Top Daytona 500 drivers: King, Intimidator top list

Determine the all-time 10 best drivers in the Daytona 500. That's the assignment I was given for this year's series.

That's 50 races. More than 500 drivers. There may be fewer than a handful of people who can say they witnessed all of the races from Lee Petty's win in 1959 to Ryan Newman's victory in 2008. And even then, any determination based on observation, whether first-hand or through pictures and descriptions, is still subjective. How I saw the finish of the 1979 Daytona 500 from my seat in the grandstands isn't necessarily the same as anyone else who was at the track that day.

So I crunched the numbers using variations of the current points system, and when completed, the data revealed some surprising results. At least two multiple Daytona 500 winners failed to crack the top 10, as was the case with one of NASCAR's all-time winningest drivers. Nos. 11 through 100 are listed at the bottom of the page. Enjoy the list.

No. 1: Richard Petty (32 starts, 1,460 points)

Don Hunter

In 1973, Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 for the second time in three years; he would win again in '74 to become the first back-to-back 500 winner.

By any measure, Richard Petty was truly the King. His mastery of the Daytona 500 is legendary. He won 500s in three different decades. He is one of only three drivers to win back-to-back 500s. He remains the leader with 781 laps led in 20 different Daytona 500s. And his 184 laps led in the 1964 event remain the most by any driver in one race.

Petty's first Daytona 500 start was inauspicious, as he blew an engine eight laps into the inaugural race in 1959 and finished 57th out of 59 starters. But it didn't take long for him to get the hang of the place. Running what would be referred to as the "Petty groove" -- right up against the outside concrete wall -- he finished third in 1960.

Richard Petty

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	7
2-5	4
6-10	5
11-15	0
16-20	3
21-30	4
31-40	8
41-plus	1

He missed the 1961 race after suffering a serious crash in the first qualifying race. He was in the infield medical center, having glass from the shattered windshield removed from his eyes when his father, Lee, went through the guard rail in the second race and was severely injured.

But Petty returned in 1962 to finish second to Fireball Roberts, as the only other car on the lead lap. He continued his string of top-10 finishes with a sixth in 1963, then came into the 1964 Daytona 500 with a new car featuring a powerful new engine, and high hopes.

Petty's Plymouth was flawless the entire week. He led the first 39 laps of his qualifying race and finished third only because he ran out of gas on the final lap. And in the 500, he took the lead from pole-sitter Paul Goldsmith on Lap 52 and never looked back. Turning laps at a blistering 170 mph, Petty lapped the field by the midway point of the race, finishing well ahead of runner-up Jimmy Pardue.

Before the 1965 season, NASCAR officials banned the Hemi engine from competition, and as a result, Chrysler teams boycotted the 1965 Daytona 500, leaving Petty without the ability to defend his title. But he more than made up for it in 1966.

Despite driving with a finger that would require surgery, Petty not only won the pole but dominated the race, leading 108 laps -- including the final 86 -- and once again lapping the entire field, as the race ended two laps shy of the scheduled distance because of rain.

"It was a real good feeling to come back and win after a year of just sitting around the pits," Petty said.

Petty finished eighth in each of the next three Daytona 500s, then had a rare engine failure that sidelined him after seven laps of the 1970 race. But he bounced back to score his third Daytona 500 victory in 1971, courtesy of a fuel miscalculation on the part of A.J. Foyt's Wood Brothers team. Foyt built a big lead, only to run out of fuel on Lap 162. By the time he returned to the track, Petty had an insurmountable advantage.

"He had the fastest car and I had the second-fastest," Petty said. "I don't think I could have gotten past him without some kind of break. Personally, I'm glad he ran out of fuel."

Foyt got his revenge in 1972 as Petty wound up in the garage with a broken valve. But the King was nowhere close to being dethroned. Despite losing a lap in the early going of the 1973 Daytona 500, Petty battled all the way back to third place with 50 laps remaining. Then when Cale Yarborough blew an engine, Petty was able to pit for tires and fuel, a move that allowed him to chase down Buddy Baker.

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Both cars were scheduled to pit, and Petty came in first -- making his stop in an amazing 9 seconds. Baker couldn't match that, and in trying to run down Petty, Baker's motor expired, giving Petty his fourth 500 victory.

Petty was battling Donnie Allison for the win in 1974 when he blew a tire with 19 laps remaining. Fortunately for Petty, it happened just at the entrance to pit road, allowing him to return to the track without losing much time. That wasn't the case for Allison, who had similar problems eight laps later, spinning after a tire went down. That allowed Petty to pull away for a 47-second victory over Yarborough, allowing him to become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in consecutive years.

Petty was 50 yards from making it three in a row in 1976, after he and David Pearson crashed coming to the line. But while Petty frantically tried to crank his No. 43 Dodge, Pearson's mangled Mercury was able to limp across the finish line first.

A blown engine in 1977 and a crash in 1978 kept Petty from adding to his win total. And he was running a distant fourth with one lap to go in the 1979 Daytona 500 when Allison and Yarborough tangled on the backstretch. Petty was able to pass Foyt in the confusion, and held off Darrell Waltrip for his sixth win.

A clutch failure left Petty 25th in 1980, but he scored win No. 7 in 1981, courtesy of a gamble in the pits. Running 6 seconds behind the leaders with 25 laps to go, Petty decided to save his tires for the stretch run. After Bobby Allison, Baker, Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt made regular pit stops, Petty came in two laps later -- and took just one can of gas.

Now ahead by 10 seconds, Petty ran the car just hard enough to keep the other contenders at bay, beating Allison to the finish line by 4 seconds.

"We just out-thunk 'em there at the end," Petty said.

The rest of the decade was a disappointing one for Petty, starting with a crash in the 1982 Daytona 500. He went five consecutive 500s without breaking into the top 25. Then in 1987, he scored his final Daytona 500 top-10, finishing third behind winner Bill Elliott and Benny Parsons. It was also the last time Petty would finish on the lead lap.

