NASCAR
Recent Surprise Winners of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
Any triumph on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway is a career-defining feat for all drivers. While the Daytona 500 is known as The Great American Race, a who’s-who list of stars and upsets alike have also won the summer 400-mile race. Over the last 12 years, half of the Coke Zero Sugar 400’s winners were surprise faces. Heading into the 2026 version of the electric night race, here’s a look back on some upset winners from Daytona’s 400-mile slugfest.
2014: Aric Almirola
Amid the first year of the elimination Playoff format, July’s Daytona race saw the first upset moment of the ‘Win and You’re In’ era. Driving ‘The King’ Richard Petty’s famed No. 43, Aric Almirola was one of very few left standing after rain rolled in following a massive pileup.
Hailing from nearby Tampa, Florida, Almirola earned the 43’s first victory since 1999. The Florida native would end his maiden Playoff run 16th in final points.
2018: Erik Jones
Four years later Daytona saw another carnage-laden night under the lights. Half of the 40-car field ended this race wrecked, with three mammoth crashes eliminating many contenders. One of the few left at the finish was Erik Jones, who earned his maiden Cup triumph with Joe Gibbs Racing. Veteran Toyota teammate Martin Truex Jr. pushed the young Jones to this win, coming in his 57th start. Jones’ first Playoffs trek ended in the Round of 16 with a 15th-place final points tally.
2019: Justin Haley
One of the biggest come-from-nowhere wins in NASCAR history happened the very next July at Daytona. With rain fast approaching, Austin Dillon got spun from the lead late by Clint Bowyer, triggering a massive pileup.
Inheriting the lead under this caution was Kurt Busch, only to pit with one to go before the restart. That restart never came, as lightning struck nearby with Justin Haley out front. A first-year Spire Motorsports car No. 77 took home this weather-shortened win. To this day, Daytona is still the only triumph of Haley’s Cup career, coming in start number three. Haley was not racing for Cup points, but ended 2019 ranked 12th in O’Reilly points.
2020: William Byron
For a third-straight season Daytona summer saw a new Cup winner in 2020, this time being William Byron. 2020 was also the first year of Daytona moving to race 26, as a last chance for a surprise winner. One of three Playoff bubble drivers entering this race for two spots, Byron kept the No. 24 clean amid late-race chaos. Byron only took the lead in overtime, and earned the win with a push from teammate Chase Elliott.
Byron has since gone onto win the Daytona 500 twice, and be a yearly Cup title-caliber threat. Byron’s first Cup triumph propelled him to finish 14th in 2020’s Cup standings.
2022: Austin Dillon
The first year of NASCAR’s Next Gen Car, 2022 saw parity abound across the Cup Series. Coming into race 26 at Daytona, 15 different drivers had visited victory lane that season. This left two Playoff spots up for grabs in a pressure-packed race. 22 laps to go saw the pack fly apart in a wet turn one, turning over a dozen cars into junk. Emerging from the smoke out front was Austin Dillon, who was awarded the win after the race ended on Sunday.
Dillon’s 11th-hour win from 19th in points eliminated Martin Truex Jr. from the Playoffs, and gave RCR another title bid. Dillon’s second Daytona triumph led the 3 to an 11th-place points finish.
2024: Harrison Burton
From one unthinkable Playoff-upsetting Daytona win to another, 2024 saw the nearly-impossible happen. 34th in points Harrison Burton pulled ahead of Kyle Busch on the final lap, giving historic Wood Brothers Racing their 100th Cup triumph. This win eliminated Bubba Wallace from the top-16, and was one of back-to-back second-place misses for Busch. Despite lame duck status in this ride, Burton conquered NASCAR’s ultimate stage after one wild night.
Although no longer a do-or-die race for half of the grid, Saturday could easily see another upset winner. Five Chase bubble drivers make the trek south desperately needing a win, with all showing past drafting prowess. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 typically has a wildly different flavor than the Daytona 500. The World Center of Racing will go green Saturday at 7;30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Every driver looks to either end the regular season with an exclamation point or have peak momentum for The Chase.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
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