NASCAR: The Five Greatest Drivers To Never Win The Daytona 500
Tony Stewart
2016 was supposed to be Tony’s last shot at taking the checkered flag in the Great American Race. This is the one race that has eluded Tony Stewart to top off a legendary career (other than maybe the Indy 500 if you ask him). Tony has won a race in nearly every type of car he has driven in, from USAC Sprint Cars to Indycars to the NASCAR Trucks. Unfortunately, the Daytona 500 has eluded Tony Stewart over his now seventeen year Sprint Cup career.
Very similar to Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart has one seemingly every event to win at Daytona. He has won the Xfinity race six times, the Sprint Unlimited and the Can-Am Duels three times, and has even won the summer event four times.
Also similar to “The Intimidator,” Smoke has lost the Daytona 500 in just about every way possible. He has led coming to get the white flag and fallen short, he has blown engines, and has wrecked from the lead in the Great American Race.
His best shots to win the race were in 2004 and 2008, where came oh so close to being the first one under the checkered flag in the Daytona 500. In the 46th running of the Great American Race in 2004, Tony Stewart led the most laps, and was leading with 20 laps to go when Dale Earnhardt Jr. overtook Tony’s No. 20 Chevrolet and held off Stewart in the final laps. This second-place finish was Tony’s best in the Daytona 500.
In the 50th running of the event in 2008, Tony Stewart had his greatest shot at reaching Victory Lane in the 500. Eventual race winner and future teammate Ryan Newman pushed Stewart out front on the final restart, setting up a fantastic finish:
Ryan Newman and Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch forged past Tony Stewart and his JGR teammate Kyle Busch on the last lap in a battle of Dodge vs. Toyota on the final lap. The All-Tel Dodge of Ryan Newman would go on to win the Great American Race is his most prestigious win thus far.
Tony Stewart came up just short in 2008 like in many other occasions. The 2016 Daytona 500 was supposed to be the final chance for “Smoke” to win the Daytona 500, but in an unforeseen turn of events, which Stewart has been accustomed to of late, it was announced that Stewart suffered a back injury racing an ATV out in California.
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Stewart will not run in the 2017 Daytona 500 but that doesn’t mean we wont see him in 2018 if there becomes an opportunity.
In total, 37 drivers have earned the spoils of a victory in the most prestigious race in NASCAR, the Daytona 500, but countless more have come so close to reaching Daytona’s famous Victory Lane.