Petty had one of the worst crashes of his career in the 1988 Daytona 500. Coming out of Turn 4, his car lifted off the ground, barrel-rolled down the short chute and was hit by another car, causing it to spin like a top. Amazingly, Petty was not seriously injured.

"I closed my eyes, held my breath and then everything went black," Petty said. "I guess I blacked out. Then they tried to tell me my leg was broken. I told 'em it wasn't. If it was broken, I think I would know."

Petty returned to finish 17th in 1989, 34th in 1990, 19th in 1991 and 16th in his final Daytona 500 start in 1992.

In 32 Daytona 500 starts, Petty had 16 top-10 finishes and won more than $735,000.

No. 2: Dale Earnhardt (23 starts, 1,216 points)

Dale Earnhardt has but one Daytona 500 trophy but that hardly characterizes his ability to be in contention year-in and year-out for more than two decades there. By any measurement, the Intimidator was one of the best ever at Daytona, even if his win total doesn't show it.

Earnhardt made his Daytona 500 debut in a race still talked about for its incredible finish. He led 10 laps and finished eighth in the 1979 Daytona 500, worthy of more than a footnote in history, but his strong run was overshadowed by Richard Petty's win and the Allison-Yarborough fistfight. Just to prove that wasn't a fluke, he started 32nd in 1980 and worked his way into the lead by Lap 60, finishing fourth in the fastest 500 to date.

Dale Earnhardt

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	1
2-5	11
6-10	4
11-15	2
16-20	0
21-30	1
31-40	4
41-plus	0

He added another top-five finish in 1981, then moved to Bud Moore's Ford operation for the next two seasons. But Earnhardt struggled there, being sidelined both in 1982 and 1983 by engine failures despite leading in the early going.

Richard Childress asked Earnhardt to drive his No. 3 Chevrolet beginning with the 1984 season -- and he would stay with the team for the rest of his career. Earnhardt finished second to Cale Yarborough in the 1984 Daytona 500, the first of five second-place runs in the 500.

In 1985, Bill Elliott set such a torrid pace that Earnhardt's engine couldn't keep pace, putting him in the garage after 84 laps. But Earnhardt returned in 1986, more determined than ever.

He won his Daytona qualifying race and started fourth. And it was obvious early on that the 500 would probably come down to a shootout between himself and Geoff Bodine. With the laps counting down, Earnhardt was glued to Bodine's back bumper, patiently waiting for the opportunity to make the pass for the win.

But with three laps remaining, Earnhardt's car suddenly slowed as the fuel pressure dropped. The crew frantically worked to refuel the car, but the engine let go just as Earnhardt left the pit stall.

"We had them today until we ran out of gas," Earnhardt said. "But that's the way it goes. I could have gone by him, but I was trying to conserve fuel, hoping we could stretch it. There ain't nothing else to say about it. It was his day, and mine's coming."

That was the prevailing opinion: It would only be a matter of time before Earnhardt added his name to the list of Daytona 500 winners. But with every new racing season, it seemed that Dale Earnhardt might never achieve that goal.

In 1987, Earnhardt led 16 laps, but Elliott used a 6.3-second stop on his final visit to the pits to take the victory. In 1988, Earnhardt switched to the classic black paint scheme and finished 10th as Bobby Allison beat son Davey to become the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500. In 1989, Darrell Waltrip somehow managed to coast to victory in a fuel economy run, leaving Earnhardt to settle for third.

But the biggest heartbreak for Earnhardt might have come in 1990, when he began a string of 10 consecutive wins in Daytona qualifying races, only to suffer a series of disappointments in the 500-miler. None was bigger than the 1990 Daytona 500, when Earnhardt dominated the entire race, leading 155 of the 200 laps. He was comfortably in front with two turns to go, when he ran over a piece of debris, cutting a tire. As he fought to regain control in Turn 3, Derrike Cope ended up with a surprising win.

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During that decade, it seemed anything that could happen, somehow did. In 1991, Earnhardt hit a seagull, then wound up crashing with Davey Allison with two laps remaining, resulting in a fifth-place finish. In 1992, he wound up in the middle of a 14-car pileup midway through the race, and rallied to finish ninth. In 1993, he led more than half the race but couldn't find a way around Dale Jarrett when it counted, leaving him to settle for second.

He led 45 laps in 1994 but finished a distant seventh to Sterling Marlin. Earnhardt led 23 laps the next year, but Marlin had the better car at the end, and the Intimidator was once again second.

"I'm not supposed to win the damn thing, I don't reckon," Earnhardt said.

The 1996 Daytona 500 finish was a repeat of 1993, with Jarrett and Earnhardt finishing 1-2 at the line. Those two were connected in the 1997 race, but not necessarily in a good way. While racing with Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt's car lost downforce and he was hit by Jarrett, which started the No. 3 flipping down the backstretch. Earnhardt's mangled machine landed on its wheels, and after conferring with the ambulance crew, Earnhardt climbed back into his car and somehow got it refired, finishing 31st to the delight of the crowd.

For Earnhardt, the 1998 Daytona 500 was a lot like the previous 19. He had a car capable of winning the race, and was in front with the laps winding down. But for once, bad luck stayed away. And when the caution came out on Lap 198 for a crash involving John Andretti and Lake Speed, Earnhardt finally had his Daytona 500 victory.

"I'll admit it," Earnhardt said. "My eyes watered up in the race car coming to take the checkered. It's something I've always wondered what it might feel like."

Earnhardt finished second to Gordon the following season, was never a factor in the 2000 race, and was running third on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 -- behind longtime friend Michael Waltrip and son Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- when he hit the outside wall nearly head-on and was killed. Because of his death -- and those of Kenny Irwin, Adam Petty and others -- NASCAR made substantial safety improvements across the board, providing Earnhardt with one final legacy.

No. 3: Cale Yarborough (26 starts, 1,179 points)

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Cale Yarborough is most-known for this fight in the '79 Daytona 500, but four 500 wins also stands out.

