Ten Things To Watch For In The Daytona 500

Two championships in one season

Does a win the Daytona 500 guarantee success for an entire season? While the answer to this question is insanely complicated, especially since only a select number of drivers have accomplished the monumental feat in The Daytona 500’s 57 race history, that doesn’t mean a few drivers haven’t gotten lucky and snagged both titles in the same season. In fact, five drivers have done so, and three of them are now in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

That stat stands out even more when you consider the fact that it has only been accomplished a total of ten years in Daytona 500 history. Lee Petty started the trend in 1959 in the first Daytona 500 at the 2.5-mile speedway, which was then followed up by Richard Petty, who won both championships on four separate occasions.

Cale Yarbrough, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson remain the only drivers that were able to take home The Daytona 500 and the championship in the same year.

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