The Daytona 500 is the most viewed race on the NASCAR schedule every year, but what makes it good vs bad? Today, I've ranked EVERY Daytona 500 by considering all possible factors; crashes, finishes, the quality of racing, etc. What has been your favorite 500 of the ones you've watched?
In this video we will be going from 2000 to 2023. If this video is successful, there may be a part 2 with pre-2000. After seeing a video from nascarman showing off each command every year, I decided to include them in here!
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Race by year
2000- 0:43
2001- 2:11
2002- 3:33
2003- 4:17
2004- 5:00
2005- 5:43
2006- 6:40
2007- 7:07
2008- 7:42
2009- 8:34
2010- 9:14
2011- 10:08
2012- 11:26
2013- 12:52
2014- 13:31
2015- 14:27
2016- 15:17
2017- 15:41
2018- 16:28
2019- 17:44
2020- 18:32
2021- 19:31
2022- 20:24
2023- 21:05
Video concept and thumbnail inspired by Set the Edge
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Credits: NASCAR, NASCAR on NBC, NASCAR on FOX, Motorsports on NBC, NascarAllOut, nascarman History, BURGER KING, yacinemomo, Meme Page, Black Flags Matter, and eazyone83.
The booth with Mike Joy, Larry Mac, & DW. Is the most memorable commentary. The booth felt ripe with emotion.
Yea
I remember watching races with them in the booth and they would get me so incredibly hyped. So sad what the fox booth is now.
The Daytona 500, good or not, is most of the time memorable, unless you're the 2000 one.
so true
Yep
Don't forget 2013
@@bungieman2810 I did, lol
@@tharandomjok3408 and 2021
A tier for 2023, no commercials here in Brazil, but not in S tier since Kyle didn't Win.
Your so lucky to not get commercials
Bro you lucky as hell for no commercials, I REALLY hope Busch can finish it off next year
In Romania is also wtih no commercials
No commercials on UK Television either. Kinda wonder how bad they really are on US TV's
@@MasterChris3606 you got no idea
DW: “ let’s go racing you bunch of hotdogs”
The 2007 Daytona 500 was the very first NASCAR race I ever watched. I remember my dad and I watching together and seeing the finish and looked we looked at each other like “if this is NASCAR, we’re watching for the rest of our lives.” It’s what got me into not just NASCAR, but motorsports in general. When anyone asks me what got me into racing, I point to the 2007 Daytona 500 and that whole NASCAR season in general. Ever since then I haven’t stopped watching. And while some races and Daytona 500s since have been disappointing, I’ve come to appreciate the special moments. But man that finish with Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin with the huge crash behind them and Clint Bowyer crossing the finish line on his roof, I will NEVER forget that. The only thing I regret is not being there in person for it. The ONE Daytona 500 I finally got to go to was 2020, and well we all know how that went. I feel like it’s a hit or miss when it comes to rained out races. Hopefully one day I’ll go to a Daytona 500 that isn’t rained out.
15:24 - 15:29 Lightning Mqueen delivered the command
Call 7 year old me an asshole but I laughed my ass off when Montoya hit the jet dryer
A fact about the 2011 Daytona 500 is that the drivers could talk to each other on the radio during the race and that is how some drivers paired together.
Are you sure?
They were in a videogame league using Discord😂
This year's daytona 500 was the commercial 500 tbh💀
They probably played 500 of them😑
“AND BURGER KING WINS THE COMMERCIAL 500, ON YOUR TV!”
“They turned nascar Winston cup racing and made it some of the sorriest racing”. God imagine what he would think of nascar in its current state
I started watching around 2011, but I really wish I watched the 2007 one live. That race just seemed perfect especially the finish with two cars side by side and cameras flashing as the field wrecks behind them.
It was epic. I've seen most of them since 2001 and its still my favorite by far. 2005 was good too.
It was my first 500 in person. I’ll never forget that Jack Daniels 07 on its lid.
It was awesome to watch. 24 now but watched it when I was 8.
The 2019 Daytona 500 was my first ever NASCAR race I seen live on TV so it'll always be the most memorable Daytona 500 for me. That was the race I became a fan of Hamlin and JGR.
Wow and I remember seeing it live too.
