Five most heartbreaking Daytona 500 losses in NASCAR history

Instead of Earnhardt, it was Derrike Cope who found the spotlight that day, scoring a huge upset as Earnhardt was denied his chance at Daytona glory. 

4. Johnny Beauchamp, 1959 

Like the Packers winning Super Bowl I, Lee Petty winning the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 immortalized him in racing history. But it took three days for Petty to officially be declared the winner in NASCAR's first photo finish. 

Beauchamp had originally been declared the winner on race day, but after reviewing photographic evidence, NASCAR awarded the win to Petty, who maintained from the beginning that he had won the race. Beauchamp had to settle for second and a smaller role in the story of the inaugural Daytona 500. 

3. Donnie Allison, 1979 

Donnie Allison may not have matched the accomplishments of his brother Bobby, but he was still a force to be reckoned with during his driving career. The nine-time Cup Series winner was battling for the win with four-time Daytona 500 champion Cale Yarborough in 1979 when the two drivers crashed in Turn 3 and handed Richard Petty his sixth Daytona triumph on a silver platter. 

2. Martin Truex Jr., 2016

Truex, the 2017 Cup Series champion and a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, was poised to add a Harley J. Earl trophy to his list of accomplishments in 2016. That was until another future Hall of Famer, Denny Hamlin, swooped in and stole the 2016 Daytona 500 in the closest finish in the race's history at 0.01 seconds. Truex Jr. lost the Daytona 500 by roughly half a foot and never came that close to winning it again.

1. Kyle Busch, 2023

Going into 2023, the storyline surrounding Busch was like something out of a Hollywood movie. The two-time Cup Series champion was preparing for his first season with Richard Childress Racing, the same organization Earnhardt became a household name with during his legendary career. He was preparing for his 18th Daytona 500 start and had a fast car throughout Speedweeks. 

On race day, Busch led at the 500-mile mark, but did so while the field was preparing for NASCAR overtime. Busch was caught up in a crash on the final lap, finishing 19th as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. celebrated an upset victory in NASCAR's biggest race. 

Honorable mention: Mark Martin, 2007

Martin, who also came heartbreakingly close to winning several Cup Series championships but never did so, had a similar fate at Daytona. He was poised to finally win the 500 in 2007 until an incredible last-lap rally from Kevin Harvick flipped the script.