The number eight comes up often in interesting modern DAYTONA 500 historical chapters. The very first overtime race in the storied event’s history featured eight extra laps in 2005 with Jeff Gordon claiming the Harley J. Earl trophy. Dale Earnhardt Jr., drove the No. 8 Chevrolet to his first DAYTONA 500 win in 2004 and “doubled down” claiming his second victory in the No. 88 ten years later. And as an owner-driver entry between 2009-2016, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart’s best-ever finish in the Great American Race was eighth place (2009).
Tune-in to the 2026 DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.