I remember being there
“He got to race with machine guns” 😂😂😂 I was like wait that’s transformers 😂
It's always a good day when rawgator uploads
it's always a good day when you watch these uploads
@@RawGator lol
I agree
True
12:28 Cheers to Franco for calling out Danica and the clear danger she posed behind the wheel
2022 I think was really good because 1. It was my first time experiencing a Daytona 500 and 2. With all of the concerns about the parts shortages with the next gen on how it would race, I thought we got a good surprise on the product for the Daytona 500 because nobody back off and went single file most of the race. It was like the 2022 Coke Zero 400 without the huge wrecks that wiped out everyone
Confession time: The 2020 Daytona 500 was the first race I purposefully sat down and watched start to finish. I didn't have a favourite driver so I just random chose the 6 of Newman to root for... let's just say there's a reason I don't take my vacations in Vegas
I think ranking all 65 would be awesome lol
W. I agree with pretty much everything. My favorite is 2005...because, I kid you not, it was the first race i ever attended...as a 9 year old die hard Gordon fan...and he made the winning pass directly in front of me, overtaking my least favorite driver at the time (Earnhardt Jr., more because of his fans than anything else) To say that it was an absolutely surreal experience would be an understatement. I could never bring myself to go to another race he was in because I knew it could never be topped
As a Byron fan, I can conform that Daytona will be his akelius heel
I hope 2024 might be the lucky year but it probably won’t be
Achilles?
Akelius?
If it weren't for tragedy the 2001 Daytona 500 would be S-tier for me as, racing-wise, it's to me the most exciting race, combined with a great telecast, an amazing package, and a first time winner. The loss of Dale Earnhardt takes it down to F tier though.
Still waiting for the day we get a clear shot of 15:02 . There was one time I saw the shot from the old grandstand Larson’s huge hit on the inside wall on race hub in a crash reel highlight a few years later but never again since then and it’s been almost eight years
If you haven’t found it yet, I have on a account called devinsbrother.
Man I just want Kyle to win one. You have no idea how upset I was when Suarez spun out this year.
No
2005 deserves to be S tier
I was at the 2014 500. My dad and I just slept in our car for 6 hours waiting for the race to resume. Such a great race after the delay. Dale Jr dominated the last third of the race. A tier worthy.
3:08 Darrel celebrating his brother's first win but looking back with grave concern about Earnhardt's crash. 2002 was also a BS finish when the field on the restart with a few laps to go gapped the leader Jeff Gordon so the Sterling could make a run on him. Thank God Sterling f'd his car up. The top 500's will always be Richard Petty winning his 200th with Reagan watching, seeing Jeff Gordon hold off the field from going a lap down to win, and both Earnhardt's first win.
Welcome back, missed watching your content.
Love your videos
If I may I want to share a personal story in this comment. I can still remember the events of the 2001 500 as I was about 3 and a half (not quite old enought for full convos but I could repeat what I had heard), it had come the end of the race last lap, Dale got turned. My grandpa (papa) being diehard Earnhardt was mad obviously. When Darrel Waltrip said "How about Dale is he okay?" The look in papa's eyes gave me that uneasy feeling. Papa had watched all the races almost since he could, and had seen everything so I knew a legend on commentary seeing another legend not out of the car yet meant something. When Darrel said "I guess he's allright isn't he?" I watched a tear roll down my grandpa's face. I knew then something was going on. When they broke the news later in the day my whole family was in tears because Dale meant so much to our family. Making it to stardom from nothing in a small town. It felt like losing a family member. Just to add on. I will never forget this until my dying breath when they announced Dale had passed, the cry out my grandpa let go. My grandpa was the one who could never show emotion to that extent but he could not hold it back on that day. When they announced that we lost Dale Earnhardt my grandpa had to leave the room, I looked at him when he came back and asked " What do they mean we lost Dale papa?" He just held me. He told me "Bub you won't understand now but one day you will" I have held onto that every day since then. People think it's dumbasses driving in circles. To alot of us they are apart of our lives. They would understand what we do to make ends meet. They start to feel like family after a point... Just something that I figured was worth sharing, if you made it to the end. Thank you. Please live well
I've not really heard of anyone playing a race pool after that.