Remembered as much for his helmet-swinging battle in the mud with the Allison brothers as for his four Daytona 500 victories, Cale Yarborough was known for his tenacity and toughness, from his first Daytona 500 in 1962 until his last in 1988.

Yarborough was 22 when famed car owner Julian Buesink asked him to drive the No. 52 Ford in the 1962 Daytona 500. Yarborough did well in the qualifier, finishing 10th. But Yarborough was only able to complete four laps in the 500 before electrical problems ended his day.

He returned in 1963, only to miss the race after finishing 20th in his qualifier. He returned to Daytona with two different independent operations in the next two seasons, running consistently near the front of the field and posting a ninth-place finish for Gary Weaver in 1965. That earned Cale a shot with Banjo Mathews in 1966, and he made the most of it.

Starting 19th, Yarborough worked his way into the lead by Lap 41 and spent much of the first half of the race dueling with Paul Goldsmith and Jim Hurtubise at the front of the field. But Richard Petty, who had a tire issue early on, set a blistering pace, taking the lead on Lap 113 and lapping the field -- including Yarborough -- before rain halted proceedings two laps from the scheduled distance.

Finish	No.
Wins	4
2-5	6
6-10	4
11-15	0
16-20	2
21-30	2
31-40	6
41-plus	2

• DNFs: 11

The Wood Brothers took notice and put Yarborough in the No. 21 Mercury for the 1967 Daytona 500. He led 12 laps and finished third in the qualifying race, but he had suspension problems in the 500 and finished 39th.

Yarborough won the pole for the 1968 Daytona 500 and appeared to be the man to beat, especially after he led a major portion of the race. But then his engine started to miss, forcing him to come into the pits for repairs. However, Glen Wood was able to replace a key component under the dash and get Cale back on the track, still within sight of leader LeeRoy Yarbrough. And with less than five laps remaining, Yarborough -- who had failed to complete the pass for the lead twice -- finally got around Yarbrough on the backstretch.

"We were having some heating problems and I wasn't sure the car could take [running flat out]," Yarborough said. "But I didn't realize we were so close to the finish of the race. I happened to glance over at the pits and there was Glen holding a sign saying six laps to go."

The victory was worth $47,250, the biggest payday of Yarborough's career, to that point.

Unfortunately, Yarborough's luck at Daytona the next three seasons was all bad. He crashed and finished 38th in 1969. He won the pole in 1970 and dominated his qualifying race, only to blow an engine in the 500, leaving him 37th. And in 1971, more engine problems saddled him with a 33rd-place finish.

Yarborough wound up sixth in 1972, well behind eventual winner A.J. Foyt. But despite a 22nd-place finish in 1973, Yarborough would soon find more success at Daytona.

He finished second to Richard Petty in 1974 -- in a race that featured 59 official lead-changes -- then third in 1975 after colliding with David Pearson while trying to pass a lapped car. Yarborough watched the thrilling finish between Petty and Pearson in the 1976 Daytona 500 from the garage after his car blew an engine at the drop of the green flag, resulting in a 42nd-place finish.

But there was no way anybody would catch Yarborough in the 1977 Daytona 500. He was almost invincible from the moment the cars were rolled off the haulers. He led 47 laps on his way to winning his qualifying race, and did the same in the 500-miler, leading 137 laps -- including the final 28 -- in capturing his second Daytona 500 victory. He only gave up the lead when he stopped for fuel, and once when he cut a tire.

"My old Chevrolet had everybody's number today," Yarborough said.

Yarborough finished second to Bobby Allison in 1978 and came into the 1979 race with high hopes. In a finish that's still talked about today, he and Donnie Allison commenced to banging fenders on the backstretch while racing for the lead on the last lap -- crashing both cars for the second time that afternoon -- and allowing Petty to win. The resulting fistfight/wrestling match in the muddy infield has been replayed and revisited countless times.

He finished 19th in 1980, eighth in 1981 and second to Bobby Allison in 1982, in a race that once again featured bad blood between the two. But Yarborough moved to Harry Ranier's operation the next season and found himself in the perfect situation.

Yarborough was on his way to becoming the first driver to qualify in excess of 200 mph at Daytona when he lost control and flipped, destroying his primary car. But he raced the backup into the field in the qualifying race, and then bided his time in the 500, barely avoiding Darrell Waltrip's accident on Lap 64, then waiting for the right time to make a challenge for the lead. That came on the final lap, when he got drafting help from Joe Ruttman to shoot past Buddy Baker for the win.

"I wanted to be sitting in second place," Yarborough said. "I knew that when I made my move on Buddy on the last lap, I had to take another car with me in the draft."

The 1984 Daytona 500 was nearly a carbon copy of the previous year's finish. This time, it was Waltrip who was the sitting duck when Yarborough -- who led more than half of the laps -- decided the time was right to make his move.

"I knew I had a sure thing," Yarborough said. "I didn't run up on a car out there all day that I couldn't pass when I wanted to."

Yarborough joined Petty as the only drivers at that point to win back-to-back 500s. He could have very easily been in position to win three in a row in 1985. He won his qualifier, started from the front now and was in the lead when the engine let go, leaving him with a 36th-place finish.

Yarborough raced three more times in the Daytona 500, finishing 10th in 1987. In all, he finished in the top three nine times and had 14 top-10 finishes.

No. 4: Bill Elliott (26 starts, 1,134 points)

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Bill Elliott said his 1987 battle for victory was sweeter than the 1985 domination.

When it came to making a name for himself in NASCAR, Bill Elliott seemed to perform best when in the sport's biggest spotlight. He won the Daytona 500 twice -- in 1985 and again in 1987 -- and recorded 13 top-10 finishes in his 26 starts.

But like many young drivers trying to make an impression on the racing world, Elliott struggled some in the early going. He failed to qualify for two of his first three Daytona 500s. However, he also scored a surprising eighth-place in his family-owned Mercury in 1978. He ran 12th in 1980 and followed that up with a sixth-place finish in 1981, including leading four laps.

