Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Coke Zero Sugar 400

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida going into the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 26 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – the finale race in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.

2023 Playoff Clinch Scenarios – Daytona International Speedway

Already Clinched

The following 15 drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell.

Can Clinch Via Points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 4th winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Brad Keselowski or Kevin Harvick.

• Bubba Wallace: Would clinch with 24 points
• Ty Gibbs: Could only clinch with help
• Daniel Suarez: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, Todd Gilliland, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe, Ty Dillon

Can Clinch Regular Season Championship

Additionally, the Regular Season Championship could be clinched by the following drivers:

• Martin Truex Jr.: Would clinch with 22 points
• Denny Hamlin: Could only clinch with help

Clinch History: Last Four Regular Season Finales

2022 Season – Heading into the final race of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway, the 2022 season had produced 15 different winners clinching their spots leaving just one position still available to make the Playoffs, and it was Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in 16th and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. in 17th battling it out for the final postseason position. The two drivers were separated by 25 points heading into the race. It was also announced Kurt Busch would forgo his Playoff position as he was still recovering from injury. Ultimately, Truex would finish eighth and Blaney would finish 15th, the Team Penske driver earned enough points to hold onto one of the two open Playoff spots on points. But it was Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, who came into the Daytona weekend ranked 20th in the Playoff outlook standings (-255 points behind the postseason cutline), that won the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, clinching the final spot in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on wins – the second driver to win his way into the Playoffs in the regular season finale; joining William Byron (2020). Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Chase Elliott clinched the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship.

2021 Season – Heading into the final race of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway, the 2021 season had produced 14 different winners with two additional drivers clinching their spots on points leaving just one spot still available to make the Playoffs, and it was Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick battling it out for the final postseason position. Ultimately, Ryan Blaney won the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, but he had already clinched his spot in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs earlier in the season. Because of the repeat winner, the 16th and final Playoff spot was earned by points, and it was Tyler Reddick’s fifth-place finish to Austin Dillon’s 17th at Daytona that earned him enough points to advance for the first-time in his career to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Kyle Larson clinched the Regular Season Championship in 2021.

2020 Season – Heading into the last race of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway in 2020, six spots were still up for grabs in the Playoffs. Ultimately, William Byron won the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway to clinch his spot in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – the first driver since ‘Win & You’re In’ was introduced in the series to win his way into the postseason in the final race. The other five Playoff spots were clinched on points. Kevin Harvick clinched the Regular Season Championship in 2020.

2019 Season – Heading into the last race of the regular season at Indianapolis in 2019, just two spots were still up for grabs in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and three drivers were vying for the spots – Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman. Ultimately, Kevin Harvick won the regular season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he had already clinched his spot in the Playoffs earlier in the season. Clint Bowyer (fifth-place finish) and Ryan Newman (eighth-place) raced their way into the postseason clinching the last two spots on points. Kyle Busch clinched the Regular Season Championship in 2019 for the second-time in his career (2018, 2019).

Daytona International Speedway Stats & Tidbits:

EVENT SPECIFICS
Season Race #: 26 of 36 (08-26-23)
The Purse: $8,778,583
Track Size: 2.5-mile
Banking/Turns: 31 degrees
Banking/Straights: 3 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,800 feet
Backstretch Length: 3,000 feet
Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 35 laps (Ends on Lap 35)
Stage 2 Length: 60 laps (Ends on Lap 95)
Final Stage Length: 65 laps (Ends on Lap 160)

QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track qualifying record (Summer race): Cale Yarborough, Ford, 203.519 mph, 44.222 secs., July 2, 1986

Track race record (Summer race): Bobby Allison, Mercury, 173.473 mph, (02:18:21), July 4, 1980

2022 Summer Daytona pole winner: Qualifying was cancelled due to weather. Starting Lineups were determined by Metric Qualifying and as a result Kyle Larson started in the first position (August 26, 2022).

2022 Summer Daytona race winner: Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 138.942 mph, (02:52:44), August 27, 2022

HISTORY

• Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was November 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.
• The track is located in the heart of Daytona Beach, Florida and stretches a total 2.5-miles with 31 degrees of banking in the four turns and 18 degrees of banking in the tri-oval where the start/finish line is located.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on February 20, 1959 – the race was won by Bob Welborn.
• The first summer race at Daytona International Speedway was held on July 4, 1959 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts (140.581 mph) driving a 1959 Pontiac for car owner Jim Stephens. The race was just 250 miles in length. The first 400-mile summer Daytona event was on July 4, 1963, also won by Fireball Roberts.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona International Speedway – a record for wins in the NASCAR Cup Series to this day.
• Lights were installed in the spring of 1998 at the track. However, the July race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under the lights ever since.
• The Daytona International Speedway underwent a repave in 2010.
• The 2016 season marked the next phase in the existence of Daytona International Speedway as the DAYTONA Rising project was completed, ushering in the first ‘motorsports stadium,’ a 400-million-dollar project.
• There have been 152 NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 65 have been 500 miles, 60 were 400 miles and four were 250 miles. There were also 23 qualifier races that were point races.

