More than half of the drivers set to compete in this year’s Daytona 500 are alumni of the Skip Barber Racing School, including six past winners of The Great American Race. Among the 22 Skip Barber graduates taking the green flag on Sunday are three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, Rookie of the Year favorite Connor Zilisch, and Legacy Motor Club teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
Former Daytona 500 winners Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Michael McDowell join Logano as Skip Barber alumni in this year’s field. Several organizations feature multiple graduates on their rosters, including pairings such as Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick; Ty Dillon and AJ Allmendinger; Ross Chastain and Zilisch; as well as Todd Gilliland, Chandler Smith, and Noah Gragson. Additional Skip Barber alumni competing for the Harley J. Earl Trophy include Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, and Carson Hocevar. Some drivers, such as Allmendinger and Cindric, trained with Skip Barber at the very beginning of their careers. However, a growing majority have returned to the School within the past five years as NASCAR’s schedule has evolved to include more road courses—prompting many traditionally oval-focused drivers to sharpen their road racing skills. One notable example is Chastain, who trained with Skip Barber for multiple days, including sessions at Circuit of the Americas, in the months leading up to his breakout victory there in 2022. The message is clear: no matter your level of competition, it’s never too late to go back to school and elevate your performance. If we can train drivers in the Daytona 500, we’re confident we can help you find your way to the top step of the podium.