Is Bubba Wallace the best in NASCAR at Daytona? By one stat he is! | Active driver data
Look, it's hard enough to bet on NASCAR races at superspeedways. And it's certainly tough to make much of a living placing wagers on the Daytona 500.
The least you could be, is up-to-date on the stats.
Look no further. Which driver is atop the heap in terms of career average finish? Well, that answer may surprise you.
As for wins, Daytona 500 victories, top-five finishes and top 10s? Well, those may be a little easier to guess.
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We've even thrown in a list of leaders in DNFs, so you may know who to avoid when putting together a DFS lineup for next week's 66th running of the Great American Race.
So, without further ado, let's look at some driver statistics ahead of next Sunday's Super Bowl of stock car racing.
Who has the best career average finish at Daytona?
(Minimum 2 starts)
Driver | Starts | Average finish |
1. Bubba Wallace | 13 | 12.9 |
2. Austin Cindric | 5 | 15.8 |
3. Alex Bowman | 15 | 16.1 |
4. Austin Dillon | 21 | 16.4 |
t-5. Denny Hamlin | 36 | 17 |
t-5. Joey Logano | 30 | 17 |
7. Justin Haley | 7 | 17.7 |
8. Corey LaJoie | 14 | 18.1 |
t-9. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 18.6 |
t-9. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 18.6 |
11. Kyle Busch | 37 | 18.7 |
t-12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 23 | 19.9 |
t-12. Chris Buescher | 16 | 19.9 |
14. Noah Gragson | 3 | 20 |
15. AJ Allmendinger | 21 | 20.1 |
16. Michael McDowell | 25 | 20.3 |
17. Ross Chastain | 11 | 20.5 |
18. Chase Elliott | 16 | 20.9 |
t-19. Martin Truex Jr. | 37 | 21.4 |
t-19. Christopher Bell | 8 | 21.4 |
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Who's led the most laps at Daytona?
Driver | Starts | Laps led |
1. Denny Hamlin | 36 | 666 |
2. Kyle Busch | 37 | 519 |
3. Brad Keselowski | 29 | 345 |
4. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 302 |
5. Joey Logano | 30 | 255 |
6. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 196 |
7. Chase Elliott | 16 | 159 |
t-8. Martin Truex Jr. | 37 | 148 |
t-8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 23 | 148 |
10. William Byron | 12 | 95 |
Who has the most top-five finishes at Daytona?
Driver | Starts | Top 5s |
1. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 12 |
2. Denny Hamlin | 36 | 11 |
t-3. Joey Logano | 30 | 9 |
t-3. Kyle Busch | 37 | 8 |
5. Chris Buescher | 16 | 5 |
t-6. Bubba Wallace | 13 | 4 |
t-6. Austin Dillon | 24 | 4 |
t-6. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 4 |
t-6. Brad Keselowski | 29 | 4 |
5 tied with 3 |
Who has the most top-10 finishes at Daytona?
Driver | Starts | Top 10s |
1. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 16 |
t-2. Kyle Busch | 37 | 12 |
t-2. Denny Hamlin | 36 | 12 |
4. Joey Logano | 30 | 11 |
5. Austin Dillon | 21 | 9 |
6. Michael McDowell | 25 | 8 |
t-7. AJ Allmendinger | 21 | 7 |
t-7. Brad Keselowski | 29 | 7 |
t-7. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 7 |
t-7. Chris Buescher | 16 | 7 |
Who has the most DNFs at Daytona?
Driver | Starts | DNFs |
1. Brad Keselowski | 29 | 13 |
t-2. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 12 |
t-2. Kyle Busch | 37 | 12 |
t-4. Daniel Suarez | 13 | 9 |
t-4. Kyle Larson | 19 | 9 |
6. Martin Truex Jr. | 37 | 8 |
t-7. Michael McDowell | 25 | 7 |
t-7. William Byron | 12 | 7 |
t-7. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 7 |
t-7. Joey Logano | 30 | 7 |
Career driver rating at Daytona
(Per NASCAR, driver rating is determined by "wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish." A perfect race produces a score of 150.)
Driver | Starts | Average driver rating |
1. Kyle Busch | 37 | 90.6 |
2. Austin Cindric | 5 | 89.1 |
3. Joey Logano | 30 | 88.3 |
4. Denny Hamlin | 36 | 87.5 |
5. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 86.6 |
6. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 83.9 |
7. Chase Elliott | 16 | 80.9 |
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 23 | 79.8 |
9. Brad Keselowski | 29 | 79.3 |
10. Bubba Wallace | 13 | 79.1 |
Which driver has the most wins at Daytona International Speedway?
Driver | Starts | Wins |
t-1. Jimmie Johnson | 39 | 3 |
t-1. Denny Hamlin | 36 | 3 |
t-3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 23 | 2 |
t-3. Austin Dillon | 21 | 2 |
t-5. William Byron | 12 | 1 |
t-5. Erik Jones | 14 | 1 |
t-5. Brad Keselowski | 29 | 1 |
t-5. Michael McDowell | 25 | 1 |
t-5. Chris Buescher | 16 | 1 |
t-5. Kyle Busch | 37 | 1 |
t-5. Ryan Blaney | 17 | 1 |
t-5. Justin Haley | 7 | 1 |
t-5. Joey Logano | 30 | 1 |
t-5. Austin Cindric | 5 | 1 |
Who has the most Daytona 500 wins?
Driver | Wins (Years) |
1. Denny Hamlin | 3 (2016, 2019, 2020) |
2. Jimmie Johnson | 2 (2006, 2013) |
t-3. Joey Logano | 1 (2015) |
t-3. Austin Dillon | 1 (2018) |
t-3. Michael McDowell | 1 (2021) |
t-3. Austin Cindric | 1 (2022) |
t-3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 1 (2023) |
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona 500: NASCAR driver averages ahead of 2024 Great American Race
