Chase Elliott, currently NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, is a former Cup Series champion and a former Xfinity Series (now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) champion. In all, the Dawsonville native has 21 career Cup Series wins.
However, there’s one race that this talented speedster hasn’t been able to win in his 10 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, and that’s the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s oldest crown jewel race.
He’s not the only NASCAR driver that this 500-mile event has humbled through the years. Even the great Dale Earnhardt Sr. had to try for 20 long years before bagging his first Daytona 500 triumph in 1998.
Here are the five active NASCAR drivers who never won the Daytona 500:
5. Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott drives the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 full-time for Hendrick Motorsports, the same car his father and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott drove back in the day. Chase wrapped 2025 with two wins, the first one snapped a 44-race winless streak at his home track in Atlanta, while the second, and the most recent one, came at Kansas in September.
Despite his resume, including a championship, victory has eluded Elliott at the Daytona 500 so far. His best finish was a P2 back in 2021. That’s one of his two top-10 finishes in 10 Daytona 500 attempts.
4. Kyle Larson
The next driver on our list is none other than Chase Elliott’s teammate and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson. The 33-year-old driver from Elk Grove, California, has won several important races throughout his NASCAR career, including the Bristol Night Race and the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600.
But Larson has never won the Daytona 500. His best results are a pair of P7 finishes in 2016 and again in 2019. Last season, he finished 20th in the famed season-opener.
3. Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney drives the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse full-time for Team Penske and is the most recent winner at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, but never the Daytona 500.
However, in 11 Daytona 500 outings, the Mustang maestro has picked six top-10s, which included a pair of runner-up finishes. Last season, the 2023 Cup Series champion placed seventh in what was the 67th running of the Daytona 500.
2. Kyle Busch
Another championship-winning driver to have never won the Daytona 500 is Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy. He has won all three crown jewel events, the Southern 500, the Brickyard 400, and the Coca-Cola 600.
That being said, Kyle Busch is the record holder for wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He is also the winningest driver among the current Cup Series full-timers.
1. Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski currently drives the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing and also owns a part of the team. He previously drove the No. 2 for Team Penske and bagged the 2012 Cup Series championship.
As of today, Keselowski has 36 career Cup Series wins. But like the others, none of them is a Daytona 500 sweep. According to reports, Keselowski has two top fives and one top-10 in 16 runs.
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