The Daytona 500 is the oldest active NASCAR race and has been running since 1959. It is the final race of the season of American stock car racing sanctioned by NASCAR. The race is one of NASCAR’s four national series, along with lengthier competitions staged at various tracks around the nation.
With numerous famous drivers, this event is known for its action, atmosphere and sometimes controversy. NASCAR’s unique characteristics mean that the average age at which a player retires from the sport is often greater than it is in other sports. Several Daytona 500 drivers are still capable of winning races in their 50s, including those on the list below.
14. Landon Cassill (July 7, 1989 – present)
Age: 33 years old
Debut Year: 2008
Current Teams: Kaulig Racing, Spire Motorsports
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 10 Chevrolet, No. 77 Chevrolet
photo source: forbes.com
Landon Cassill, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa native, races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in the Kaulig Racing No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro and in the NASCAR Cup Series part-time for Spire Motorsports in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Following his debut in the 2010 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), Cassill participated in a total of 16 races that year. In the three major NASCAR series since then, Cassill has made over 500 starts.
The No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Cassill at Kaulig Racing in the NXS in 2022 will be the first of a two-year deal with partner Voyager Digital.
Did You Know?
In just 19 races, Cassill finished with five top-10 finishes and was voted Rookie of the Year. He has participated in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on a limited basis, placing in the top 10 three times.
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (October 2, 1987 – present)
Age: 34 years old
Debut Year: 2010
Current Teams: JTG Daugherty Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 47 Chevrolet
photo source: jtgdaughertyracing.com
JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. operates the No. 47 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series. At the age of six, he began his racing career in go karts, where he finished on the podium 47 times and won 47 races.
When he was 15, he advanced to sprint cars. His stock-car career began in 2008, and he won two races during his debut year. From 2013 through 2019, he served as a racer for Roush Fenway Racing.
In addition to winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2013, Stenhouse also won his rookie Cup race at Talladega in 2017 and the following year at Daytona. He also won Xfinity Series championships for two consecutive years.
Did You Know?
Ricky earned a spot in the storied No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after being the sixth driver to win honors for two consecutive years in NASCAR’s developmental series.
12. David Ragan (December 24, 1985 – present)
Age: 36 years old
Debut Year: 2007
Current Teams: Rick Ware Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 15 Ford
photo source: motorsports.com
Part-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor David Ragan from the United States of America drives the No. 15 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing and serves as a commentator for NASCAR on Fox’s NASCAR Race Hub.
2011 marked the first significant turning point in Ragan’s Cup Series career. In July at Daytona International Speedway, he ended up winning his first Cup Series race with his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team after coming close to winning the season-opening Daytona 500.
Ragan returned to Rick Ware Racing in 2022 and competed in the Daytona 500 with their No. 15 vehicle. His eighth-place finish was enough for his fourth career top-10 Daytona 500 finish.
Did You Know?
Ragan made the decision to give up full-time competition on August 14, 2019, in order to devote more time to his family.
11. Michael McDowell (December 21, 1984 – present)
Age: 37 years old
Debut Year: 2009
Current Teams: Front Row Motorsports
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 34 Ford
photo source: beyondtheflag.com
For Front Row Motorsports, Michael McDowell operates the No. 34 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series. McDowell joined the squad before the 2018 season and is currently in his fourth season with Front Row.
In his 358th career start, McDowell took home the victory at the Daytona 500, the opening race of the 2021 season. His previous best effort came in 2017 at Daytona International Speedway, where he finished in fourth place.
At the 2022 Daytona 500, McDowell placed eighth to kick off the 2022 season. During the regular season, he had seven top-10 finishes.
Did You Know?
The Daytona 500 has been won by 40 different people over the course of its 64-year history, and McDowell became the eighth Cup champion to win the event for the first time.
10. Aric Almirola (March 14, 1984 – present)
Age: 38 years old
Debut Year: 2011
Current Teams: Stewart-Haas Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 10 Ford
photo source: forbes.com
Aric Almirola will take the wheel of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for a fourth straight year and his ninth overall in NASCAR’s top division. He has three NASCAR Cup Series victories under his belt and has made the playoffs four times (in 2014, 2018–20), including this season.
