Some races bring prestige like no other. In Indycar, for instance, that honour goes to the Indy 500. F1 has its own as well. However, NASCAR trumps all other categories when it comes to the sheer number of Crown Jewels, with five prestigious races packed on the calendar, from the Daytona 500 to the Coca-Cola 600. But which of these races stands out?

That’s precisely what a recent debate sparked by The Daily Downforce set out to seek. But while the opinions pouring in were expected to have some controversial takes amongst them, one of NASCAR’s biggest stakeholders, Brad Keselowski, chimed in to share his list, which left fans with some questions to be answered.

The Daytona 500 tops Brad Keselowski’s list while other picks create confusion

Taking to X, The DailyDownforce shared their list of the Crown Jewel ranking. With the Daytona 500 naturally leading, the Southern 500 and Coca-Cola 600 followed behind in second and third. Whilst the Brickyard 400 wasn’t the last pick, the Bristol Night Race was also included as an honorary mention in fifth. While many fans agreed with this list, Brad Keselowski had his take on the Crown Jewels.

He shared, “Daytona, Charlotte, Southern 500, Bristol night, Brickyard Talladega spring, I said it…” It’s safe to say that the Daytona 500 will remain undefeated in most drivers and fans’ eyes for a long while, with most of the replies and comments agreeing with Keselowski on the top Crown Jewel. But when we talk about the Coca-Cola 600, there’s nothing quite like the intensity of the Cup Series’ longest race.

The community seemed to be in sync with Keselowski on his list so far, agreeing with the placement of the Southern 500 held at Darlington in fourth as well. However, here’s where things got interesting, with Keselowski listing every driver’s favourite honorary Crown Jewel, the Bristol night race. Still, this wasn’t as surprising as the last name on the list. Keselowski specifically mentioned the spring race at Talladega Speedway, which caught some fans off-guard.

The replies immediately filled up with fans asking Keselowski, “Why specifically Talladega spring? Genuine question.” While the RFK Racing co-owner didn’t give a reason himself, speculative fans quickly chimed in; “It was a crown jewel for years and was 1 of the 4 crown jewel races needed to win the Winston million.” Other fans also recognized Keselowski’s reasoning and stated, “Nice callout to the original Winston Million with Dega.”

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So with Brad Keselowski sharing his list with the community and sending certain fans into a speculative hunt, those who have a different opinion than the 39-year-old might find more common ground with other Cup Series drivers.

Hendrick Motorsport stars reveal the Crown Jewel they would want to win the most

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A few weeks ago, Hendrick Motorsports sat down with Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson to uncover the most important Crown Jewel victory in their eyes. Out of the current HMS roster, Larson happens to be the only driver to claim victory at Crown Jewel races after he won the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as well as winning the Southern 500 at Darlington.

Speaking of which, Larson naturally wants to complete the list. “The Brickyard 400 and the DAYTONA 500 are the only crown jewels I haven’t been able to win in NASCAR,” Larson shared with HMS. “I love winning races but I love winning the big races. I would love to check those off and add them to the resume.” The Daytona 500 also remained a common theme for Alex Bowman, who aims to outclass Penske and JGR to win the season opener. Bowman shared, “It’s a long race and it’s hard to get to the end. Winning that race would be awesome.”

While it’s safe to say the Daytona 500 is definitely one of the most iconic races for any driver to win, Chase Elliott has a rather emotional motive behind his pick. He shared, “The one that is more meaningful to me is the Brickyard because I was old enough when my dad won (in 2002) to just very vaguely remember a few little things about it. To be in the photos and whatnot I thought was cool. That one really hits closest to home for me.”

Last but not least, Byron also wishes to bring home gold at the Coca-Cola 600. Not only is the event Byron’s home race but also he stands a major chance after a strong outing last year. He stated, “That’s a big deal to win that race. It would just be cool to celebrate with my family and have that moment. That one sticks out to me.” 

After taking a look at what some of the top Cup Series drivers of the modern era think of the Crown Jewel races, which of them does your favorite align with the most?

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