The 5 Closest NASCAR Daytona 500 Finishes
The very first Daytona 500 in 1959 was decided in a photo finish, with Lee Petty declared the over Johnny Beauchamp three days after the race following a review of still images and newsreel footage.
The exact time of the margin of victory was never confirmed, but it wouldn’t be the last Great American Race that was too close to call at first glance.
Here’s a look at the closest Daytona 500 finishes since the electronic scoring system was instituted in 1993:
2022: .032 SECS
Austin Cindric must have a thing with close finishes at Daytona. He beat Erik Jones by a whisker in the 2025 Duel when a yellow flag came out just before they crossed the finish line, which is a good thing for him, because Jones would’ve won. His 2022 victory in the Daytona 500 was just as dramatic as he put Ryan Blaney into the wall and bumped Bubba Wallace out of the way coming down the final stretch to grab his NASCAR Cup Series win.
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2007: .020 SECS
Kevin Harvick was definitely happy when he came from sixth on the last lap to pass Mark Martin as a Big One unfolded behind them.
2020: .014 SECS
The 2020 Daytona 500 will most be remembered for Ryan Newman’s massive last-lap crash as he was leading the race, but it was Denny Hamlin who would go on to win ahead of Ryan Blaney with Newman sliding across the line on his roof in ninth.
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2016: .010 SECS
That .014 secs gap must’ve felt like an eternity after Hamlin held off Martin Truex Jr. by .010 seconds to win the 2016 race. Truex retired as a full-time driver at the end of 2024, but is back in Daytona this year in search of the 500 win that has so far eluded him.
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2024: .006 SECS
William Byron and Alex Bowman were racing for more than the Harley Earl Trophy as both Hendrick Racing drivers wanted to win the 2024 Daytona 500 on the 40th anniversary of the team’s first race. In the end, Byron would prevail by the sixth-closest margin of victory ever recorded in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
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