DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 19: A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here’s a glance at some of the leading statistical performers at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, as we approach the Coke Zero Sugar 400, scheduled for August 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – the second to last event of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
DAYTONA-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
(Driver loop statistics listed below are from 2005 to present)
Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
- Achieved two top-five finishes and two top-10 finishes
- Holds an average finish of 19.444, which is the eighth-best
- Average Running Position of 17.071, ranked eighth
- Driver Rating of 79.8, placed ninth
- Completed 852 Laps in the Top 15 (50.9%), ranking 10th in total
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Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)
- Achieved one win, four top-five finishes, and seven top-ten finishes
- Average finishing position of 19.222, seventh overall
- Average Running Position of 15.949, ranked seventh
- Driver Rating of 83.5, placing sixth
- Spent 1,937 Laps in the Top 15 (58.5%), sixth highest
Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
- Recorded two top-five finishes, six top-tens, and three poles
- Average finishing position of 15.250, second-best in the series
- Average Running Position of 17.873, ranked 13th
- Driver Rating of 76.6, placing 13th
- Completed 1,338 Laps in the Top 15 (46.8%), ranking 12th
Kyle Busch (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
- Had one win, eight top fives, and 12 top tens; also secured one pole
- Average finishing position of 18.553, sixth best
- Average Running Position of 13.602, ranked second
- Driver Rating of 91.0, highest in the series
- Spent 4,503 Laps in the Top 15 (66.1%), second most overall
Austin Cindric (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)
- Achieved one win, two top fives, and two top tens
- Average finishing position of 16.833, third best
- Average Running Position of 13.547, the best in the series
- Driver Rating of 87.5, fourth best overall
- Spent 755 Laps in the Top 15 (66.5%), which is the most in the series
Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
- Secured three top fives, five top tens, and three poles
- Average finishing position of 20.529, tenth best
- Average Running Position of 15.918, ranked sixth
- Driver Rating of 81.4, placing seventh
- Completed 1,786 Laps in the Top 15 (57.5%), seventh most overall
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
- Achieved three wins, 11 top fives, and 12 top tens
- Average finish of 17.108, fourth-best
- Average Running Position of 14.880, fourth-best
- Driver Rating of 87.9, third-best
- 3,947 Laps in the Top 15 (59.3%), fifth-most
- One victory, four top-five finishes, seven finishes in the top 10
- Average finish of 22.733, ranked 13th
- Average Running Position of 17.135, ranked 11th
- Driver Rating of 79.0, ranked 10th
- 2,955 Laps in the Top 15 (54.5%), ranked eighth
- One win, eight top-five finishes, 11 finishes in the top 10; one pole
- Average finish of 17.548, ranked fifth
- Average Running Position of 14.564, ranked third
- Driver Rating of 89.6, ranked second
- 3,483 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5%), ranked third
- Two victories, three top-five finishes, four top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 20.417, ranked ninth
- Average Running Position of 17.289, ranked 12th
- Driver Rating of 78.2, ranked 11th
- 1,987 Laps in the Top 15 (45.7%), ranked 13th
- Three top-five finishes, six top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 21.263, ranked 12th
- Average Running Position of 17.091, ranked 10th
- Driver Rating of 78.0, ranked 12th
- 3,556 Laps in the Top 15 (51.8%), ranked ninth
- Five top-five finishes and five top 10s
- Average finish of 12.429, the best in the series
- Average Running Position of 17.078, ranked ninth
- Driver Rating of 80.2, ranked eighth
- 1,239 Laps in the Top 15 (48.7%), ranked 11th
- The groundbreaking ceremony for Daytona International Speedway took place on November 25, 1957. The soil excavated from the banked corners was used to create a reservoir, now known as Lake Lloyd.
- Located in the center of Daytona Beach, Florida, the track spans a total of 2.5 miles, featuring 31 degrees of banking in the four turns and 18 degrees of banking in the tri-oval where the starting and finishing lines are situated.
- The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona occurred on February 20, 1959, serving as a 100-mile qualifying event for the Daytona 500, which was claimed by Bob Welborn.
- The first summer race took place at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 1959. It was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts in a 1959 Pontiac, owned by Jim Stephens, at an average speed of 140.581 mph. This race was just 250 miles long, while the initial 400-mile summer race occurred on July 4, 1963, also won by Fireball Roberts.
- On July 4, 1984, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty achieved his 200th career victory at Daytona International Speedway, setting a record for the most wins in the NASCAR Cup Series to date.
