Counting Down 20 Most Memorable Moments in Daytona 500 History

It’s called The Great American Race for a reason. The Daytona 500 (Feb. 15 on FOX) has provided many memorable moments — everything from fighting to dancing when drivers exited the car, and everything from dramatic contact to dramatic finishes. So let’s count down my top 20 Daytona 500 memorable moments. You might not consider some of these to be great, but they sure are memorable. No. 20: Closest Finish In Race History (2016) After Matt Kenseth’s block attempt went awry thanks to the fast run from behind, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. went side-by-side to the finish line with Hamlin winning by 0.01 seconds — the closest margin in race history. It was the first of what is now three Daytona 500 wins for Hamlin, but also will be remembered as a battle between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Kenseth at the end. Hamlin pulled a couple of moves on Kenseth, and they made slight contact as Kenseth appeared to attempt to side-draft him after he pulled underneath him, a move that followed an attempt to pass Kenseth up against the wall. 19. Special Win For Dillon (2018) Austin Dillon would not be denied when he tried to pass Aric Almirola on the final lap. Almirola blocked him once to the outside and then again on the inside before Dillon made another move to the outside. Almirola ended up in the wall while Dillon sped to the victory. Dillon’s win put the iconic No. 3 back in Daytona 500 victory lane and Dillon followed the win with a burnout celebration making No. 3s in the Daytona grass. 18: Father-Son Battle (1988) Father-and-son. Bobby Allison wins, while his son, Davey, tries to make a move to the bottom on the final lap but to no avail and finishes second. Davey Allison visited Victory Lane and celebrated a little with his father. Davey said: “When I was a little kid, I always dreamed of racing with my dad and having a 1-2 finish, but I wanted him to be second.” For Allison fans, this was the best. No. 17: Waltrip Busts A Move (1989) Darrell Waltrip leads the final four laps and earns his first Daytona 500 victory. It was one of the most memorable Victory Lane celebrations. Waltrip was in tears — tears of joy. And then he danced, doing his version of the “Ickey Shuffle,” a move made popular by football player Ickey Woods during his touchdown celebrations. When you talk about the thrill of victory, this is what you’re talking about. No. 16: Bayne’s Shocking Victory (2011) This race was during the “tandem” era of drafting, and Jeff Gordon found himself helping a young driver, Trevor Bayne. And lo and behold, Bayne took all the help and found himself in the lead late in the race. The 20-year-old driver, in just his second career Cup start, held off Carl Edwards for the win — the first Daytona 500 victory for the legendary Wood Brothers Racing since 1976. No. 15: Jarrett Family Affair (1993) Dale Jarrett wins. What made this more memorable was his father, Ned, calling him to the finish line as one of the TV analysts. And while many remember it for the sound of Jarrett’s voice, it was also a big moment for Joe Gibbs Racing. It was the first win for JGR after it went winless in its inaugural season. No. 14: Dale Earnhardt Somehow Finishes (1997) Dale Earnhardt appeared out of the race following a flip with 11 laps remaining. But as he was getting in the ambulance, Earnhardt looked at the car and thought it might start as it had landed on its four wheels. So he ran over to his car and cranked it up. It fired, and Earnhardt drove it to the pits. He finished the race in 31st, five laps down. This is one of those highlights that you know couldn’t happen today. No. 13: Petty’s Scary Crash (1988) Richard Petty had a wild crash with about eight flips. The first contact came with Phil Barkdoll, turning him sideways, and the car then got airborne. After it was done flipping, Petty got hit by Brett Bodine. This was the first race where restrictor plates were used, which bunched up the field. Petty raced the following week. No. 12: Hamlin Wins It For J.D. Gibbs (2019) Denny Hamlin wins the Daytona 500, five weeks after the death of J.D. Gibbs, the JGR team president who saw Hamlin at a test and decided he might be the JGR star of the future. It was an emotional victory lane as the driver and team paid tribute. It was Hamlin’s second Daytona 500 win. No. 11: Harvick Eeeks By (2007) In one of the more wild finishes, Kevin Harvick wins just 0.02 seconds ahead of Mark Martin. As they were about to cross the finish line, chaos erupted. Clint Bowyer