The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s Super Bowl if you will. It is their most important race of the year, where they draw their largest audience of viewers. Hard core and casual fans alike tune into FOX every February to catch the greatest spectacle NASCAR puts on. There is a reason it is called the Great American Race. For fans who attend the race, the air of the Daytona 500 feels different than other races. While difficult to describe, it is special. A pre-race concert by a name everyone has heard. The amazing flyovers by the Thunderbirds. Usually, a big name celebrity as the grand marshal, pace car driver, and/or flag waver. This year, President Donald Trump arrived and did a flyover in Air Force One. Everything about the Daytona 500 lives up to the hype, until the cars hit the track.
Current superspeedway racing has its supporters and detractors. Honestly, since the restrictor plates were put on, superspeedway racing has been a divisive area. With both drivers and fans, some love it and appreciate the style in which it is run. Meanwhile, others find it loathsome to drudge through while waiting for the “real racing”. Usually though, the Daytona 500 can cure some of that divide. Every driver wants to win it and every fan wants to attend it. The peak of the 500 rose during the late 1990s/early 2000s. Not only due to NASCAR’s overall popularity, but the racing backed up the narrative. Over the past few seasons, the Daytona 500 has lost luster, even from superspeedway die-hards. Whether you blame the drivers, the car, fuel saving or NASCAR, something is lacking from today’s Daytona 500.
2025 Daytona 500
For many, calling this year’s 500 a bad race would be an overreach. Visually, the racing passed the eye test until the carnage took over in the final stint. How can you not be entertained by 41 drivers running 3-wide around the World Center of Racing? Inches off each other’s bumper, a slight slip-up away from disaster; that is compelling television. There were no moments of a single-file train rolling around the high side. Essentially, the entirety of green flags laps were spent with impending drama.
However, it does ring a bit hollow to the fans who know why the drivers are running like that. Despite the 3-wide status, the field is essentially stagnate as everyone is conserving fuel. In order to have the quickest pit stop during fueling, drivers are consistent reprimanded by their crew chiefs to save. During the early stages, that fuel strategy can see certain drivers move if they decide to burn fuel. However, the last stage keeps it stationary because every driver wants a quick final pit stop.
With that said, this is not a huge issue. The 3-wide can be stagnate and frustrating, it is more appealing than the 100+ laps of single file train. However, that does lead into the actual issue that unfolded Sunday night.
Go Time Equals Stalling Out
Something about the Gen7 car simply aggravates the aerodynamics of the draft. Drivers and teams have discussed the frustrations of trying to move through the field when everyone is going full throttle. The entertaining 3-wide action fans saw early disappeared. Bubba Wallace tried leading a third lane immediately, but all it accomplished was that line fading and the front 7 getting ahead of the pack. Basically, if you were not closely behind the leader, you had no chance of working your way there.
Granted, Corey LaJoie eventually led an outside that propelled him to the lead. However, Austin Cindric, the race leader, got informed he was shy on fuel. More than likely, Cindric started to pull off the throttle a tad, allowing LaJoie’s line to propel forward.
If drivers saving fuel is the predominate way runs can occur, that becomes unsatisfying really quick. Considering drivers who were caught in the back were from Hendrick Motorsports, 23XI Racing, and RFK Racing, that indicates talent and equipment struggle to matter. At that point, it diminishes the value of winning the Daytona 500. Yes, there is still skill involved in winning. However, good results are starting to come down to fuel saving, track position, and God’s grace that you avoid carnage.
From Big One to Big Ones
Tremendous wrecks on superspeedways have been commonplace in NASCAR lore. Ever since restrictor plates were implemented, big pile-ups have become expected at Daytona and Talladega. It is the natural circumstance of cramming the field together in one pack. One bump or error that would result in 1-2 cars wrecking at an intermediate turn into 10-15 crash fests since everyone is within a second of each other. That is why these wrecks were dubbed “The Big One”. You waited all race for “The Big One” to strike. Usually, it waited until the last third of the race when drivers became more aggressive trying to win the race.