From 2012 until 2017, Almirola worked as a full-time driver for Richard Petty Motorsports. Two races in the Camping World Truck Series and three in the Xfinity Series have been won by Almirola.
Almirola made an announcement that he would stop competing professionally after the 2022 season on January 10, 2022. On August 19, Almirola declared he would keep driving the No. 10 in 2023 rather than retire at the end of the current campaign.
Did You Know?
The most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers is Almirola’s eight straight top-10 finishes at Talladega.
9. Brad Keselowski (February 12, 1984 – present)
Age: 38 years old
Debut Year: 2010
Current Teams: RFK Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 6 Ford
photo source: crash.net
In 2022, Brad Keselowski begins a new phase of his NASCAR career. He now drives the No. 6 Ford and co-owns a portion of the new RFK Racing alongside Roush Fenway Racing. When he raced in Daytona for the first time with his new team, he won the Bluegreen Vacations Duel.
The No. 2 Team Penske Ford was his former ride. He tied Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the second most victories in track history in 2021 when he triumphed at Talladega Superspeedway.
Keselowski captured the NASCAR Cup Series title in 2012 and has 35 career victories in the top division. Keselowski has 39 career victories in the Xfinity Series, where he also won the title in 2010.
Did You Know?
Keselowski only spent one full season at the Camping World Truck level, finishing in the top 10 for the first time in his career in 2005. In his career, Keselowski has taken part in 66 truck races.
8. BJ McLeod (November 17, 1983 – present)
Age: 38 years old
Debut Year: 2016
Current Teams: RFK Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 6 Ford
photo source: forbes.com
BJ McLeod is an American stock car racing professional as well as the proprietor of BJ McLeod Motorsports. He competes in the NASCAR Cup Series on an occasional basis, sharing the No. 78 Ford Mustang with Live Fast Motorsports drivers Matt Tifft and Joe Falk.
In 2019’s Daytona 500, McLeod raced alongside Ware. During a race-related accident, McLeod and his teammate Cody Ware spun onto the grass. McLeod carried on to race after the incident, ultimately finishing in 19th place overall.
He also previously competed in the 2020 Xfinity Series full-time in the No. 6 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports.
Did You Know?
He finished 20th in the standings for the 2016 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year event.
7. Denny Hamlin (November 18, 1980 – present)
Age: 41 years old
Debut Year: 2006
Current Teams: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 11 Toyota
photo source: thespun.com
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing with NBA icon Michael Jordan and races the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has won 48 races in 17 full seasons, including the Daytona 500 in 2016. In the 2010 championship standings, his best career season, he came in second place to Jimmie Johnson.
Did You Know?
Hamlin has won two Camping World Truck Series races and seventeen Xfinity Series races in his career.
6. Martin Truex Jr. (June 29, 1980 – present)
Age: 42 years old
Debut Year: 2004
Current Teams: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 19 Toyota
photo source: beyondtheflag.com
The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is driven by American professional stock car racing racer Martin Truex Jr. At Richmond Raceway, he won for the first time as a member of the team in 2019, and again there in 2021.
Truex has won 13 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series during the course of his career (2004–2005). In 2021, on the dirt track at Bristol Motor Speedway, he took first place in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event.
At the 2022 Daytona 500, Truex placed 13th to kick off the 2022 season. Even though he didn’t have a single victory throughout the regular season, he maintained consistency with three top-five and twelve top-10 finishes.
Did You Know?
Truex won two straight Xfinity Series titles in 2004 and 2005, and he is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner as well.
5. Kurt Busch (August 4, 1978 – present)
Age: 44 years old
Debut Year: 2000
Current Teams: 23XI Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 45 Toyota
photo source: people.com
Kurt Busch, an American racer, competes with 23XI Racing and is a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver for the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD. He triumphed in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2004 and the Daytona 500 in 2017. His older brother is two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
He spent three seasons operating the No. 1 Chevrolet with Chip Ganassi Racing until the team was sold to the Trackhouse Racing Team.
