Here's a crash course — a cheat sheet, really — for the 67th running of the Daytona 500

Chicago Tribune

16-02-2025

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Maybe you're new to the sport, have a casual interest or are just coming around to the edge-of-your-seat wrecks, the thrilling finishes and the stars that make up the Daytona 500 field.
Daytona Beach became the unofficial 'birthplace of speed' in 1903 when two men argued over who had the fastest horseless carriage and decided to settle things in a race on the white, hardpacked sand along the Atlantic Ocean.
Since then, the region has become a motorsports mecca, and the first Daytona 500 was held Feb. 22, 1959, in front of a crowd of more than 41,000. They watched 59 cars race for a purse of less than $70,000, and the finish was so close it took three days to determine Lee Petty had edged Johnny Beauchamp.
So much has changed since then, in technology and terminology, and there's plenty to catch up on ahead of Sunday's edition — the 67th running of 'The Great American Race' (1:30 p.m. CST, NBC-5).
NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is here — he bought a race team in 2020 — and so is four-time Indianapolis 500 champion and 'Dancing With The Stars' winner Helio Castroneves.
So let's wave the green flag (we'll get to that below) and take a crash course on some of the basic names and terms to know for the Daytona 500.
Former Daytona 500 winners
The field is littered with past winners, starting with 2024 champion William Byron. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2023), Austin Cindric (2022), Michael McDowell (2021), Austin Dillon (2018) and Joey Logano (2015) are all in the field.
Jimmie Johnson is a two-time winner (2006, 2013). Denny Hamlin could become the third driver ever with at least four Daytona 500 victories. He won in 2016 and then went back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.
So who has the most wins?
Richard Petty won seven times, and Cale Yarborough has four. Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Allison have three each.
What is drafting?
Drafting at superspeedways is paramount. It's a technique in which two or more cars race bumper-to-bumper to reduce aerodynamic drag and create more speed together than they would alone. NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson used the science to perfection to win the 1960 Daytona 500.
How fast are the cars going?
They are traveling about 190 mph but could be going in excess of 200 mph. NASCAR, however, mandates cars use tapered spacers to reduce the amount of air flowing into engines — thus limiting horsepower and speed. The power-sapping safety measure was first installed after Bobby Allison's car, traveling at 210 mph, went airborne and tore through the catchfence at Talladega Superspeedway in 1987. The car came dangerously close to landing in the grandstands.
What is The Big One?
It's a wreck. OK, not just a wreck, but THE wreck that destroys cars, alters the outcome of the race and puts drivers in danger.
There was a scary one in 2020, with Ryan Newman's terrifying tumble that nearly killed him on the final lap of the race. The wreck started when Newman hit the wall, bounced back into traffic and was drilled by another driver. His car flipped, landed on its roof and skidded to a halt in a harrowing, heart-stopping show of sparks and flames.
NASCAR fans and fellow competitors feared the worst for Newman, but the 2008 Daytona 500 winner walked out of the hospital 48 hours later holding hands with his daughters.
Byron went on to win last year, even after Hendrick driver Alex Bowman hit his car from behind and it caused Byron to sideswipe Brad Keselowski and trigger a 23-car crash that caused a red flag that lasted more than 15 minutes.
Some Daytona 500 history
NASCAR's most prestigious race started as a much shorter version on a nearby beach. Drivers raced partially on sand and partially on an adjacent highway. The first 500-mile event in Daytona happened in 1959. Two year later, the Daytona 500 moniker was adopted and is now considered one of racing's most well-known events.
Winless in the Daytona 500
Getting to victory lane at Daytona requires as much luck as it does skill. It's the main reason why four former series champions — Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. — have never won NASCAR's most storied race. Busch is 0 for 19 in the 500. Keselowski is 0 for 15. Larson is 0 for 11. And Truex is 0 for 20.
Hall of Famers Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin are the most notable drivers to never win the Daytona 500.
Which manufacturers race in NASCAR?
NASCAR currently has three manufacturers: Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. Dodge spent decades in the sport before pulling out at the end of the 2012 season because of economic challenges. Dodge also was out between 1977 and 2001. Chevy and Ford have been in NASCAR since its inception, with Toyota joining in 2007.
NASCAR's racing royalty
Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt, both seven-time series champions, are two of NASCAR's most iconic stars.
The 87-year-old Petty, who won a record 200 races, remains an ambassador at Legacy Motor Club. Earnhardt died during a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, creating a pivotal move toward better safety in a sport that had endured plenty of death.
Fun with flags
The most common ones waved by the flagman are:
Green flag: Used to start or restart a race.
Yellow flag: Slow down. Often waved because of an accident or other debris on the track that must be cleared before the race can resume.
Red flag: Stop. The track is no longer safe.
Checkered flag: Waved when a driver crosses the finish line and wins the race.
Team Worldwide
Pitbull, yes, the rapper, had an ownership stake in Trackhouse Racing but it is coming to an end right as this year the team is fielding cars for four drivers from four countries.
Mr. Worldwide truly lives up to his name.
Ross Chastain, a watermelon farmer out of Florida, is an American. Shane van Gisbergen is a native of New Zealand. Daniel Suarez is Mexican but became an American citizen last year. Castroneves, a four-time Indianapolis 500 champion, is Brazilian and rounds out the team headed into his NASCAR debut.
Best odds to win the race