Still, the team was on shaky financial footing until businessman Harry Melling came onto the scene as car owner for the following season. Armed with adequate sponsorship, Elliott promptly scored back-to-back top-five finishes in the 500. He was the top-finishing Ford in 1982, winding up fifth. And the next season, Elliott made a tremendous three-wide last turn pass to take second place away from Buddy Baker.

Bill Elliott

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	2
2-5	7
6-10	5
11-15	4
16-20	1
21-30	4
31-40	3
41-plus	0

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Finishes like that caught the eye of Coors Brewing, which decided to sponsor Elliott's No. 9 beginning in 1984. Cale Yarborough had the dominant car that year, as Elliott finished second to behind the No. 28 Chevrolet in their qualifying race and fifth in the 500. But Elliott would get a feel for what it was like to have a dominant car in the 1985 Daytona 500.

Elliott was blessed by having two things in his favor in 1985. First, the Thunderbird was aerodynamically superior to the Chevrolets. Second, he had brother Ernie's engines under the hood. When the race started, it was obvious that Yarborough was the only car that could keep pace -- and when he blew an engine after 62 laps, it was just a matter of Elliott making sure everything stayed together until the end. Neil Bonnett and Lake Speed both gave Elliott some competition late in the running, but after leading 136 laps, he wasn't about to be denied his first Daytona 500 victory.

"Him and that Ford just flat ran us off the race track and behind the wall," Benny Parsons said. "When you're chasing a man who's setting that kind of race pace, something has to give and it was obvious since we got here that he wasn't going to be the one to give."

Elliott had the same combination in place for 1986, and it initially looked like a carbon copy of the previous year. He won the pole, dominated his qualifying race and seemed to have things well in hand in the 500 when he got caught up in a multi-car accident near the midway point of the race. Despite losing two laps, Elliott still finished 13th.

He was determined to make amends in 1987, and promptly set a Daytona 500 qualifying record lap of 210.364 mph, a mark that because of restrictor plates will probably never be broken. However, Elliott knew that in the draft, there were many cars the equal of his No. 9 Ford. And Ken Schrader proved it by nosing out Elliott in the qualifying race.

Still, Elliott led the majority of the laps and was in front when he pitted for fuel with 13 laps remaining. Geoffrey Bodine, who won on fuel strategy the previous year, rolled the dice again. This time, Bodine's car sputtered and died with three laps remaining. That left Elliott in the lead, and he held off Benny Parsons at the line for his second Daytona 500 victory in a three-year span.

"This victory is sweeter than the one in 1985," Elliott said. "Then, the car was superior. Today, it was only equal to some others and I had to race it.

"This was the kind of race that keeps you pumped because it was so close. You have to beat the competition in every way, on the track and on the pits."

Elliott's streak of Daytona 500 poles ended in 1988 when he was third-fastest in qualifying. But he wrecked on the first lap in his qualifier and was forced to start 31st in the 500. He still wound up 12th at the end of the day.

In early 1989, Elliott broke his wrist during preseason testing and was forced to hand over driving duties to fellow Georgian Jody Ridley following the first caution of that season's Daytona 500. He was credited with a 35th-place finish. He ended up third behind surprise winner Derrike Cope in the 1990 race, then finished 28th in the 1991 edition.

During the offseason, Elliott shocked the racing world by signing with Junior Johnson's team -- and the move initially seemed to pay dividends when Elliott qualified on the front row. But he was involved in a major crash and wound up 27th. He blew an engine midway through the 1993 event and finished 39th, then scored a top-10 in 1994.

Elliott then went the owner/driver route for the next six Daytona 500s, with varying success. He led 29 laps and finished eighth in 1996. He led 30 laps and appeared to be on his way to a third 500 victory the next year when Jeff Gordon made a daring pass on the apron to get by with six laps to go, as Elliott faded to fourth. And Elliott was part of a top-five Ford sweep in 2000, finishing third behind Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton.

In 2001, Dodge returned to NASCAR and Elliott became the flagbearer for Ray Evernham's team. He won the pole and avoided the accident that claimed the life of Dale Earnhardt to finish fifth. In two more starts for Dodge, Elliott failed to crack the top 10 -- and then finished 19th in the 2006 Daytona 500, driving one of Bobby Ginn's Chevrolets.

Elliott will make his 27th Daytona 500 start on Sunday, as his time in qualifying was good enough to guarantee him a spot in the lineup.

No. 5: Terry Labonte (27 starts, 1,069 points)

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Terry Labonte's second, along with Jeff Gordon's win and Ricky Craven's third, gave owner Rick Hendrick a Daytona 500 sweep in 1997.

In the category of "best driver never to win the Daytona 500," there are a number of worthy nominees. Terry Labonte's name should certainly be placed right among those at the top. The Texas native has finished second on three separate occasions, and scored three more top-five finishes, but victory has eluded him since he made his Daytona 500 debut in 1979.

Just like his NASCAR career, Labonte's finishing history at Daytona shows impressive consistency. He's finished outside of the top 30 only twice in 27 starts, one of those coming as a result of engine issues. And from 1986 until 1999, Labonte was listed as running at the finish.

Labonte had a solid 16th-place finish in his first 500, driving one of Billy Hagan's Buicks. He was even better in 1980, finishing sixth despite the blistering pace set by Buddy Baker in the fastest 500 to date. Labonte completed just 47 laps the next year before engine woes saddled him with a 40th-place finish, but he bounced back to lead three laps and finish fourth in 1982, sixth in 1983 and 12th in 1984.

Terry Labonte

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	0
2-5	6
6-10	6
11-15	4
16-20	5
21-30	4
31-40	2
41-plus	0

• Store: Labonte collectibles

Labonte had a car capable of running up front in 1985, but blew an engine in his qualifier, forcing him to start 31st on the grid. He led two laps, only to have engine issues at the three-quarter mark, leaving him 25th.

In the next 13 Daytona 500s, Labonte would post eight top-10 finishes, starting with a second to Geoffrey Bodine in 1986, after Dale Earnhardt and Sterling Marlin lost engines after running out of gas late in the event.

