4 IndyCar superstars to drive in the Daytona 500 feat. Mario Andretti

The Daytona 500 (held at the Daytona International Speedway) is well-known as the crown jewel of the NASCAR Cup Series. It has been taking place since 1959 and over the years, it has seen some heavy hitters from IndyCar take part in it. The latest IndyCar driver that will soon race in the event is the 49-year-old Helio Castroneves.

The Daytona 500 is an immensely prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar. It is also the series' first race of the year which is unusual as most of the big events are kept towards the latter end of a campaign.

IndyCar drivers have long had a knack for trying out different racing categories and in line with this, here are some of the superstars who have driven in NASCAR's iconic race.

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#4 AJ Foyt

AJ Foyt is a major player in the world of American motorsports. He is 90-years-old and currently running his own team in series like CART, IndyCar, and NASCAR. While he hung up his racing boots a long time ago, he won the Daytona 500 in the 1972 edition of the event. Foyt started second in the No. 21 Purolator Mercury fielded by the Wood Brothers Racing and passed pole sitter Bobby Issac for the lead on the first lap. On his way to victory, he led 167 of the 200 laps.

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#3 Mario Andretti

Just like AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti has also contributed immensely to American motorsports. The 84-year-old was the first full-time IndyCar driver to win the Daytona 500 in 1967.

Back then, he drove for the Holman-Moody team in its No. 11 Bunnell Motor Co. Ford and kept his competition at bay after starting 12th on the grid. He secured a sensational win at the coveted event, leading 112 laps in the process.

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#2 Tony Stewart

Number two on this esteemed list is the 1997 IndyCar champion, Tony Stewart. He was never able to triumph in the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500 but his best finish in the latter event was second place. He got into a fierce duel with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2004, and Earnhardt got the better of him, taking the lead with only 20 laps to go. All six of Stewart’s top-10 finishes in the Daytona 500 came between 2003-09.

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#1 Johnny Rutherford

The final name on our list is that of the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Johnny Rutherford. The 86-year-old, during his racing career, competed in 314 IndyCar races and managed to amass 27 wins and 23 pole positions.

At the 1963 Daytona event, Rutherford won a qualifying race and ended up ninth in the main race in a Chevrolet fielded by legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick.