There are a few drivers who rise to the occasion when it comes to NASCAR’s most prestigious races, known as the Crown Jewels. These four races — the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the Southern 500 at Darlington, and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis — are benchmarks of greatness in the Cup Series.
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Here’s a look at the active drivers who have the most Crown Jewel wins. The list has some of the greatest drivers of the generation, including Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch.
However, if there is one driver who can be truly considered a master in Crown Jewel racing, that’s Denny Hamlin. However, no driver, including Hamlin, has won all four Crown Jewel races in their career.
Larson has amassed 32 Cup Series victories in his career thus far, and three of them are Crown Jewel wins. His first big moment came in 2021 when he won the Coca-Cola 600. He won the Southern 500 in 2023 and the Brickyard 400 in 2024.
A victory in the Daytona 500 has eluded Larson thus far. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his weakness at superspeedways.
RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski is also a driver with three Crown Jewel wins. He won the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 in 2018, before securing the Coca-Cola 600 in 2020.
A step above these two icons is the two-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch. ‘Rowdy’ has won Crown Jewel races four times in his career. He won the Southern 500 in 2008, the Brickyard 400 in 2015 and 2016, and the Coca-Cola 600 in 2018. Like Larson and Keselowski, he has never won the Daytona 500.
Hamlin’s masterclass
Nobody does it better than Hamlin on the big stage. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has won seven Crown Jewel races in his career so far. His resume includes three Daytona 500s, three Southern 500s, and one Coca-Cola 600. The Brickyard 400 is the one box that he hasn’t ticked yet.
The NASCAR Cup Series field travels to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the 2025 Brickyard 400. Following his victory at Dover last Sunday, Hamlin has the momentum on his side to push for a win again. It doesn’t have to be spelled out that it would mean the world for him to reach Victory Lane at the iconic track.
“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to go back-to-back [wins] so bad. That’s a track that I’ve just come so freaking close to winning. And I just want to cross off all the major racetracks on our schedule,” said Hamlin after his win at Dover.
Hamlin realizes that the task at hand is hard and that he will have to qualify well to have a chance at success. It remains to be seen what cards are dealt to him.