Labonte moved to Junior Johnson's team for 1987 and finished 18th in the last non-restrictor-plate 500, then scored finishes of fifth and ninth the next two seasons in the No. 11.

He moved to Richard Jackson's No. 1 Oldsmobile for the 1990 Daytona 500, and was running behind Earnhardt and Derrike Cope as the leaders took the white flag. As the leaders headed into Turn 3, Earnhardt shot up the banking, the victim of a cut tire. From that point, Labonte was unable to make a move around Cope at the line, settling for second.

Upon his return to Hagan's operation in 1991, Labonte continued to pile up strong runs at Daytona for the rest of the decade. He finished 13th that season, seventh in 1992 and 11th in 1993. Labonte had another strong car in the 1994 Daytona 500 -- this time a Rick Hendrick Chevrolet -- and was running second to Sterling Marlin with four laps to go but faded to third as Marlin held off Ernie Irvan for the win.

The Labonte-Hendrick relationship continued with an eighth-place finish in 1995. And the next season, Labonte found himself with one of his best chances to break his winless streak at Daytona. He led 44 laps and dominated much of the early portion of the race, but debris on the front of his grill led to overheating problems, and he finished a frustrating 24th.

Labonte once again was in the mix in the closing stages of the 1997 Daytona 500, running third behind Bill Elliott and teammate Jeff Gordon. When Gordon made a daring pass of Elliott down low in Turn 1, Labonte took the high line, with the rest of the contenders following him. Both Gordon and Labonte made it by, but as Labonte was planning a possible pass for the lead, a multi-car accident broke out behind the frontrunners, allowing Gordon to maintain his position in the final laps.

After finishing 13th in 1998, Labonte's string of good fortune came to a crashing end, as he was eliminated in crashes in three of the next four Daytona 500s. He led a lap and finished 20th in what was expected to be his final Daytona 500 in 2004, but Labonte returned in 2006 to drive the No. 96 Chevy for Hall of Fame Racing, finishing 17th.

And Labonte will make his 28th Daytona 500 appearance Sunday, after making the field using his past champion's provisional.

No. 6: Bobby Allison (25 starts, 1,049 points)

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Bobby Allison had an up-and-down career in the 500 with 13 finishes in the top 15 and 12 finishes 16th or worse.

The Daytona 500 seemed the unlikeliest of places for Bobby Allison to break a 67-race winless streak and jump-start the second half of his career -- but that was the case in 1978.

Allison was 23 when he made his Daytona 500 debut in 1961. He finished 20th in his qualifying race, returned to West Hollywood, Fla., to witness the birth of his son, Davey, then drove all the way back up U.S. 1 to Daytona just in time to finish 31st in the 500-miler.

Allison wouldn't return to the Speedway until 1965, when he piloted his own Ford to an 11th-place finish in the rain-shortened race. Engine issues sidelined him early in the next two Daytona 500s, but he posted his first top-five finish in the 1968 Daytona 500, leading seven laps and winding up third behind Cale Yarborough and LeeRoy Yarbrough.

Bobby Allison

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	3
2-5	5
6-10	2
11-15	3
16-20	3
21-30	3
31-40	4
41-plus	2

• Store: Allison collectibles

After a completely forgettable 1969 Daytona experience, in which Allison lost engines in both the qualifying race and the 500, he returned in 1970 to finish third, one lap behind eventual winner Pete Hamilton. Then his Daytona luck turned sour again. In the next four seasons -- and despite having a car capable of running up front, Allison finished 18th, 16th, 25th and 30th.

Switching to Roger Penske's operation in 1975 seemed to break the jinx, at least for one season. Allison's Matador finished second to Benny Parsons that season, and he was running among the leaders in the 1976 Daytona 500 when the engine let go after 123 laps. Engine woes once again put Allison out of the race in 1977, leaving him 15th.

So hopes weren't particularly high in the 1978 Daytona 500, especially after Allison crashed while leading his qualifying race and was forced to start 33rd. And he was about to go a lap down to the leaders on Lap 60 when Richard Petty cut a tire and set off a multi-car accident, eliminating his car and those of Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson.

Several laps later, Allison was just in front of A.J. Foyt when Benny Parsons blew a tire, sending Foyt on a wild flipping crash through the Daytona infield. Allison squeezed through mostly unscathed -- and by the final 100 miles, was the only other car with a chance to catch Buddy Baker, who had been dominant up to that point.

However, Allison was the primary beneficiary when Baker's engine expired five laps from the finish, making him the surprise winner.

And that single moment seemed to banish Allison's Daytona hex for good. After running 11th in 1979, Allison bounced back with consecutive second-place finishes the next two seasons. He was second to Baker in 1980 and runner-up to Petty in 1981.

Allison added a second Daytona 500 trophy to his mantle in 1982, amid several allegations of foul play. First, an early-race incident with Yarborough caused Allison's rear bumper to tear off, which some competitors argued gave him an aerodynamic advantage. Then Allison made the final 40 laps without the benefit of refueling -- running out of gas in the final corner -- which raised questions about the fuel cell in the No. 88 Buick. But the car passed inspection, and the fuel cell was declared legal.

After running ninth in the 1983 Daytona 500, mechanical issues eliminated Allison from contention in each of the next three races. But he finished sixth in 1987, giving a promise of much more to come in the 1988 Daytona 500.

When Waltrip retired with engine problems just 14 laps from the finish, it set up a battle between Allisons -- father and son -- and Bobby was able to hold off Davey by two car-lengths for his third 500 win, making him the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500.

"Since I was a kid, I've dreamed about battling to the wire, finishing 1-2 with my dad," Davey Allison said. "The only difference was I wanted him to finish second."

Bobby Allison would be seriously injured at Pocono later in the season and retire from the sport, making him the only driver never to return to defend a Daytona 500 win.

No. 7: Buddy Baker (28 starts, 972 points)

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Beginning with his win in 1980, Buddy Baker scored seven top-10s in nine starts during the decade.

