in his second consecutive title.
#2 In 1973, Richard Petty
The following season, Richard Petty would win the 15th edition of the main event, the King, the second of his eventual seven Cup Series victories.
He would win by more than two laps over his closest rival, Bobby Isaac, to record his fourth Daytona 500 victory. Petty would go on to set a record at Daytona International Speedway by winning seven crown jewel events.
#1 In 1959, Lee Petty
The honor of becoming the first-ever Daytona 500 winner belongs to Lee Petty. After taking home his second Grand National Championship the year before, he accomplished the feat.
had a contentious conclusion when drivers Johnny Beauchamp and Lee Petty raced side by side to the finish line. After Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR, watched the video, Petty was declared the winner at a later time.
Larry Wright, the greatest conman in NASCAR history, reportedly sold his one authentic autograph for $155.
There are many fascinating stories surrounding NASCAR, but none may be more fascinating than Larry Wright’s. Up until 2022, no one even knew who the man was; he is now known throughout the nation as a conman. Under the alias LW Wright, he was able to conduct one Cup Series race at Talladega illegally before going missing for forty years. However, his autograph just brought $155, having been auctioned on eBay.
Between 1982 and 2022, Larry Wright vanished from sight. He became well-known as the biggest con artist to ever race in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the authorities had no idea where he was. On January 27, 2024, Wright passed suddenly from colon cancer following his eventual capture and incarceration. for his transgressions.
A photo signed by Wright and a message that said, “Dear Mr. Wright, I collect NASCAR autographs and would be honored if you would sign my index card and photo for my collection” were the goods up for sale. With gratitude and best wishes, I appreciate your time. The con artist from NASCAR signed the note with his initials LW. There were 22 bids on the products in total.
There are few stories as captivating and perplexing as the one of Larry Wright. In 1982, when NASCAR was a thriving industry, it all started. Wright went to Space Age Marketing and managed to persuade Bernie Terrell, the head of the business, to grant him $37,5000 so he could purchase a car for the Talladega Superspeedway Cup Series.
Wright claimed to have made 43 starts in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series at the time. Because Sterling Marlin was dubious about his past, he demanded $17,000 in cash and the remaining $3,700 in check from Whiskey Riff when he bought the car from him. At Talladega, Marlin served as his crew chief as well.
Larry Wright revealed to a reporter that TG Sheppard and Merle Haggard’s Music City Racing team will be his sponsors. Sheppard’s lawyer responded that the sponsors’ announcement was untimely and that he had never competed in the Grand National Series, even if they had never heard of a LW Wright. He was still permitted to race, though, as laws back then required NASCAR to allow anyone who could afford the license and entry fee and have a capable car.
Watch This Story: Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Gets Emotional As She Vacates Her Racing Haven For Husband Smoke Wright crashed during practice and qualified P36. He was told to quit the race by the organizers after lap 13, as he was too slow. He finished the race in P39 and earned $1,545 in prize money. After that event, he disappeared for 40 years. Frauds related to the conman subsequently came to light and NASCAR arranged for arrest warrants, but he was never to be seen again until a podcast host outed him to the world.
How a podcast interview gave away Larry Wright In 2022, Larry Wright’s identity was unveiled on an episode of The Scene Vault podcast. Host Rick Houston shared the video of Wright speaking to him about that infamous day at Talladega to ESPN. And it was not long before the cops came knocking. It was the final few days of his life which the conman spent mostly in jail.
In the video, Wright was asked if he had ever been to the Talladega Superspeedway before, to which he replied, “Never seen the track.” He then went on to describe how he felt as he pulled up to the infield. After taking a look at the surrounding track, Wright turned to his brother and said back in 1982, “Ain’t no way, Lord have mercy.”
The video is one of massive interest for NASCAR fans of all ages. Here was a man who had absconded and remained undetected for 40 years doing a video interview for a podcast. It was unbelievable. Stories like these add a lot to the value of the sport, but no one could have expected something like this in NASCAR.