I'm so glad there is a forum to discuss how excellent Matthew McConaughey's command to start was in 2005. It runs through my mind all the time. Golden Standard imo.
Waltrip's win reminds me of stendhouse wining the 500 after 6 years of racing
I love your stuff man. I wish you can have more popularity
2014 is my personal favorite, I remember 11 year old me told my parents two weeks before the 500 started that Dale Jr was gonna win it all. I’m a Dale fan so you can imagine the jubilation I had when he crossed the line to win the race and my parents in utter shock that I predicted the race.
I was at the 2014 Daytona 500 and I'm also a Dale jr fan
I subbed to you
i think you should do a talladega version
2011, 2012 and 2019 are CRIMINALLY LOW.
I knew I wasn't the only one who thought the 2004 Daytona 500 was mid lol
Nope 98 04 14 are the best
@@nascarandrc8296 Hey, I know you. Formerly RC RACER 88?
Only because redneck Jesus won. It was terrible imo.
@@Ktaurus26 nope it was great
7:29 you gotta love D.W
Why the sort of ehh reaction to Wars Burton winning? I know Ward wasn’t a super popular driver but part of the mystique of the Daytona 500 is underdog wins & legends missing this one from their trophy case. I love that Ward won in 02
0:52 me when i follow my iracing spotter telling me to "go high" when that's where the car is wrecking:
2022 is underrated and should be in A imo
You should rank the playoffs from when the format started to this year. And rank each race in a individual rank. So like 2018 has its own rank for its playoff races. Also do one on just seasons. Rank all the races in each season 2000 to 2022 that would be cool
There’s something about that 2017 finish that just makes it the best one. The remaining 15 or so cars in the lead pack went single file with 20 laps to go. They stayed that way for 17 LAPS until chase ran out of gas. The suspense during those 17 laps was insane. You could not take your eyes off the screen because you were waiting to see who had the guts to pull out of line. The 24 coughed and then it was on. Larson, Busch and Truex were diving and dodging around the track for that win. And there wasn’t any race ending heartbreaking crashes at the very end to ruin anyone’s day. It was all down to skill. It’s my favorite race to watch.
18:24 William took it personally for the 2024 Daytona 500
I’m biased because it’s my favorite, but I would put 2010 in s tier. The racing was really good. The red flag was really good, and the track coming apart is iconic. Also, Scott Speed actually led some laps, when everyone doubted him
“Jeff Gordon’s replacement” LMAO
Poor Chase😢
Nice!
I love how Franco said 'drivers and Danica' as if she isn't a driver.
2005 Daytona 500: One of the first NASCAR races I ever saw on KZhead.
The 2010 Daytona 500 was actually the first ever NASCAR race I attended. I CERTAINLY enjoyed it!
2010 will always be my favorite season. Jamie McMurray had a great season.
I was so happy for Jimmie's return wished he could've finished
Carl was my Favorite driver too. Really was Gordon at first bc of my Dad. Then switched to Roush as a whole and developed into just Carl. Suarez has been a frustrating replacement as a new favorite driver for me, but I still like him. Fitting he hopped in the 19, then bounced all the way around to the 99 and seems to be finding a great fit in at Trackhouse.
Back in my day, FOX had good NASCAR coverage
W Vid I Was Roting For Ty Dillion At Daytona 500 2023 Or Austin But My Bet Was Not Good
The camera shot of the 07’ finish gives me chills every time
Yep what an incredible finish.
@@runrafarunthebestintheworld the best Daytona 500 finish imo, also im hoping Rafa wins the French Open
William Byron’s luck came back for ‘24
The 2021 Daytona 500 should be in C tier. The "big one" early on was exciting and the finish was super memorable. The single- file racing gets boring but an underdog win is always great. I think it's also neat thet 2001, 2011 and 2021 all had underdog winners (setting aside '22 and '23) This may even make it to B tier but the lack of excitement throughout the race wouldn't quite get it.
the Daytona 500s that Denny Hamlin wins is W. every other race he doesn’t win is mid.
12:15 can’t really fault the Woods for that command, it was actually supposed to be Kate Upton before the race got pushed to Monday
the 2001 would've went god mode if dale and mikey had a photo finish
All in all Dale just put the #3 in the wall.