With a little more help from Lady Luck, there's no telling how many Daytona 500 victories Buddy Baker might have accumulated. From 1967 through 1983, Baker led at least one lap in all but one Daytona 500, and somehow only made one trip to Victory Lane. And yet, Baker's name is rarely listed with the greatest drivers of that era.

Whether the reputation was deserved or not, Baker was considered a driver who was hard on his equipment. Eleven times, Baker failed to finish a Daytona 500 because of engine-related issues. But in his defense, several of those came in the closing laps, adding to his legend as one of the more star-crossed drivers in NASCAR history.

Buddy Baker

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	1
2-5	7
6-10	4
11-15	1
16-20	1
21-30	6
31-40	8
41-plus	0

• DNFs: 16

Baker showed up for the 1961 Daytona 500 as a 20-year-old rookie, driving as a teammate to father, Buck Baker, a two-time NASCAR champion. He finished 40th, 55 laps off the pace. He returned the next year in one of the family Chryslers, only to be sidelined with overheating problems. Blown engines put him out of the 1964 and 1965 races, and an oil leak in the 1966 Daytona 500 ended his day just 69 laps into the event.

A switch to Ray Fox's Dodge operation in 1967 should have signaled a change in Baker's fortunes, but mechanical gremlins continued to follow him there. He started ninth and led 11 laps before the engine let go on Lap 120. He had another car worthy of contention in 1968, but was caught up in a multi-car accident near the midway mark and finished 30th, despite leading 20 laps.

Baker returned to Daytona with a vengeance in 1969, winning the pole and finally making it to the finish in fifth place, two laps behind eventual winner LeeRoy Yarbrough. But Baker's bad luck was back in force the next season. He qualified on the front row, finished second in his qualifier and was one of the odds-on favorites. However, ignition problems put him out of the race after 122 laps.

Petty Enterprises hired Baker as Richard Petty's teammate for the 1971 season, and the move paid immediate results. Petty and Baker swapped the lead throughout the 1971 Daytona 500, with the King taking the lead for good 18 laps from the finish and pulling away for a 10-second margin of victory.

Baker returned in a Petty ride for 1972 and was moving steadily up through the field when the car of Walter Ballard was forced into the wall, then flipped directly into the path of Baker's Dodge. He settled for 34th place.

Once again, Baker had a car capable of winning the Daytona 500 in 1973, only to have misfortune at an inopportune moment. Just like 1971, the race came down to a battle between himself and Petty, and the two swapped the lead during a series of green-flag stops. On Lap 144, Baker came down pit road for fuel and two tires. But Petty was able to pit under caution 10 laps later and get four new tires. Despite the handling advantage that Petty now had, Baker was able to keep Petty at bay for the next 25 laps before the King used a slingshot move to take the lead.

With no more than a dozen laps remaining, Petty pitted for just enough fuel to make it to the finish -- and Baker followed suit one lap later. Now trailing by 4 seconds, Baker was gaining a half-second a lap on Petty's No. 43 when the engine suddenly expired on Lap 194.

I just cannot get over the shock," Baker said. "I feel like I'm still out there leading the race and that nothing has happened. It's nauseating to think about what might have been and what really is. I had it won. I just don't believe it."

For the rest of the decade, Baker's luck was consistently bad. He led 46 laps of the 1975 Daytona 500 before the timing chain broke. In 1976, he led 28 laps before the engine let go on Lap 83. He finished third behind Cale Yarborough and Benny Parsons in 1977 and came into 1978 with high hopes that perhaps this would be the year.

Baker started 31st but with one of the fastest cars in the field, was able to get to the front within 60 laps. By Lap 160, he had nearly an entire lap on the rest of the competition. It seemed even Baker's bad luck couldn't stop him this time, as he made two unscheduled pit stops for cut tires, but both times was able to regain the lead. And with 10 laps remaining, it seemed like Baker would finally win the Daytona 500.

But the engine began to skip, and then the oil pressure started to fall. And with five laps to go, Baker's car slowed, handing the lead -- and the victory -- to a surprised Bobby Allison.

"Late in the race, the engine was skipping and I could still outrun Allison," Baker said. "Then the oil pressure needle started dropping and so did my heart. All of a sudden I felt like crying."

The 1979 Daytona 500 brought more heartbreak for Baker. He won the pole and led the first 15 laps before the motor let go, leaving him 40th.

Finally, in 1980, the fates aligned and Baker was able to break the jinx. He was dominant all day, setting a torrid pace and leading 148 laps -- including all but one of the final 42.

"The Daytona 500 is our Super Bowl," Baker said. "It's the one I always have been shooting for. If I had to quit racing tomorrow, I now would feel as if I had had a good racing career."

Having finally defeated his Daytona demons, Baker would go on to finish fourth, eighth and third in his next three Daytona 500 starts, then add three more top-10 finishes later in the decade. He finished 11th in the 1992 Daytona 500, his 28th and final start. He returned in 1994 but failed to qualify.

No. 8: Sterling Marlin (26 starts, 892 points)

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Sterling Marlin joined select company when he repeated as Daytona 500 champ in 1995.

A former high-school quarterback, Sterling Marlin showed an early aptitude for racing, particularly at Daytona. As a 22-year-old rookie, he finished eighth in the 1980 Daytona 500, driving the No. 14 H.B. Cunningham car that his father, Coo Coo Marlin, had campaigned for many years.

But like his father, who never won a Cup race in 166 attempts, success seemed to elude Marlin early on. His best finish in his next three Daytona 500 starts was 15th. Then, Marlin landed a ride in Hoss Ellington's No. 1 Chevrolet for 1986, led six laps and was among the leaders when his engine expired with two laps to go, leaving him ninth. Switching to Billy Hagan's Olds for 1987, Marlin had another good run spoiled by clutch issues, finishing 30th after starting 10th.

