List of 5 youngest Daytona 500 winners, including Jeff Gordon
Only 43 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have been fortunate enough to etch their names in history by winning the sport's most prestigious race, the Daytona 500. Some drivers, like the late Dale Earnhardt, raced nearly their entire careers before finally winning "The Great American Race." Other drivers, like Jeff Gordon, won the event early in their careers.
Within the last 15 years, the Daytona 500 has seen some of its youngest winners of the race emerge. Here, we'll take a look at the top five youngest drivers to win NASCAR's most sacred event.
Trevor Bayne
In just his second career NASCAR Cup Series start, Trevor Bayne stunned the racing world when he wheeled the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford to victory in the 2011 Daytona 500. At 20 years and one day old, Bayne is the youngest driver to win the 200-lap event at the Daytona International Speedway.
The Tennessee native continued to compete in the Cup Series through 2018, but failed to win another race in his career.
Austin Cindric
Amid his rookie season behind the wheel of the #2 Team Penske Ford, Austin Cindric fended off Bubba Wallace in a photo finish to capture the win in the 2022 Daytona 500. Cindric is the second-youngest driver to win the Daytona 500 at 23 years old.
Since Trevor Bayne was ineligible for rookie of the year in 2011, that makes Cindric the first rookie to win the Daytona 500 as well. Since then, Cindric has won one other Cup Series race, which came this past season at the World Wide Technology Raceway.
Joey Logano
In his seventh attempt, Joey Logano secured a victory in NASCAR's most prominent race when he won the 2015 Daytona 500 behind the wheel of the #22 Team Penske Ford. The Connecticut native was 24 years old, making him the third-youngest winner of the Daytona 500.
While he hasn't won the 500-mile event since then, Logano has gone on to win three NASCAR Cup Series championships in 2018, 2022, and 2024, all with car owner Roger Penske.
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon added his name to the NASCAR history books when he piloted the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to victory in the 1997 Daytona 500. The four-time Cup Series champion was 25 years old at the time, making him the fourth-youngest winner of the event.
This wouldn't be the California native's only triumph in the event as he went on to win again in 1999 and 2005, making him one of only six drivers to win at least three Daytona 500s.
William Byron
William Byron will enter the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season as the defending Daytona 500 champion after winning the 200-lap event this past season. The driver of the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was 26 years old when he won the event last February, putting him as the fifth-youngest driver to win it.
Byron won two more races in 2024 at Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville respectively and competed in the Championship 4 race where he finished third among the title drivers.