Blog: Faster Cars? Looking Back at Daytona 500

Based on the Daytona 500 results, Ford and Chevrolet seem about even. Toyota wasn't quite as strong but not far behind. Dodge was nonexistent.

At the Daytona 500, Ford led 97 laps compared to 68 for Toyota and 37 for Chevrolet. Most of Ford's leads were dominated by Kenseth, who led the last 38 laps, and Biffle, who led 44 laps. Toyota's lead laps were primarily that of Hamlin who led 57 laps. Chevrolet leads were more distributed with 6 drivers with leading laps. Of that bunch, Burton captured 17 lead laps and Blaney 6.

Based on qualifying positions, the better Ford cars were superior. The first two starting spots and three out of top five spots were Ford. However, on average, Chevrolet had a slight edge in starting position. The average starting position for Chevrolet was 18 and that of Ford was 22. The average starting spot for Toyota was 29. Also, all four racers that did not qualify drove Toyota.

As for finishing, Chevrolet dominated the top ten with 4, followed by 3 each for Ford and Toyota. Toyota had the best average finishing position with 17. Ford's average finishing position was 21 and Chevrolet's was 24.