Sterling Marlin

Daytona 500 results

Finish	No.
Wins	2
2-5	2
6-10	7
11-15	2
16-20	4
21-30	3
31-40	6
41-plus	0

• Store: Marlin's '94 500 car

The pairing of Marlin with Hagan paid dividends for three more season, as Sterling led 13 laps and finished eighth in the 1988 Daytona 500, wound up 11th the next season and 19th the following year. In 1991, Junior Johnson hired Marlin to drive the No. 22 Ford -- and he responded immediately by avoiding the crash that wiped out Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison, eventually finishing second to Ernie Irvan. Marlin then won the pole for the 1992 Daytona 500, and may have had the car to beat in the race. But he ended up as the meat in a three-wide sandwich coming out of Turn 2 on Lap 92, igniting a chain-reaction crash that damaged most of the front-running cars.

He posted another top-10 finish in 1993 with the Stavola Brothers, then found himself in the perfect situation in 1994. Driving the car that Irvan vacated during the offseason, Marlin had the fastest car during Speedweeks. But it was fuel economy that turned out to be the key factor in breaking his long winless streak. He made the final 59 laps on a single tank of fuel, holding off Irvan's late charge and coasting into Victory Lane with his first Daytona 500 win.

"I gave a big sigh of relief," an emotional Marlin said afterward. "I finally won one. I knew I could do it."

Bursting with confidence, Marlin came to the 1995 Daytona 500 hoping to prove the previous year's finish was no fluke. And he did it with style and horsepower. Starting third, Marlin led more than half of the race, including the final 20 laps on older tires -- with Dale Earnhardt looming menacingly in his rearview mirror.

Bobby Labonte's accident on Lap 186 brought out the 10th and final caution of the day, but while most of the other front-runner's came in for fresh rubber and a splash of fuel, crew chief Tony Glover opted to keep Marlin on the track and protect his position. The strategy worked perfectly, as Marlin became only the third driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s, joining Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough.

Marlin could have very easily made it three in a row in 1996, but retired with engine problems just shy of the halfway mark. He bounced back in 1997 with a top-five finish, avoiding the late-race accident that took out Earnhardt and Dale Jarrett.

A switch to the No. 40 team in 1998 brought a change in fortune, as well. Marlin qualified third but finished a disappointing 22nd that season, then followed that with 32nd in 1999 and 24th in 2000. However, a win in the qualifying race for the 2001 Daytona 500 allowed Marlin to start third, and he immediately went to the front, leading all but three of the first 26 laps.

But things went horribly wrong on the final lap. While Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. battled for the victory, Marlin was locked in a three-wide fight for fourth with Earnhardt and Ken Schrader. As the field came out of Turn 4, Earnhardt's No. 3 bobbled, then went head-on into the outside concrete wall, killing the seven-time Cup champion. Marlin finished seventh, but many fans blamed him for causing the accident, and he received hate mail and even death threats for weeks following the crash. Both Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. came to Marlin's defense afterward, clearing him of any fault.

Marlin nearly added a third Daytona 500 title to his resume in 2002, but curiosity got the better of him during a red-flag stop and cost him the victory. Racing for the lead with five laps remaining, Marlin and Jeff Gordon tangled heading into Turn 1. Gordon spun out and NASCAR officials immediately red-flagged the race. While the cars were stopped on the backstretch, Marlin climbed out of his car to survey the damage. But then he pulled on the right-front fender, a violation of NASCAR rules -- and was sent to the tail end of the lead-lap cars. He would eventually finish eighth.

Marlin matched that eighth-place finish in 2005, but failed to crack the top 15 in each of his last two Daytona 500 starts. Marlin failed to qualify for the 2008 race and has no confirmed ride for the 2009 Daytona 500, although he remains active in the sport.

With two wins and 11 top-10 finishes, Marlin edges Darrell Waltrip by one point for eighth on the all-time Daytona 500 driver list.

No. 9: Darrell Waltrip (28 starts, 891 points)

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Darrell Waltrip celebrated like no other Daytona 500 winner.

On his 17th trip to the Daytona 500, Darrell Waltrip drove the No. 17 Chevrolet into Victory Lane and celebrated his win in 1989 with an impromptu dance and helmet spike. But from the time he first set eyes on Daytona, Ol' D.W. was a force with which to be reckoned.

From 1984 until his long-awaited win, Waltrip finished third three consecutive times and never worse than 11th. He scored a total of nine top-10 finishes in his 28 attempts.

Darrell Waltrip

Daytona 500 Results

Finish	No.
Wins	1
2-5	4
6-10	4
11-15	3
16-20	2
21-30	7
31-40	7
41-plus	0

• Store: Waltrip's '89 500 car

As a brash 26-year-old, fresh from the Tennessee short-track circuit, Waltrip showed up with his own Mercury -- a hand-me-down car driven to victory by Mario Andretti in 1967 -- for the 1973 Daytona 500, started 11th and finished 12th in his rookie race. He did even better the next season, leading a lap and winding up seventh, one lap down to eventual winner Richard Petty. Axle issues put a premature end to his chances in the 1975 event, and despite starting fourth in his first 500 with the DiGard team in 1976, a blown engine saddled Waltrip with a 32nd-place finish.

But for the rest of the decade, Waltrip would be a factor in the 500. He finished seventh in 1977 and led 12 laps in 1978 before a crash involving himself, Petty and David Pearson put him out of contention.

As coincidence would have it, Petty and Waltrip would once again find themselves racing each other in the closing laps of the 1979 Daytona 500. They were running fourth and fifth behind third-place A.J. Foyt, nearly a straightaway behind leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough. But when Allison and Yarborough crashed, Foyt hesitated just enough to let both drivers by. Petty was able to hold off Waltrip at the line for the win.

Waltrip then went through an unexpected Daytona slump. During the next three seasons, he failed to finish better than 20th in the 500, which included a nasty accident in the 1983 race. But good luck returned in 1984, as Waltrip led 37 consecutive laps -- taking the white flag as the leader of the race -- before Yarborough made a last-lap pass for the win, with Dale Earnhardt getting by for second.

