DAYTONA BEACH, Fla — Austin Cindric is back in Daytona. Well, he’s actually recently been back. He just took part in January’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. That race was all in good fun for 24-year-old driver. He moonlighted in an IMSA car for Rick Ware Racing. This time, he’s here in Daytona Beach for his real job – a NASCAR driver.

Last year, Cindric left Daytona Speedweeks speechless. He took his No. 2 Ford to victory lane in NASCAR’s version of their Super Bowl.

That feat is one that shocked even Cindric. The Rolex this past year was via fifth foray into the annual twice around the clock event. He felt like he’d would have won a Rolex before he won the Daytona 500.

Now, the Team Penske driver returns to Daytona International Speedway as the defending DAYTONA 500 winner and this weekend will look to add his name to the list of multiple Great American Race winners. If he does win this weekend, he will join Sterling Marlin (1994, 1995) as just the second driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to score their first two wins in the DAYTONA 500.

Last season’s DAYTONA 500 victory was Cindric’s first career NASCAR Cup Series win, and in doing so, he became the first rookie in series history to win the event.

Can he repeat?

Cindric was actually a really good driver on superspeedways a year ago. He finished third here in the annual summer race in August while also scoring a ninth placed run in the Fall Talladega race.

If he can win, he’ll also win for a third straight year during Speedweeks with Cindric also taking home the victory in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener as well.

While it may sound like a first-time winner is a rare feat, it’s not as rare as it sounds at Daytona.

They say you always remember the ‘first-time’ and Daytona International Speedway has been known for making memories that last in the NASCAR Cup Series.

In total 17 different drivers have scored their first NASCAR Cup Series career pole at Daytona International Speedway and 23 different drivers have won their first race in the NASCAR Cup Series at the 2.5-mile track.

Daytona International Speedway has seen a first-time winner in at least one of its NASCAR Cup Series races in the last five consecutive seasons (2018-2022).

First Time Pole Winners	Season	First Time Race Winners	Season
William Byron	2019	Austin Cindric	2022
Chase Elliott	2016	Michael McDowell	2021
Austin Dillon	2014	William Byron	2020
Danica Patrick	2013	Justin Haley	2019
Paul Menard	2008	Erik Jones	2018
Greg Biffle	2004	Aric Almirola	2014
Jimmie Johnson	2002	David Ragan	2011
Kevin Harvick	2002	Trevor Bayne	2011
Mike Skinner	1997	Greg Biffle	2003
Dale Jarrett	1995	Michael Waltrip	2001
Loy Allen Jr	1994	John Andretti	1997
Sterling Marlin	1991	Jimmy Spencer	1994
Greg Sacks	1990	Sterling Marlin	1994
Geoff Bodine	1982	Derrike Cope	1990
Ramo Stott	1976	Greg Sacks	1985
Charlie Glotzbach	1968	Pete Hamilton	1970
Darel Dieringer	1964	Mario Andretti	1967
		Earl Balmer	1966
		Sam McQuagg	1966
		A.J. Foyt	1964
		Bobby Isaac	1964
		Johnny Rutherford	1963
		Tiny Lund	1963

Of the 64 DAYTONA 500 races in the books, nine times a driver has posted his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory with a win in the event; the most recent to accomplish the feat was Team Penske’s Austin Cindric last season.

First-Time Winners in DAYTONA 500	Seasons
Tiny Lund	1963
Mario Andretti	1967
Pete Hamilton	1970
Derrike Cope	1990
Sterling Marlin	1994
Michael Waltrip	2001
Trevor Bayne	2011
Michael McDowell	2021
Austin Cindric	2022

Three other drivers posted their career-first NASCAR Cup Series victory in (points-paying) qualifying races at Daytona: Johnny Rutherford (1963), Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).

Looking at the entry list for this season’s DAYTONA 500, 15 drivers will be attempting to earn their first series win this weekend – Harrison Burton, Conor Daly, Ty Dillon, Ty Gibbs, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, Riley Herbst, Austin Hill, Corey Lajoie, B.J. McLeod, Travis Pastrana, Ryan Preece, Chandler Smith, Zane Smith, and Cody Ware.

You also on the flipside have someone like Denny Hamlin who’s attempting to win his fourth.

If Joe Gibbs Racing’s Hamlin (2016, 2019, 2020) wins Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, then he will tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984) for the second-most DAYTONA 500 victories all-time with four each.

Only six drivers all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series have scored three or more DAYTONA 500 victories, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty with seven wins in the Great American Race (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981); followed by Cale Yarborough (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984), Bobby Allison (1978, 1982, 1988), Dale Jarrett (1993, 1996, 2000), Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999, 2005) and Denny Hamlin (2016, 2019, 2020).

Legacy Motor Club’s driver Jimmie Johnson can become the seventh driver to win three DAYTONA 500s this weekend too. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, has two DAYTONA 500 wins to his name, hoisting the trophies in 2006 and 2013.

Defending series champion, Joey Logano, is eyeing his second.

Logano has the opportunity to become just the sixth different driver in series history to win the DAYTONA 500 as the defending series champion.

Five reigning NASCAR Cup Series champions have gone on to win the DAYTONA 500 the season after winning the championship – all now NASCAR Hall of Famers: Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (1973), Cale Yarborough (1977), Jeff Gordon (1999) and Dale Jarrett (2000).