- In the spring of 1998, lights were installed at the track. However, the July race that year was postponed until October due to heavy smoke from wildfires. Since then, the second Daytona race has been conducted under the lights.
- The Daytona International Speedway was resurfaced in 2010.
- The completion of the DAYTONA Rising project in the 2016 season marked a transformative phase for Daytona International Speedway, introducing the first “motorsports stadium,” a $400 million endeavor.
- Since its first race in 1959, there have been 154 NASCAR Cup Series events held at Daytona International Speedway: 66 of them totaling 500 miles, 61 at 400 miles, and four at 250 miles. Additionally, there were 23 qualifying races that counted as point races.
- A total of 708 distinct drivers have participated in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, with 538 having entered more than one event.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer <Richard Petty holds the record for the most starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, with a total of 74 appearances.
- The top five drivers with the most all-time Cup starts at Daytona are: Richard Petty (74), Dave Marcis (67), Buck Baker (64), Terry Labonte (63), and Bill Elliott (60), along with Ricky Rudd (60).
- Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are tied as the active drivers with the highest number of Cup Series starts at Daytona, each with 38 starts.
- Among active drivers, the top five in Daytona Cup starts are: Kyle Busch (38), Martin Truex Jr. (38), Denny Hamlin (37), Joey Logano (31), and Brad Keselowski (30).
- In total, 187 different drivers have made their inaugural NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway. The most recent entries are Riley Herbst (2/19/2023) and Travis Pastrana (2/19/2023). Out of these 187 drivers, 19 began their careers during the summer races at Daytona.
- Out of the 19 drivers who made their first starts during the summer Daytona races, LionelJohnson achieved his highest placement of 10th after starting in the 30th position on July 4, 1965, while driving a 1964 Ford under the ownership of Clay Eastridge.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts holds the record for the best average starting position at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, boasting an average of 5.412 across 17 races.
- Chase Elliott is the leading active driver in average starting position at Daytona International Speedway within the NASCAR Cup Series, averaging 10.353 over 17 starts.
- A total of 65 different drivers have secured the pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, with 25 drivers achieving multiple pole wins at this venue.
- Fireball Roberts became the first driver to win the pole for the summer race at Daytona International Speedway in 1959, recording a speed of 144.997 mph while driving a 1959 Pontiac.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough tops the list for most poles at Daytona in the NASCAR Cup Series, with a total of 12 (Feb. 1968, July 1969, 1970 sweep, 1978 sweep, July 1980, July 1981, July 1983, 1984 sweep, July 1986).
- Chase Elliott (February 2016, February 2017, and July 2018) and Alex Bowman (February 2018, February 2021, and February 2023) are tied for the most poles among active drivers in the series, each with three poles at Daytona.
- This weekend, there are 10 out of the 65 drivers who have previously secured Daytona poles and are still active in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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Brad Keselowski (No. 6 RFK Racing Ford)
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet)
Martin Truex Jr (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Bubba Wallace (No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota)
NASCAR
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Cup Series 2024 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Daytona
* – Statistics based on the last 38 races at Daytona International Speedway (2005 – 2024).
Daytona International Speedway Insights:
EVENT DETAILS
Season Race #: 25 out of 36 (08-24-24)
Total Purse: $9,193,568
Track Length: 2.5 miles
Banking in Turns: 31 degrees
Banking on Straights: 3 degrees
Banking in Tri-Oval: 18 degrees
Frontstretch Distance: 3,800 feet
Backstretch Distance: 3,000 feet
Total Race Distance: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length:
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>35 laps (Ends on Lap 35)
Stage 2 Length: 60 laps (Ends on Lap 95)
Final Stage Length: 65 laps (Ends on Lap 160)
QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS
Track qualifying record (Summer race): Cale Yarborough, Ford, 203.519 mph, 44.222 secs., July 2, 1986
Track race record (Summer race): Bobby Allison, Mercury, 173.473 mph, (02:18:21), July 4, 1980
2023 Summer Daytona pole winner: Chase Briscoe, Ford, 181.822 mph, 49.499 secs., Aug. 25, 2023
2023 Summer Daytona race winner: Chris Buescher, Ford, 158.389 mph, (02:34:22), August 26, 2023
HISTORY
STARTS
Drivers Who Made Their First Career Cup Start in the Summer Race at Daytona
Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Daytona (All-Time & Active)
POLES