I always thought 2006 was so underrated from watching it back then. From being so overcast to where it should be the Misty 500 (Lol) sure you had the field spread out a little bit, but when it came down to late in the race that's when the racing really picked up at crunch time and the first 500 to end at night. I would've had it in mid B tier, but that's just me.
This is the best nascar KZheadr
2021 Daytona 500 was my first race to watch, i had been nascar fan around late 2020
Those early/mid-2000s races...man, where did nascar go wrong?
12:54 lmao first time seeing this and he has me in tears 😂
Great trip down memory lane as 2000 was when I started watching. And I very much agree with 2005 and 2007 were by far the the two best I have seen so far.
I was there in person for the 2023, it was lots of fun!
The first nascar race I ever watched was the 2007 Daytona 500 with my dad and grandpa. I saw Kevin harvick come from mid pack to the front and edge out mark Martin and I was a fan for life. Always have been and will be a harvick fan!
04:20 me realizing Newman has a bit of a tradition flipping down the front stretch of Daytona
Jeff Gordon's 2000 Daytona 500 car looked really slick
"Drivers and Danica" LOL
I put 2022 in A tier tbh, good tier list regardless! 👍👍
2020 was the most hyped up I've seen (I've been watching NASCAR since the 2004 Daytona 500). And seeing President Trump and his motorcade drive around on the track made it super!
There was something overwhelming hearing in 2016 that Trump had a car in the field. Not sure on all the details, just remembered them talking about it before the race. Also why I hate going to bars to see a race. Cannot ever hear the important things most often.
13:03 wow he really understood the assignment
idk why but CHOO CHOO TRAIN RACING killed me
The amount of last lap crashes KB has been in while in the top 5 is ridiculous
Had the 05 race on dvd, amazing 500
2007 500 is my most favorite 500 of all time I always rewatch it from the dvd at my me,me’s but I forgot the name of the dvd don’t judge by my siblings call our grandma that because it makes her feel old even though she’s 65😂😂😂
2013 ONLY had one notable event and that's just one meme of a century... "Danica Patrick, pole". Imagine being in F1 back in 2021 and you hear "Nikita Mazepin! POLE POSITION!" kinda shocking.
I may be biased on this opinion, but the 2010 Daytona 500 is my favorite, probably only because it was the first race I got to attend in person (I was 8 years old, and we got tickets for all of Speedweeks including the arca race). Got to go in 2010 and 2011, best memories of living in Florida as a kid
you totally should start at 1959 but do a very fast and short description. honestly i thought thats what this video was. although it was a vague description so i don't blame anyone else who thought this as well
Can you do this but for the Brickyard 400?
I was in the JTG suite for 2017.
15:57 Funny Fact: this was both Micheal Waltrip’s last start and last top 10 in NASCAR
2:03 2:36 These parts are so wholesome
I watched a quarter of the 2023, The commentary people are like "Why are we still in pace car formation??? i wanna see some action!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
9:40 This look like something I'd see in Cars 2. 🤣
9:41 imagine jimmie driving that car to win
You’re putting way too much weight on the command to start engines it’s not even important to a race
He's joking lmfao
The only good thing about the 2000 Daytona 500 was Johnny Benson Jr finally having a good run, but with an underfunded team.
Make the ultimate tier list of All Star Race.
The amount of times Dale Jr. finished second is mind boggling
2005 start ur engines WAS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The ‘08 500 was also Dodge’s last 500 win. I’m also sad Kyle Busch didn’t win this year’s 500, I’m not mad at Daniel Saurez for spinning out with 3 laps to go but Kyle is my favorite driver
Say what you want about the Transformer ad from 2011 with the 48 car V 48 car comparison, but at *LEAST* it was clever and well incorporated, which is not something I can for every other single advertisement they have placed in the 500 broadcasts since.
18:28 wonderful view just ignore the crash that happens in the background
2019 had Matt Dibenedetto lead the most laps, and hendrick and Gibbs worked together to beat the fords. Other than the wrecks I think it deserves a lot more credit
This but with talledega would be AWESOME
2001 just needs its own tier. It had dale in his last race and that alone in my opinion should put it up there.
Can you do a talladega tier list
2:57 Let’s take a moment to remember one of if the the best NASCAR Legend