However, the big key to it was the “one” piece of it. For most superspeedway races, there would be one big accident that collected double digit drivers. Sure, there were other wrecks sprinkled throughout the race but they were usually limited to a couple of cars. Now, there are multiple big ones. Sunday night alone there were 3 cautions that involved 7 or more cars. That does not include the final lap incident that did not get a caution thrown.
You can blame it on a number of factors. Are drivers too aggressive with no respect to their cars or fellow competitors? Maybe, but every driver in their post-crash interview chalks it up to how the racing is. Can you blame the Gen7 car for that aggressiveness? Back in 2020, Denny Hamlin allowed Ryan Blaney to pass him on the final lap knowing he could pass him back off of Turn 4. Would that happen with today’s car? Seemingly no, and that is how the drivers feel. Why else would Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr fight so feverishly for fifth with 13 laps to go?
Chaos Turns Into Surprise Winner
It is a big difficult to dub William Byron as a “surprise winner”. Afterall, this was his second straight Daytona 500 and 5th superspeedway win. Plus, he drivers for Hendrick Motorsports, arguably the top team in the Cup Series. However, Byron’s win did come out of nowhere. Even as the wrecking started, Byron remained toward the back of pack. On the final restart, he lined up 9th and cross the start/finish line 7th on the final lap. However, the front 6 wrecking in front of him open the doors to his win.
Then vs. Now
While the Daytona 500 has been known for surprise/upset winners, the pattern is starting to become a poor narrative for NASCAR’s biggest race. The upset winners were sprinkled in among the legendary drivers to win the Great American Race. If it was not one of the greats, at least it was either a top driver at the time or a superspeedway ace. From 2000 to 2020, 14 times the Daytona 500 was won by a current or future Hall of Famer. Depending on your feelings about Ryan Newman, that number could be 15. The remaining 4 winners include Michael Waltrip (twice), Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, and Trevor Bayne. Waltrip and Dillon have proven to be great superspeedway racers so that leaves 2 truly upset winners.
Sure, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Austin Cindric could be filed into that superspeedway ace category. However, William Byron is the only “expected” driver to win the Daytona 500 since 2021. Meaning, he is the driver who is considered at the top of the sport who usually wins at non-superspeedways. That said, this year’s win more so fell into his lap, hence the surprise element.
This is not to say the Daytona 500 only should be won by the top teams/drivers. However, the more random the winners seem, the more the importance of winning the Daytona 500 becomes. As Kyle Larson said during Media Day, the feeling around not winning the Daytona 500 is lesser than before. Winning it is a great accomplish, but lacking that win is starting to become less of a blemish on the resume.
No Fixes in Sight
Unfortunately, there is not a fix to restoring that special feeling of the racing of the Daytona 500. NASCAR has been completely bullish on doing any changes to the Gen7 car at this moment. Although many NASCAR personalities have offered up their solutions to fuel saving, the draft, and other elements, the Daytona 500 is still accomplishing what NASCAR wants.
No doubt about it, the race still presents as highly important. Hard to argue against that when the President of the United States shows up (in a non-election year too). William Byron’s celebration after winning still demonstrates the meaning of it. TV ratings for the race will be the highest of the season. Hardcore fans might have their gripes and quibbles, but the casual fan seemingly loves this. Hence why the Cup Series is heading to Atlanta next week. While there is a growing issue with the Daytona 500, it is in sentiment rather than numbers.
As someone who grew up going to every Daytona race, it is frustrating and sad to see how the racing played out on Sunday night. Especially those final 20-30 laps, where drivers were stuck in place no matter how hard they tried to move forward. Days of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Denny Hamlin weaving through the field at will feel lost. The pomp and circumstance around the Daytona 500 feel more consequential than the actual racing. This race deserves great action on-track. Right now, it is lacking, especially during the crucial moments.