The 2004 Cup Series winner was Busch, who has 34 victories in NASCAR’s top division. He has four Xfinity Series victories and four Camping World Truck Series triumphs.
Did You Know?
Kurt Busch and his brother Kyle competed in the 2017 Race of Champions as members of Team USA NASCAR. Sebastian Vettel of Team Germany won the Nations Cup’s final round.
4. JJ Yeley (October 5, 1976 – present)
Age: 45 years old
Debut Year: 2006
Current Teams: Rick Ware Racing, MBM Motorsports
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 15 Mustang, No. 55 Ford Mustang
photo source: wikipedia.org
Jimmy Jack Yeley is a skilled stock car driver from America. JJ Yeley, who was given the names of his father and a family friend, competes occasionally in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 15 for Rick Ware Racing and the No. 55 for MBM Motorsports.
He aimed to compete in the 2022 Daytona 500 operating No. 55 vehicle with MBM Motorsports along with the support of HEX.com, however he failed to qualify. He would instead try to complete the whole 2022 Xfinity Series season as MBM’s No. 66 driver.
His efforts to qualify the No. 55 for MBM at Talladega were successful.
Did You Know?
He is one of just six drivers—alongside Tracy Hines, Jerry Coons Jr., Tony Stewart, Dave Darland, and Pancho Carter—to have won the USAC Triple Crown.
3. Kevin Harvick (December 8, 1975 – present)
Age: 46 years old
Debut Year: 2001
Current Teams: Stewart-Haas Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 4 Ford
photo source: cbssports.com
An American driver of stock cars, Kevin Harvick, is the sole proprietor of Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series.
After 13 years with Richard Childress Racing, Harvick joined SHR in 2014. During his first season with the team, which is co-owned by three-time Cup Series champions Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, Harvick won his first Cup Series championship.
At the highest level of NASCAR, Harvick has won 60 times in his career. In 2022, at Michigan, he ended the second-longest winless skid of his career after 65 races. He has won 47 races in the Xfinity Series in his career and has won the championship twice. He has also won 14 races in the Camping World Truck Series.
Did You Know?
With nine victories, Harvick now owns the Cup Series victory record at Phoenix Raceway. Currently, Harvick ranks third all-time in the history of NASCAR with 121 career victories across all national series.
2. Jacques Villeneuve (April 9, 1971 – present)
Age: 51 years old
Debut Year: 1998
Current Teams: Team Hezeberg
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 27 Ford
photo source: cbssports.com
Jacques Villeneuve, a Canadian professional race car driver and musician, won the Formula One World Championship in 1977. His first significant victory in more than a decade came in a Belgian endurance race, which he won in 2008. He also placed second overall in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race.
Villeneuve is scheduled to make a part-time NASCAR Cup Series comeback in 2022, driving the non-chartered No. 27 Team Hezeberg Ford. He agreed to support Team Hezeberg’s campaign in the Daytona 500 with the goal of helping the team begin its Cup Series program.
Did You Know?
Jacques Villanueve won the Indianapolis 500 in 1995 and set records for being the youngest IndyCar winner.
1. Greg Biffle (December 23, 1969 – present)
Age: 52 years old
Debut Year: 1998
Current Teams: NY Racing
Car Numbers and Manufacturers: No. 44 Chevrolet
photo source: NASCAR
At 52, Greg Biffle is currently considered the oldest active driver in the Daytona 500. He competed in 510 races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series during the course of his career, winning 19 of them and placing in the top ten well over 170 times.
Over the course of 11 years, he participated in 244 races in the Xfinity Series, earning 20 victories and 149 top-ten finishes. Biffle was a free agent for the 2017 campaign as he turned down a ride for the 2017 season.
In 2022, Biffle rejoined the series and competed in all of the NY Racing Team’s events while driving the No. 44 in the Daytona 500.
Did You Know?
In 2001, he was named Rookie of the Year, and his first Busch Series victory came the following year. Over the years, he earned multiple victories, and in 2010, he made a comeback in the Nationwide Series.