STARTS

• A total of 704 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway; 538 have competed in more than one.
• A total of 491 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series summer race at Daytona International Speedway; 311 have competed in more than one.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Daytona International Speedway with 74 starts.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in Daytona starts with 44 starts each.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in summer race starts at Daytona with 32.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in summer Daytona starts with 22 starts each.
• A total of 187 different drivers have made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway – the most recent are Riley Herbst (2/19/2023) and Travis Pastrana (2/19/2023).
• Of the 187 drivers that made their first start at Daytona, 19 made it during the summer Daytona races.

Drivers that made their first career Cup start in the Summer race at Daytona

• Of the 19 drivers that made their first start during the summer Daytona races, Lionel Johnson posted the best finish of 10th after starting 30th on July 4, 1965. Johnson was driving a 1964 Ford for car owner Clay Eastridge.
• Eight active series drivers have made their first career start at Daytona International Speedway, though none were during the summer races:

•  NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Daytona International Speedway with a 5.412 in 17 starts.
• Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Daytona International Speedway with a 9.867 in 15 total starts.
• Fireball Roberts also leads the series in average starting position in the Daytona summer races with a 2.200 in five starts.
• Chase Elliott also leads the series in average starting position in the Summer races at Daytona with a 9.174 in seven starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Daytona (All-Time & Active)

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Daytona Summer Races (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 63 different drivers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway; 25 drivers have won more than one pole at Daytona.
• Nine of the 63 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona pole winners are active this weekend.

• A total of 41 different drivers have won the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series Summer races at Daytona; eight drivers have won multiple summer race poles at Daytona in the Cup Series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Daytona with 12 (Feb. 1968, July 1969, 1970 sweep, 1978 sweep, July 1980, July 1981, July 1983, 1984 sweep, July 1986).
• Eight of Cale Yarborough’s 12 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona poles are from the summer race, which is also the series-most for that event (1969, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986).
• Only three active Daytona summer race pole winners are entered this weekend: Chase Elliott (2018), Kyle Busch (2013) and Kevin Harvick (2002).
• Chase Elliott leads all active series drivers in poles at Daytona with three (Feb. 2016, Feb. 2017, and July 2018).
• Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole for the summer races at Daytona International Speedway in 1959 with a speed of 144.997 mph driving a 1959 Pontiac.

• Three drivers have won consecutive poles for the summer race at Daytona: Cale Yarborough (1969-’70; 1980-’81, 1983-’84), Sterling Marlin (1991-’92) and Dale Earnhardt (1994-’95).
• Youngest Cup summer Daytona race pole winner: Chase Elliott (July 7, 2018 – 22 years, 7 months, 9 days); the all-time track record is also held by Chase Elliott (February 21, 2016 – 20 years, 2 months, 24 days).
• Oldest Cup summer Daytona race pole winner: Mark Martin (July 2, 2011 – 52 years, 5 months, 23 days).
• A total of 17 different drivers have posted their first series career pole at Daytona International Speedway – 10 during Speedweeks in February and seven during the races held in the Summer months.

• Hendrick Motorsports leads all organizations in poles at Daytona in the NASCAR Cup Series with 23 poles – 16 DAYTONA 500 poles and seven summer race poles.
• Hendrick Motorsports has seven summer race Daytona poles (series-most) among six drivers: Darrell Waltrip (7/2/88), Greg sacks (7/7/90), Jeff Gordon (7/6/96 and 7/3/04), Mark Martin (7/2/11), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7/1/17), Chase Elliott (7/7/2018).
• Nine different manufacturers have won the pole at Daytona, led by Chevrolet (53) and followed by Ford (25), Pontiac (15), Mercury (10), Dodge (nine), Oldsmobile (six), Plymouth (two), Toyota (one) and Buick (one).
• Eight different manufacturers have won the pole for the summer races at Daytona, led by Chevrolet (22), and followed by Ford (13), Pontiac (six), Dodge (five), Mercury (five), Oldsmobile (three), Toyota (one) and Buick (one).

WINS

• A total of 69 different drivers have posted at least one NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway; 31 drivers have multiple Cup Series wins at Daytona.
• Of the 69 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona winners, 41 of them have won the Summer race (59.4%).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Daytona International Speedway with 10 wins (Feb. 1964, Feb. 1966, Feb. 1971, Feb. 1973, Feb. 1974, July 1975, July 1977, Feb. 1979, Feb. 1981, July 1984).
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in Daytona wins with three (Feb. 2016, Feb. 2019, Feb. 2020).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in summer race victories at Daytona with five wins (1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978).
• Of the 69 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona winners, 16 are active this weekend; 10 of the 16 have won the Summer event.

