In 68 editions of the Daytona 500, NASCAR has seen many surprise or unexpected winners. However, it wasn’t until 2017 that the winner of stock car racing’s flagship event only led the final lap of the 200-lap battle.
While this didn’t happen once between 1959 and 2016, the phenomenon has now occurred four times in the last decade. This shows how unpredictable modern superspeedway racing has become and how often it ends in race-altering wrecks.
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Here’s a look at each of the four times the Daytona 500 winner only led around the checkered flag and how he managed to beat the odds.
2017 — Kurt Busch plays the fuel consumption game
Kurt Busch celebrates
Kurt Busch celebrates
In 2017, the finish of the 500m was very unusual with only a handful of cars in the lead group, and several running on exhaust. Busch was in the lead for most of the final stint, but he didn’t dare take the lead because he wanted to save as much fuel as possible. Ten laps from the finish, he was third. He then fell back to fourth behind Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr.., And Chase Elliott. With three laps to go, Elliott burned out. A lap later, Truex began to slow down, and as Larson led at the white flag, his car began to stumble and Busch roared past him as well. This was the only time the winner just led the final lap without a crash on the final lap. Instead, it was a tense race for fuel economy that ended with Busch in the lead. The car was marked by previous damage, but he had plenty of fuel in the tank, simply because he had the patience to wait.
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2018 — Failed block by Almirola on Austin Dillon
Aric Almirola loses his mind
Aric Almirola loses his mind
Dillon started fourth again in overtime in 2018, avoiding the chaos of an accident-filled Daytona 500. There were only about a dozen cars left capable of keeping up with the pack. He pushed Aric Almirola in front and took the white flag in third position, side by side with Denis Hamlin. Down the stretch, Dillon made a massive run and Almirola threw down an aggressive block. Dillon looked low, then high, then Almirola spun into the outside wall. It was a serious single-car accident as Almirola took off in the lead after contact with Dillon. The racing remained green, and Dillon won the Daytona 500 driving the No. 3 RCR, twenty years after Dale Earnhardt did the same.
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Violent crash ends Daytona 500
Violent crash ends Daytona 500
Entering the 2021 Daytona 500, McDowell had never won a Cup race before. He had been racing in the Cup Series since 2008 with 357 starts – and no wins. The field was mostly single file, tearing up the top with two Penske cars in the top three. Between these Penske cars, there were Kevin Harvickand behind them in fourth position was McDowell. With two laps to go, Brad Keselowski held back and got a massive run on Harvick, putting Penske up 1-2 with McDowell following them up to third place. On the final lap, Penske seemed assured of victory. McDowell gave Keselowski a boost which he used to take action on his teammate Joey Loganobut Logano blocked. The red and yellow number 22 turned inwards, the white and black number 2 turned outwards and the sea parted for McDowell as he moved back up the middle. Had the race remained green, his victory would have been far from guaranteed as two other drivers began to pass him, but as the cars caught fire and even hit the fence behind them, NASCAR had no choice but to throw the yellow. McDowell was now a Cup Series winner for the first time, in the greatest race of all.
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Watch: Cinderella: McDowell wins Daytona 500 in wreck-filled final lap
2026 — Tyler Reddick with a friendly push
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota
The craziest finish of all, and you probably don’t need a reminder, but we’ll give you one anyway. Reddick was second when the final caution of the race flew and started back on the front row with four laps remaining. He had the 2024 and 2025 Daytona 500 winner William Byron strapped to his rear bumper as McDowell led the way. Reddick took the lead, but as he tried to block both lanes, he found himself placed in the middle between McDowell and Byron. Fortunately for him, his teammate from 23XI Bubba Wallace stuck behind him and kept Reddick near the front of the pack. With three to play, McDowell continued to lead with his teammate Carson Hocevar second and Reddick third. Reddick fell to the bottom and disconnected from Wallace.
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With two laps to go, he was back in the top lane and now found himself fourth behind Erik Jones and the Speyer teammates. He quickly dropped back to the middle and now had Logano as a pusher, with the dynamics of the peloton changing quickly. At the white flag, Reddick was in the middle, three wide and fourth on the line. As Hocevar turned away from the race lead, he and Jones fell on Reddick’s nose. He made contact with Jones and challenged Byron, but managed to keep moving in the right direction. For a moment he had the advantage while in a three-way with new players – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. and Elliott.
Reddick began to fade without help and desperately needed a pusher. Well, just when he needed it, another 23XI teammate appeared as Riley Herbst gave him a chance behind his back. Entering turn 3 he was third and managed to overtake the duel Zane Smithgoing outside. Herbst stayed there, propelling Reddick forward. On the front stretch, he faked high before diving low under Elliott, taking the lead as Herbst accidentally triggered a wreck that destroyed the rest of the top five in the race to the finish line. Reddick was victorious, leading only the final lap of the race.
Watch: Tyler Reddick dissects his winning Daytona 500 lap
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Read also:
25 years after Dale Earnhardt’s death, we remember NASCAR’s darkest day
50 years later: David Pearson’s incredible Daytona 500 victory at 20 mph
Unprecedented: How Every Three-Lap Daytona 500 Was Derailed
Official 2026 Daytona 500 race results
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