3 active NASCAR drivers with the most DNFs in the Daytona 500 feat. Jimmie Johnson

The 67th running of the Daytona 500 will open the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, featuring 40 or 41 NextGen cars, depending on Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) driver Helio Castroneves’ qualifying performance. While the allure of securing the crown jewel race win knows no bounds, the 2.5-mile superspeedway has given big-time problems to even the greats of stock car racing.

Despite the short-lived high-speed edge on the straights, the challenge ensues in the turns, where going over the speed limit could result in a catastrophe for many if not all. That said, the following are the three legendary active NASCAR drivers whose Daytona 500 DNFs prove the meticulousness needed to ace the season-opener race.

#1. Brad Keselowski, 9 Daytona 500 DNFs

RFK Racing driver Brad Keselowski has nine Daytona 500 DNFs| Source: Imagn

The RFK Racing driver and co-owner has made 15 starts in the Daytona 500. However, while Keselowski has clinched 36 wins in the Cup Series paired with the best finish of P3 in the 2014 Daytona 500, the baggage of no triumphs combined with a staggering nine DNFs still weighs heavy on his shoulders.

The 2012 NASCAR champion’s first Daytona 500 DNF was in 2010. The most recent setback was during the season-opener weekend of 2024 when Keselowski’s #6 Ford stooped to P33 from a 16th-place start.

#2. Jimmie Johnson, 7 Daytona 500 DNFs

Legacy Motor Club driver Jimmie Johnson has 7 Daytona 500 DNFs - Source: Imagn

Jimmie Johnson is among the only three NASCAR Cup drivers, including Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., who have claimed the elusive trophy seven times. The Legacy Motor Club co-owner and driver has exercised his dominance in the Daytona 500 four times, split into two poles and two victories.

However, the tough-to-tame high-speed Daytona International Speedway didn’t spare Johnson on multiple occasions. The Californian tasted his first DNF in the 2007 Daytona 500, and the undesirable DNFs continued to plague the legendary driver’s pursuit six more times, with his latest setback coming from the 2023 Daytona 500.

#3. Kyle Busch, 6 Daytona 500 DNFs

RCR driver Kyle Busch has 6 Daytona 500 DNFs - Source: Imagn

Kyle Busch is the winningest active driver on NASCAR’s roster, with 63 Cup Series wins serving as a testament to his dominant stock car racing prowess. The RCR driver began piloting full-time rides in 2005 and didn’t witness a year without at least one win until this past season.

Nonetheless, a Daytona 500 win is still a desire. From facing the first crown jewel race setback with the 2009 DNF to encountering his sixth DNF in the 2023 Daytona 500, Busch’s arsenal is shy of the highly-coveted win, something the #8 Chevrolet driver admitted to wanting to “check off,” especially because he has all other crown jewel race wins -the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400.