DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As NASCAR reflects on its history to start its 75th Anniversary season, nine legends of the sport – all of whom have won the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series championship – will come together to serve as grand marshals for the 65th running of The Great American Race.
Five NASCAR Hall of Famers and four future Hall of Famers in Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano will collectively give the command to fire engines for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19.
“If a driver has won both a Daytona 500 and a NASCAR Cup Series championship, they have accomplished the two most difficult feats possible in our sport and deserve to be put on a pedestal,” said Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. “As we start NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary season, it’s important to honor these legends. There’s no better time to give fans the chance to celebrate the past than before a sold-out crowd at Daytona International Speedway.”
The grand marshal corps represents Daytona 500 champions across six decades
1960s – Richard Petty (2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, seven-time champion, seven-time Daytona 500 winner)
1970s – Bobby Allison (2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, 1983 Cup Series champion, three-time Daytona 500 winner)
1980s – Bill Elliott (2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, 1998 Cup Series champion, two-time Daytona 500 winner)
1990s – Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon
Jarrett (2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, 1999 Cup Series champion, three-time Daytona 500 winner)
Gordon (2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, four-time Cup Series champion, three-time Daytona 500 winner)
2000s – Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick
Johnson (Seven-time Cup Series champion, two-time Daytona 500 winner)
Harvick (2014 Cup Series champion, 2007 Daytona 500 winner)
2010s – Kurt Busch and Joey Logano
Busch (2004 Cup Series champion, 2017 Daytona 500 winner)
Logano (two-time Cup Series champion, 2015 Daytona 500 winner)