slid upside-down across the finish line. Martin, who never won a Daytona 500, was leading at the white flag with Harvick running fifth. No. 10: A Tragic Day (2001) This is the most memorable for sad reasons: a tragic day when seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt died in a crash trying to hold on to third on the final lap of the race. Two cars he owned — Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were running ahead of him and finished 1-2 — with Waltrip’s victory his first Cup win in 463 starts. NASCAR’s investigation into Earnhardt’s death resulted in NASCAR taking a more proactive approach to safety. No. 9: Dale Jr. Does It Again (2014) Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned his second victory, 10 years after his first. He held off the field — including Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski — on a green-white-checkered finish to snap a 55-race winless streak. But maybe more notable, Earnhardt had finished second in three of the four previous Daytona 500s. And then he makes his first post on Twitter of him in front of the Harley J. Earl trophy. NASCAR social media was never the same, and you probably could also say that about Earnhardt Jr., both for what that victory did for his Hendrick career and what social media has done, allowing him to engage directly with race fans. No. 8: Gordon Fends Off Earnhardt (1999) Jeff Gordon wins after a late dramatic pass on Rusty Wallace with 11 laps to go and then outlasts Dale Earnhardt for his second Daytona 500 win. The pass on Wallace occurred below the yellow line between Wallace and a slower car coming out of the pits on the apron. That move wouldn’t be allowed today — the double-yellow line rule was implemented a couple of years later as drivers made more attempts to pass under the yellow line and wrecks ensued. No. 7: Jet Drier Incident (2012) After a piece breaks on Juan Pablo Montoya’s car, he crashes into a jet drier, causing a huge fire. No one was injured. The race, run on Monday night because of rain, was stopped for 125 minutes. Dave Blaney was leading at the time — 40 laps remained — and there was a possibility the race would have to be ruled official. But it resumed, and Matt Kenseth won the race. No. 6: The Inaugural Race (1959) The first one. And it was a close one with a photo finish. It took a few days for Lee Petty to be determined the winner over Johnny Beauchamp, who was originally called the winner. The lapped car of Joe Weatherly was on the outside of them, hindering the view of officials at the track. No. 5: Pearson Gets Past Petty (1976) Richard Petty and David Pearson crash on the final lap as Petty, on the inside, tries to get by Pearson and they both turn into the wall. Petty’s car stops in the trioval grass before the start-finish line, and Pearson is able to drive through the trioval grass past Petty and across the line to win the race. No. 4: Bad Break For Earnhardt (1990) Dale Earnhardt appears he is going to finally get that elusive 500 win, but he has a tire go flat on the final lap — was it from a chicken bone thrown on the track? — and Derrike Cope wins. For much of the race, it seemed like Earnhardt’s race to lose as he led 155 laps until that fateful final circuit. No. 3: Dale Jr.’s Big Breakthrough (2004) Dale Earnhardt Jr. earns his first Daytona 500 win as he leads the final 20 laps and holds off Tony Stewart. It was obviously his biggest victory to date — it was a milestone as it was his 10th Cup victory. Not only that, he had already won Talladega four times and the Daytona summer race once, so it seemed like just a matter of time before he won the 500 — but considering his father’s long history of not winning until his 20th attempt, Earnhardt Jr. winning on his fifth attempt brought a huge sigh of relief for his fans. No. 2: Literal Fight To The Finish (1979) There’s a fight! Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough wreck on the final lap. Richard Petty wins while Yarborough gets into a fight with Bobby and his brother Donnie Allison. Thanks to a snowstorm that blanketed much of the East, the race — the first live flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 500 — had a captive TV audience. No. 1: Iconic Win For NASCAR’s Icon (1998) Twenty years of trying. Dale Earnhardt finally wins the Daytona 500 to the delight of his fans and to the respect of virtually all his competitors. As he drives down pit road to get to Victory Lane, opposing teams lined up to congratulate him in an iconic NASCAR moment that shows just how much Earnhardt meant to the NASCAR community.