Daytona 500: The Premiere Race of NASCAR
The DAYTONA 500 is the crown jewel of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - the race most people think of when they think of “NASCAR.” Held every February as the kickoff of the NASCAR season, the DAYTONA 500 is equal parts pageantry, power, and passion. It’s called “The Great American Race,” and for good reason. For drivers, to win the DAYTONA 500 is to become an instant star in NASCAR, as Trevor Bayne found out in 2011 when he won the race the day after his 20th birthday in just his second start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. For fans, watching the DAYTONA 500 – in person or on television – is to witness NASCAR history in the making.
Matt Kenseth's second Daytona 500 victory, a straight-up, I’m-faster-than-you performance in arguably the most unique of the race’s 54 editions, confirms the popular Wisconsin veteran’s status among the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series elite competitors in the current era – and arguably in any era.
Kenseth has won a championship (2003), two Daytona 500s and 22 times overall. Those victories have come in 10 different seasons beginning in 2000 – his first full campaign with the Roush Fenway organization, his "home" for all but one career start as he moves on to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013.
The two Daytona 500 victories alone move the Cambridge, Wis., driver into legendary territory. He becomes one of only nine drivers to win the race multiple times. Three of the other eight – Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison – are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a possible destination for the 39-year-old Kenseth.