Daytona 500
2021 Daytona 500 Race Report
The 2021 Daytona 500 race report: A lot of crashes and a pleasantly surprising winner — but many fewer green-flag passes […]
Daytona 500
Daytona 500
How Does Michael McDowell’s Daytona 500 Win Impact the Playoffs?
Michael McDowell’s Daytona 500 win was one of the approximately once-in-a-decade events in which an underdog wins. How does this affect the playoffs? […]
Daytona 500
Is Avoiding Accidents the Most Important Skill for Winning the Daytona 500?
Brad Keselowski said that the reason he thinks Denny Hamlin wins at Daytona is that Hamlin is good at avoiding accidents. Is Brad right? […]
Daytona 500
Where Do Daytona 500 Winners Start?
No polesitter has won the Daytona 500 since 2000. So if the guy who starts first isn’t winning, where do Daytona 500 winners start? […]
Daytona 500
How Often do Daytona 500 Pole Winners Win the Race?
Teams put a lot of effort into winning the Daytona 500 pole. But does that have any impact on winning the race? Where Do Daytona 500 Pole Winners Finish? The graph below shows the finishing […]
Daytona 500
Can ‘Anyone’ Win The Daytona 500?
A lot predictions claim that drivers who don’t usually run upfront (i.e. ‘anyone’) are strong candidates to win the Daytona 500. Are they? The Premise: Anyone Can Win There’s a perception that ‘anyone’ can win […]
Daytona 500
Daytona 500: More Accidents and Even More Wrecked
Superspeedways are famous for ‘The Big One’: An accident capable of taking out half the field. But have Daytona 500 accidents always claimed a large number of cars? Number of Daytona 500 Accidents and Spins […]
Daytona 500
GOTD: Daytona Pole Speeds 1959-2020
Daytona pole speeds tell you something about the raw power of each car. Given that less than a third of the races this year will have qualifying, this is a rare chance to get data […]
Aerodynamics
Daytona: Speed and Secondary Accidents
We all know — and frequently remind ourselves — that racing will never be 100% safe. That doesn’t stop us from being stunned when it happens. The 2020 Daytona 500 Let’s first give thanks for […]
Daytona 500
How Many Cars Finish on the Lead Lap of the Daytona 500?
The inherent tradition of the Daytona 500 always brings out people talking about how much better the racing used to be. But was it really? Memories are selective. Luckily, data isn’t. To Finish First, You […]