Waltrip finished third behind Bill Elliott and Lake Speed in 1985, and record another third-place finish in 1986, trailing Geoffrey Bodine and Terry Labonte at the stripe. Switching to Rick Hendrick's operation, he dropped to eighth in 1987 and a frustrating 11th in 1988 -- when his engine went sour while leading. Even Waltrip wondered if he'd ever win at Daytona.

But after qualifying on the front row for the 1989 Daytona 500, good fortune seemed to smile on Waltrip all day. He somehow dodged a 10-car pileup early in the event, then conserved enough fuel to make the final 56 laps on one tank -- with the fuel gauge reading zero -- to end his Daytona drought by some 6 seconds over Ken Schrader.

"I've won the Daytona 500! I've won the Daytona 500!" Waltrip shouted to a nationwide television audience. "This is Daytona, isn't it? Don't lie to me! I'm not dreaming, am I?"

The closest Waltrip would come to a repeat performance was his 10th-place finish in 1997, as an owner/driver once again. His final Daytona 500 start came in 2000, when he finished 32nd in Travis Carter's Ford.

No. 10: Ricky Rudd (29 starts, 828 points)

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Ricky Rudd scored top-10s three out of four years in the mid-90s driving his own car in the Daytona 500.

At first glance, Ricky Rudd's name seems somewhat out of place on a list of the top 10 drivers in Daytona 500 history. Primarily thought of as a road-course and short-track specialist, he never won a restrictor-plate race. Rudd's best-ever Daytona 500 finish came in 1981, when he ended up third in Richard Petty's seventh and final 500 victory. And after leading nine laps in that race, Rudd would go on to lead only five more laps combined in his next 25 Daytona 500 starts.

But one major factor in Rudd's favor was that he was consistently good for a consistently long time. His 10 top-10s matches David Pearson's total and is two more than three-time winner Dale Jarrett accomplished. And because his equipment was solid year-in and year-out (he was running at the finish in 21 of 29 Daytona 500 starts), he seemed to always be in the mix at the end.

Ricky Rudd

Daytona 500 Results

Finish	No.
Wins	0
2-5	4
6-10	6
11-15	4
16-20	3
21-30	6
31-40	5
41-plus	1

• Store: Rudd collectibles

You might be surprised to know that Rudd's 4,861 laps completed in the Daytona 500 is not only one better than the King accomplished in three additional starts, it's third all time behind Terry Labonte and Dave Marcis.

Based on his first three Daytona 500 starts, it would be hard to imagine that Rudd would come anywhere close to having a successful career there. A broken rear end sidelined the 20-year-old rookie 135 laps into the 1977 Daytona 500, leaving him 22nd. Rudd returned with his family run operation in 1978, only to have handling issues early on, resulting in a finish of 37th. And engine woes in Junie Donlavey's No. 90 Ford put an early end to Rudd's day in 1979, as he wound up 31st.

Without a ride, Rudd missed the 1980 Daytona 500, but when Darrell Waltrip left the DiGard team at the end of that season, Rudd capitalized on the opportunity. He led twice in the 1981 edition, the final time coming on Lap 174 before having to pit under green for tires and a final tank of gas. That handed the lead to Petty -- who then made a 7-second stop for fuel only -- a strategy which paid off handsomely when the race stayed green the rest of the way.

Rudd then spent the next two seasons running for Richard Childress, but mechanical issues put him out of the 1982 and 1983 events, despite winning the pole in '83. However, Rudd moved over to Bud Moore's Fords beginning in 1984, and the switch immediately paid dividends. He finished seventh in 1984, fifth in 1985, 11th in 1986 and ninth in 1987.

Rudd struggled in two Daytona 500 starts for Kenny Bernstein, but returned to post a fourth in 1990 and a ninth in 1991 for Rick Hendrick. He started eighth in the 1992 Daytona 500 but blew an engine before the halfway point and wound up 40th. Rudd finished well back in the field in the 1993 edition -- and showed up at Daytona in 1994 with his own team. During the next four seasons, he posted three more top-10s.

His final Daytona 500 top-five came in 2001, when he avoided the last-turn crash involving Dale Earnhardt to finish fourth behind Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rusty Wallace. Rudd qualified on the front row in his final Daytona 500 start in 2007, but wound up getting caught up in a late-race accident involving Jamie McMurray and Earnhardt Jr., finishing 26th.

In all, Rudd posted 10 top-10 finishes in 29 Daytona 500s.

So how do you evaluate drivers throughout substantially different eras without bias?

The idea was to find the 10 drivers who were consistently good for a significant number of races, so whatever system I chose needed to take into consideration a cumulative factor rather than an average finishing position, because without adding some sort of minimum number of races run, the top five would be comprised of Al Unser, Terry Bivins, Vic Parsons, Darel Dieringer and Carl Adams.

For the answer, I turned to the points system designed by Bob Latford in 1975, which definitely rewards consistency. However, I wanted to add a couple of modifications of my own.

First, I eliminated all lap-leader and winner bonus points.

Second, I tried to reduce the overall scale of the Latford system in order to minimize the effect of a few bad finishes. So instead of a gap of 141 points between first and last (his original system gave 175 points for the winner of the race and 34 for 43rd), I went with a 100-point scale, giving points to the top 40 cars in each race, as that was the minimum field size.

Third, I wanted something with more of a logarithmic feel, to give more weight to a top-10 finish. Latford's system uses a five-point reduction for each position in the top five, then four points separating positions sixth through 10th, followed by a three-point difference for the rest of the field. I chose to use a 10-point separation for the top five, five-point separation for sixth through 10th and a one-point separation from 11th through 40th.

Despite having only two Daytona starts -- including a win in 1959 and fourth-place finish in 1960 -- Lee Petty still holds down a place in the all-time top 100. And drivers you might consider to be journeymen, like Dick Brooks, Joe Ruttman and Lake Speed, grade out much higher than you might expect.

Who do you think are the best drivers of the Daytona 500?
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