Daytona 300
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| Venue | Daytona International Speedway |
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| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Invesco PowerShares |
| First race | 1959 |
| First Xfinity Series race | 1982 |
| Distance | 300 miles (480 km) |
| Laps | 120 (Stage 1: 30 Stage 2: 30 Stage 3: 60) |
| Previous names |
Modified Sportsman Race (1959–1965) Permatex 300 (1966–1977) Sportsman 300 (1978–1981) Goody's 300 (1982–1995) Goody's Headache Powder 300 (1996) Gargoyles 300 (1997) NAPA Auto Parts 300 (1998–2001) EAS/GNC Live Well 300 (2002) Koolerz 300 (2003) Hershey's Kisses 300 (2004) Hershey's Take 5 300 (2005) Hershey's Kissables 300 (2006) Orbitz 300 (2007) Camping World 300 (2008–2009) DRIVE4COPD 300 (2010–2014) Alert Today Florida 300 (2015) |
| Most wins (driver) | Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart (7) |
| Most wins (team) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (8) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (30) |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The PowerShares QQQ 300 is the first race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, 300-mile-long (483 km) annual race held at Daytona International Speedway. It is held the day before the Daytona 500, and is considered the most prestigious event of the Xfinity Series. Until 2002, it was the only event of the Xfinity Series to be annually held at Daytona International Speedway. Ryan Reed is the defending race winner after winning the race in 2017.
The race originates from races held at the Daytona Beach Road Course during the 1948 NASCAR Modified series season, the first sanctioned races held by the organization. Between 1950 and 1958, the race was held as part of the Modified/Sportsman Series, at the Daytona Beach Road Course. It was held the Friday or Saturday before the track's Grand National Series race.
In 1956–1959, a race in the short-lived NASCAR Convertible Division was also held.
The race moved to the new 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for 1959. It was scheduled the day before the Daytona 500, and ran a distance of either 200 or 250 miles. In 1966, the race became known as the Permatex 300, making it only the second race on the NASCAR schedule to be named for a corporate sponsor (the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside being the first). In 1968 the Permatex 300 was shifted from the Modifieds division to the newly organized NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division. In 1982, the Late Model Sportsman Division was reorganized into the modern day NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the race was sponsored by Goody's for several years.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the race was often ridiculed and exploited by local media for its frequent crashes and massive pileups. Several major accidents and fires over the years were blamed on the low level of experience by several of the drivers, and the older equipment used. The level of prestige held by the event, along with the relatively large purses, attracted numerous independent and one-off entries, contributing to the inexperience of drivers in the field.
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