Daytona 500 Raceway History

The Daytona 500 is the elite NASCAR race held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida in February. It has been likened by various sources as being the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing, with a larger television audience than any other NASCAR race. The Daytona 500 raceway history began with the racing of early cars on the Daytona Beach Road Course near the beginning of the 20th century, which eventually resulted in the formation of NASCAR in 1948.

Since 1959, the Daytona 500 raceway has been a 2.5 mile long track, and the race itself consists of about 200 laps, accounting for 500 miles of driving, depending on the weather conditions. One of the most famous races in the Daytona 500 raceway's history was the first one, held in 1959. The race came down to two drivers battling for the finish: Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. Though Beauchamp was declared the winner upon the end of the race, Petty was bestowed the win after film of the finish was reviewed to determine the winner.

Lee Petty's son, Richard Petty, also experienced incredible success in NASCAR and at the Daytona 500. In addition to being tied for the most NASCAR Championship wins (at seven) with Dale Earnhardt, Petty holds the record for the most wins in Daytona 500 raceway history (also at seven times). Richard Petty's first Daytona 500 win was in 1964, and his seventh and final win was in 1981.

From its origins as a beach racing track where land speed records were broken to a modern race track with attendance estimates at upwards of 250,000 people, the Daytona 500 is often regarded as the pinnacle of motorsports.