The Daytona 500 is one of the most unpredictable races in all of motorsports, where survival often matters as much as speed. With pack racing, drafting strategies, and the ever-present risk of the “Big One,” stringing together consecutive top-10 finishes at The Great American Race is no easy feat.
Yet, as revealed in Racing Insights’ Daytona 500 stat book, three drivers currently hold the longest active top-10 streaks in the event—Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, and AJ Allmendinger—each with a modest but impressive two-race streak.
Let’s take a closer look at how these drivers have found recent success at Daytona.
Alex Bowman: Quiet Consistency at the 500
Though often known for his front-row qualifying dominance at Daytona—earning six front-row starts since 2018—Bowman has quietly put together solid race-day performances in recent years.
His sixth-place finish in the 2023 Daytona 500 marked his best career result in the event, followed by a 10th-place finish in 2024. While Bowman has yet to lead many laps in the race, his ability to stay out of trouble and be in contention late has kept him in the mix.
Now heading into his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, it will be interesting to see if he can extend this streak to three.
Christopher Bell: A New Contender at Daytona?
Christopher Bell is better known for his success on short tracks and road courses, but he’s proving to be a legitimate threat at superspeedways as well.
After crashing out early in his first three Daytona 500 starts, Bell turned things around with back-to-back top-10 finishes: third in 2023 and seventh in 2024. His podium finish in 2023 came after surviving late-race chaos, and he followed it up with another strong showing last season.
As a member of Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell has the equipment to compete for a win, and if his recent results are any indication, he’s quickly becoming a driver to watch in the draft.
AJ Allmendinger: Superspeedway Success Continues
Known primarily for his road course expertise, AJ Allmendinger has quietly built a solid superspeedway résumé over the years.
After finishing sixth in the 2023 Daytona 500, Allmendinger backed it up with a top-10 finish in 2024, proving his ability to navigate the draft and avoid trouble. Despite not being a full-time Cup Series driver in 2025, he remains a strong dark-horse contender when he gets behind the wheel at Daytona.
If he enters this year’s race, Allmendinger has a real shot at keeping his streak alive.
Final Thoughts: Who Can Keep the Streak Going?
While two straight top-10 finishes may not seem like much, in a race as chaotic as the Daytona 500, that level of consistency is rare.
All three drivers have found ways to stay at the front late in the race, and as the 2025 Daytona 500 approaches, the question remains—who will keep their streak alive, and who will emerge as the next driver to find back-to-back success at The Great American Race?