• Youngest Daytona Summer race winner: Justin Haley (07/07/2019 – 20 years, 2 months, 9 days); the all-time track record is held by Trevor Bayne (02/20/2011 – 20 years, 0 months, 1 day).
• Oldest Daytona Summer race winner: Bobby Allison (07/04/1987 – 49 years, 7 months, 1 day); the all-time track record is held by Bobby Allison (02/14/1988 – 50 years, 5 months, 23 days).
• Five drivers have posted consecutive summer race wins at Daytona International Speedway: Fireball Roberts (1962-1963), J. Foyt (1964-1965), Cale Yarborough (1967-1968) David Pearson (three: 1972-1974) and Tony Stewart (2005-2006). None of the active drivers have multiple summer race Daytona wins.
• Five drivers have swept both NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona in a single season – the DAYTONA 500 and the summer race:
  • Fireball Roberts – 1962 (Daytona 500, Firecracker 250);
  • Cale Yarborough – 1968 (Daytona 500, Firecracker 400);
  • LeeRoy Yarborough – 1969 (Daytona 500, Firecracker 400);
  • Bobbie Allison – 1982 (Daytona 500, Firecracker 400);
  • Jimmie Johnson – 2013 (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola)
• A total of 23 different drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway; 11 of the 23 drivers posted their first win in the summer race – the most recent summer race first-time winner is William Byron, from the August race in 2020.
• Of the 23 different drivers that posted their first NASCAR Cup Series career win at Daytona International Speedway; Justin Haley started the deepest in the field at Daytona to win his first race, with a 34th-place starting position.

NASCAR Cup Series First-Time Winners at Daytona International Speedway (All-Time)

• Four of the last eight races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway have produced first-time winners in the series – Justin Haley (2019-2), William Byron (2020-2), Michael McDowell (2021-1) and Austin Cindric (2022-1).
• A total of 26 of the 152 NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position (17.1%).
• Nine of the 64 summer Daytona International Speedway races (14.1%) in the NASCAR Cup Series have been won from the pole or first starting position – six were from the pole and three were from the first starting position when qualifying was cancelled.

• The youngest driver to win from the pole or first starting position at Daytona in the summer races was Fireball Roberts at the age of 30 years, 5 months and 3 days and did so on July 4, 1959.
• The most recent driver to win from the pole or first starting position at Daytona in the NASCAR Cup Series was NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 2015 July race (Qualifying was cancelled for this event).
• A total of 22 different starting positions have produced winners in the NASCAR Cup Series 64 summer races at Daytona International Speedway.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (nine) than any other starting position in the Summer race at Daytona International Speedway (14.06%).

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Daytona (64 Summer Races)

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Daytona is 42nd, by Tony Stewart in the 2012 July race.
• Martin Truex Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona without visiting Victory Lane at 36; followed by AJ Allmendinger with 20.
• Wood Brothers Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the most wins at Daytona in the NASCAR Cup Series with 15 victories each; both have done it with seven different winning drivers.

Wood Brothers Racing Wins at Daytona

Hendrick Motorsports Wins at Daytona

• Nine different manufacturers have won points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, led by Chevrolet with 50, followed by Ford (40), Dodge (15), Pontiac (14), Mercury (13), Buick (6), Plymouth (6), Toyota (5), Oldsmobile (3).
• Eight different manufacturers have won points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona from the pole or first starting position, led by Pontiac and Chevrolet with seven wins each, followed by Ford (four), Mercury (four), Dodge (one), Buick (one), Plymouth (one) and Oldsmobile (one).
• Seven different manufacturers have won the summer races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, led by Chevrolet with 22, followed by Ford (20), Mercury (seven), Dodge (five), Pontiac (five), Buick (three) and Toyota (2).
• Four different manufacturers have won the summer races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona from the pole or first starting position, led by Chevrolet with five, followed by Pontiac (two), Mercury (one) and Buick (one).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 71 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished runner-up at Daytona.
• Buddy Baker leads the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Daytona with eight second-place finishes.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Daytona with four (2019, 2016, 2007, 2006).
• A total of 43 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished runner-up at Daytona in the summer races.
• Buddy Baker leads the series in runner-up finishes at Daytona in the summer races with five second-place finishes (1965, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1987).
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes in the summer race at Daytona with three (2016, ‘07, ‘06).

