Denny Hamlin, a veteran of the NASCAR circuit, recently voiced frustration that the series does not celebrate its most prestigious races with the same fervor that golf attributes to its majors. With three Crown Jewel victories to his name, Hamlin points to the historical weight of those events and questions why they are not discussed with equal intensity.
From Triple Crown to Crown Jewel
The notion of a ‘Crown Jewel’ traces back to NASCAR’s early days, when the sport’s founders identified a trio of races—the Daytona 500, the Coca‑Cola 600 and the Southern 500—as the original triple crown. Only two drivers, LeeRoy Yarbrough in 1969 and David Pearson in 1976, have ever captured all three, a feat that remains a benchmark of excellence.
In 1985, the Winston Million program was introduced, offering a $1 million bonus to any driver who could win three of the four designated events, a nod to the triple crown concept that briefly shone a spotlight on the achievement. Bill Elliott was the first to claim the prize, and the program’s legacy resurfaced decades later in the modern branding of the Crown Jewel series.
The term itself emerged after R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company exited the sport in 2003, when the remaining marquee events were grouped under a new banner. Today, the Crown Jewel portfolio includes the Daytona 500, the Coca‑Cola 600, the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400, each steeped in tradition yet treated differently in contemporary discourse.
Hamlin’s critique reflects a broader sentiment among drivers and fans who feel that the sport’s heritage is being diluted by shifting marketing labels. He suggests that reverting to the original triple crown terminology could restore the narrative weight those races deserve, aligning them more closely with the reverence seen in other sports.