Thunder rumbled over Daytona on July 3, 2010, not from fireworks, but from 43 snarling stock cars racing on the bumpy and crumbling asphalt. Kevin Harvick emerged victorious after 47 nerve-shredding lead changes in the Coke Zero 400. Few realized they’d witnessed history, as it was the final battle on Daytona’s legendary bumpy surface before repaving.

Fifteen years later, that top-10 finishers list reads like a retirement rollcall. Every driver, from Harvick to 10th-place Scott Speed, has hung up their Cup Series helmet, cementing this race as NASCAR’s generational farewell.

Daytona’s Bumpy Asphalt Staged Epic Last Dance in 2010

The rain delayed the green flag by two hours, foreshadowing a marathon night, starting at 9:24 p.m. ET. “Thought that race was going to end at the crack of dawn the way we were going that night,” one fan recalled. The battered track, riddled with potholes after February’s Daytona 500, demanded daredevil driving. Cars bucked violently through turns, with the suspensions groaning under loads unseen in modern NASCAR.

Chaos erupted early and often. Kyle Busch’s Toyota met the wall on Lap 99 after contact with Juan Pablo Montoya. Then Lap 147 unleashed “The Big One,” a 21-car wreck ignited when Kurt Busch clipped Jeff Burton. Smoke swallowed the backstretch as Jimmie Johnson’s crew pulled Mark Martin from his burning Chevrolet. “That was pretty damn cool. Never realized how bumpy that track was,” a fan admitted about the bumps. “I dont think this gen car could even drive over those bumps.”

Harvick threaded through eight cautions and a red flag, finally seizing the lead from Clint Bowyer on the last lap’s backstretch. His winning move came moments after Sam Hornish Jr.’s crash triggered overtime, a fitting climax to the track’s fame.

2010’s Coke Zero 400 Top-10 Finishers Become Racing Immortals

Victory Lane celebrated Harvick’s third 2010 win, but history now frames the entire top 10 as racing royalty. Kasey Kahne chased Harvick to the line, lamenting post-race, “It would have been nice to get our Budweiser Ford in Victory Lane.” Jeff Gordon completed the podium ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., their final Daytona duel before retirement.

The full retirement timeline reveals NASCAR’s changing guard:

Kevin Harvick – 2023

Kasey Kahne – 2018

Jeff Gordon – 2015

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2017

Jeff Burton – 2014

Carl Edwards – 2016

Kurt Busch – 2023

Reed Sorenson – 2020

Mike Bliss – 2016

Scott Speed – 2013

A fan noted the eerie symbolism, writing, “You have to go back to 19th to find an active driver (JJ Yeley) and 24th to find an active cup driver (Hamlin).” Others mourned lost traditions, and wrote, “Daytona on 4th of July weekend is a tradition that I wish never died. Every 4th of July weekend since leaving Daytona has never hit the same. The Chicago street race isn’t it.”

Harvick’s victory interview proved prophetic: “I don’t really care about the trophy. I want some of that pavement from the start/finish line out there.” The asphalt he craved now lives in infamy, preserved in highlights where every top-10 driver remains forever at speed. As one fan observed, “crazy how this looks more like a memorial than a leaderboard.” Daytona’s bumps are gone, but their last dance still rattles the soul.