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes in the Summer Race at Daytona (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 164 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished in the top-five at Daytona.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Daytona with 28 top fives.
• Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick leads all active Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Daytona with 11 each.
• A total of 119 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished in the top-five in the summer race at Daytona.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in top-five finishes at Daytona in the Summer race with 13.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in top-five finishes in the Summer race at Daytona with five.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes in the Summer Race at Daytona (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 282 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished in the top-10 at Daytona.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Daytona with 37 top 10s.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Daytona with 16.
• A total of 195 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished in the top-10 in the Summer race at Daytona.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in top-10 finishes in the Summer Daytona race with 19 top 10s.
• Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch lead all active drivers in top-10 finishes in the Summer race at Daytona with six top 10s each.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes in the Summer Race at Daytona (All-Time & Active)

Average Finish:

• Vic Parsons leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Daytona with an 8.5 in two starts.
• Austin Cindric leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Daytona with a 10.5 in four starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Daytona (All-Time & Active)

• Cotton Owen leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Daytona in the Summer races with an 5.0 in two starts.
• Bubba Wallace leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Daytona in the Summer races with a 10.333 in six starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position in the Summer Race at Daytona (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

All Races at Daytona:

• A total of 204 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Daytona with 1,286 laps led out of 7,485 laps completed (17.1%) in 46 starts.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active series drivers in laps led at Daytona with 654 laps led out of 5,922 laps completed (11.1%) in 35 starts – he is ranked 10th on the all-time list.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway by the race winner is 184 of the scheduled 200 laps (92%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty in the 1964 Daytona 500.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway by a driver that did not win the race is 170 of the 187 scheduled laps (90.9%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts in the 1961 Daytona 500 – he finished 20th in the event.
• Eight times the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Daytona International Speedway has led just the final lap; most recent was the 2021 Daytona 500:

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Daytona races (All-time & Active)

Summer Races at Daytona:

• A total of 151 different drivers have led laps in the summer Cup races at Daytona International Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led in the summer Daytona races with 644 laps led out of 2,245 laps completed (28.7%) in 22 starts.
• Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led in the Summer Daytona races with 184 laps led out of 2,622 laps completed (7.0%) in 18 starts.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series summer race at Daytona International Speedway by the race winner is 151 of scheduled 160 laps (94%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in the 2005 event.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway by a driver that did not win the race is 118 of 160 scheduled laps (74%) by Buddy Baker in the 1975 summer race – he ultimately finished second.
• The fewest laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series summer race at Daytona International Speedway by the race winner is just the final lap, and it has occurred twice in the Summer races – July 2018 (Erik Jones) and July 1994 (Jimmy Spencer).

Top 10 Lap Leaders at the Summer Daytona Races (All-Time & Active)

TRACK / EVENT STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway for the Summer race is the July 7, 2007 event won by Jamie McMurray over Kyle Busch with a margin of victory of 0.005 second.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Summer Race at Daytona

• 10 of the 64 NASCAR Cup Series summer races at Daytona have resulted with Overtime finishes:

• Three of the 64 NASCAR Cup Series Summer races at Daytona International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions:

• Qualifying for the summer race has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway six times: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019 and 2022.
• Qualifying for the summer races at Daytona were also cancelled due to the pandemic restrictions – starting lineups were set by Metric Qualifying in 2020 and 2021.
• The largest number of different leaders in the summer Daytona race in the NASCAR Cup Series is 25 set in 2011; David Ragan won the 2011 July race.
• The largest number of lead changes in the summer Daytona race in the NASCAR Cup Series is 57 set in 2011; David Ragan won the 2011 July race.

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• A total of six female drivers have competed in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona – Danica Patrick, Janet Guthrie, Christine Beckers, Lella Lombardi, Patty Moise and Shawna Robinson. All six have competed in the July race.
• Janet Guthrie was the first female competitor to race at Daytona International Speedway in 1976. She started 33rd and raced her way up to a 15th-place finish.
• The best finish by a female driver in the NACAR Cup Series in the summer race at Daytona was Danica Patrick’s eighth-place finish in 2014.

NASCAR IN FLORIDA

• A total of 356 NASCAR national series points-paying races have been held in the state of Florida among 11 different tracks.

• The first NASCAR Cup Series race in the state of Florida was held at the Daytona Beach & Road Course on July 10, 1949 – the inaugural season for the series. The 40-lap event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile, 80.883 mph).

FLORIDA IN NASCAR

• A total of 197 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Florida.
• 12 of the 197 have recorded at least one victory in NASCAR national series competition.
• Nine Florida drivers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by Fireball Roberts with 33 victories.
• Of the nine Florida native drivers who have won in the NASCAR Cup Series, only Fireball Roberts, LeeRoy Yarborough and Aric Almirola have won the summer race at Daytona.

— NASCAR —