How Long Will Denny Hamlin’s Daytona 500 Legacy Last That Was Matched After 25 Years?

What would a successful NASCAR career look like? The simple answer to that is championship wins, most race wins, or an impressive milestone at the Crown Jewel venues. Few would even go on to say, just a Daytona 500 win, and you are in the history books. Well, that is true to a certain extent, but a driver needs just more than a one-off win at Daytona, and consecutive wins sure elevate that level. Call it dumb luck or just sheer racing might, there have been a handful of drivers to attain this feat, and JGR’s No. 11 Denny Hamlin is one of them.

In the last 25 years, Hamlin is the only driver to have pulled off back-to-back wins at the Daytona 500. The veteran driver has three Daytona 500 wins to his name, but it was during the 2019–20 season that he managed to bag a back-to-back win in the iconic event. To put this into perspective, it was Sterling Marlin in 1994–95 who clinched the Daytona 500 twice in a row. And in the 21st century, only Hamlin’s has managed to do so. Records do have a shelf life, and if history’s taught us something, it’s that records can indeed be broken.

Search for Daytona 500’s new consecutive king

The Daytona 500 winner’s terminology is something that should intrigue every driver, and Brad Keselowski has an interesting one. Although the veteran racer has won it all, he is one of those who are still looking to get their first Daytona 500 win. He said, “The Daytona 500 feels like a race that you don’t win; you get chosen to win.” Luck is a byproduct of hard work and grit, but in the case of ‘The Great American Race’, you need more than that.

If you go by the current state of affairs and the winners of the Daytona 500, the odds are stacked against the drivers, and thinking of repeating the win would be like a daydreaming job. Ironically, ever since Hamlin’s double in 2019-20, none of the big names in NASCAR have had a sniff of a win at the event. It was Michael McDowell and Austin Cindric who took home the Daytona 500 win in 2021–22. That’s not it; even Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got a taste of a sweet Daytona win last season.

An event that once unearthed champions like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now seemingly out of reach for the best of the sport. Forget about winning two in a row. Big dogs like Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliot, and even Ryan Blaney are yet to script their first-ever win at the Daytona 500. Considering that Denny Hamlin himself is hunting for the Cup championship, even he might have a shot to repeat his heroics.

Read More: Where is the Daytona 500 Held? History of the ‘Superbowl of NASCAR’

Expectations need to be in check when hoping for a big turnaround in an event like the Daytona 500. For a record that saw the daylight 25 years ago, it will be a tall order for current generation drivers to attain this foot. However, the focus for the 66th iteration of the event will see big names grinding hard to break their Daytona duck.

Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski are in focus

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The 2023 Cup Series season was a big leap for Truex Jr. Three wins, competing in the playoffs, and a regular-season champion title. Despite his championship win and 20 long and successful years in the sport, the Daytona 500 is still a distant dream. The veteran racer, however, is not hell-bent on winning it, suggesting that failing to add the iconic win won’t be a big deal for him. “When I retire and look back, I’m like, ‘Ah, I didn’t win that race. I don’t know if that is a big deal for me or not.”

Meanwhile, you have Kyle Busch from RCR, who is eager to bag his Daytona 500 win. Interestingly, he has led 330 laps and three top-five finishes but is still unable to bring it home. Explaining his desperation, Busch said, “I would love nothing more than to win the Daytona 500. It’s been feast or famine, it seems, and there’s been a lot of years where I finished second, or I finish third, or there’s five, six times that I can count on.”

And last but not least, we have Brad Keselowski from RFK Racing. The 2012 Cup Series champion has been making strides toward getting the win recently. He led 42 laps in 2022 and 67 in 2023, but his decent enough stints are far from the victory lane. In his case, he feels luck and fate have never been by his side. “I feel like there’s a divine power in it, and it just wasn’t for me. Maybe I take some kind of solace or cope with that and just have some kind of thoughts of just sticking through it and continuing to put ourselves in position.”

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