Daytona 500

Daytona 500

Venue	Daytona International Speedway
Corporate sponsor	None
First race	1959
Last race
Distance	500 miles (804.7 km)
Number of laps	200
Previous names	First Annual 500 Mile International Sweepstakes (1959) Second Annual 500 Mile International Sweepstakes (1960) Daytona 500 by STP (1991–1993) Daytona 500 by Dodge (2001)

The Daytona 500 is a 500 miles (804.7 km)-long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. Jamie McMurray is the defending champion of the race.

The Daytona 500 is regarded by many as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse.^[1] Championship points awarded are equal to that of any other Sprint Cup race. It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. Since 1995, U.S. television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the Indianapolis 500 which in turn greatly surpasses the Daytona 500 in in-track attendance and international viewing. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers.^[2]

The event serves as the final event of Speedweeks and is sometimes referred to as "The Great American Race" or the "Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing." It is held the second or third Sunday in February, and since 1971, has been loosely associated with Presidents Day weekend.

The winner of the Daytona 500 is presented with the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane, and the winning car is displayed, in race-winning condition, for one year at Daytona 500 Experience, a museum and gallery adjacent to Daytona International Speedway.

Origins

Course map of Daytona International Speedway

The race is the direct successor of shorter races held on Daytona Beach. This long square was partially on the sand and also on the highway near the beach. Earlier events featured 200 mile (320 km) races with stock cars. Eventually, a 500 mile stock car race was held at Daytona International Speedway in 1959. It was the second 500-miler, following the Southern 500, and has been held every year since. By 1961, it began to be referred to as the "Daytona 500",^[3] by which it is still commonly known.

Daytona International Speedway is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long and a 500-mile race requires 200 laps to complete. However, the race is considered official after half its distance (100 laps or 250 miles (400 km)) have been completed. The race has been shortened four times due to rain (in 1965, 1966, 2003, and 2009) and once in response to the energy crisis in 1974. It has been extended four times (2005-2007 and 2010) to allow for a green-white-checker finish.

Memorable Daytona 500s

1959–1969

Lee Petty, patriarch of the racing family, won the 1959 Daytona 500 on February 22, 1959, defeating Johnny Beauchamp in a highly unusual manner. Petty and Beauchamp were lapping Joe Weatherly at the finish. Petty, Beauchamp, and Weatherly crossed the finish line three abreast with Weatherly blocking NASCAR's photo finish camera. NASCAR initially called Beauchamp the winner. After reviewing photographs and film of the finish for three days, the call was reversed, and Petty was awarded the win. Petty received $19,050 for winning. Ken Marriott was scored as the last place driver having completed one lap and won $100.^[4]

In 1960, Robert "Junior" Johnson won, despite running a slower, year-old car in a field of 68 cars, most in Daytona 500 history through the present day.^[3] Johnson made use of the draft, then a little-understood phenomenon, to keep up with the leaders.

After three years of being the best driver never to win the Daytona 500, Glenn "Fireball" Roberts came to the 1962 edition race of the Daytona 500 on a hot roll, he won the American Challenge for winners of 1961 NASCAR events, the pole position for the Daytona 500, and the Twin-100 mile qualifier. He dominated the race, leading 144 of the 200 laps and finally won his first (and ultimately only) Daytona 500.

In 1963, it was DeWayne "Tiny" Lund who took the victory for the Wood Brothers, however the real drama began a couple weeks before the race when Lund helped pull 1961 winner Marvin Panch from a burning sportscar at a considerable risk to himself. As a result of his heroism, the Wood Brothers asked Lund to replace Panch in the Daytona 500 and Lund took the car to the winner's circle.

Driving a potent Plymouth with the new Hemi engine, Richard Petty led 184 of the 200 laps to win the 1964 Daytona 500 going away. Plymouths ran 1-2-3 at the finish. The triumph was Petty's first on a super-speedway.

The first rain-shortened Daytona 500 was the 1965 event. Leader Marvin Panch and Fred Lorenzen made contact on Lap 129, as rain began to fall; Panch spun out, and Lorenzen won when the race was finally called on Lap 133. The 1966 Daytona 500, won by Richard Petty, was also shortened, to 198 laps, due to rain.^[5]

1967 saw Mario Andretti dominate the race. He led 112 of the 200 laps including the last 33 laps to capture his only win in the Sprint Cup Series.

The 1968 race saw a duel involving Cale Yarborough and LeeRoy Yarbrough. For much of the day, both drivers traded the lead. With 5 laps to go, Yarborough made a successful slingshot pass on the third turn to take the lead from Yarbrough and never looked back as he won his first Daytona 500 by 1.3 seconds. LeeRoy Yarbrough would inflict the same treatment on Charlie Glotzbach the next year, winning the 1969 Daytona 500 on the last lap.

1970–1979

The 1970s opened with Cale Yarborough qualifying at pole with a 194.015 mph (312.237 km/h) run. Fate played a major role in the 1970 race, claiming one driver after another as soon as the green flag fell. Richard Petty, then Yarborough who dropped out after leading 26 of the first 31 laps, Donnie Allison, and A.J. Foyt also dropped out of the race. Later in the race, Pete Hamilton, an unknown driver prior to this race, was contested the lead with the likes of Charlie Glotzbach and David Pearson. On lap 192, Hamilton passed Pearson for the lead, and although Pearson tried valiantly to regain the lead, it was Hamilton who took the checkered flag in front of the largest crowd to ever have seen the Daytona 500 (an estimated 103,800). It was the first of 4 victories Hamilton would have in his brief NASCAR career.

The 1972 race was called a One-Sided Daytona 500. A.J.Foyt cruised into the lead with about 300 miles to go and captured the victory. It was Foyt's sixth career Winston Cup Grand National victory, and it gave the famed Wood Brothers of Stuart,Va. their third Daytona 500 triumph.They had previously won with Tiny Lund in 1963 and Cale Yarborough in 1968. In the event punctuated by a weak field because of factory withdrawal, Foyt outlasted four rivals and beat runner-up Charlie Glotzbach by nearly two laps. Jim Vandiver was six laps in arrears in third place.Benny Parsons was fourth and James Hylton fifth. Only three caution flags for 17 laps interrupted Foyt's pace. He averaged 161.550 mph—an all-time record for the Daytona 500.

During the start of the 1974 NASCAR season, many races had their distance cut ten percent in response to the 1973 oil crisis. As a result, the 1974 Daytona 500, won by Richard Petty (his second straight, making him the first driver ever to do it), was shortened to 180 laps (450 miles), as symbolically, the race "started" on Lap 21. The Twin 125 qualifying races were also shortened to 45 laps (112.5 miles).^[6].Richard Petty overcame tough luck of his own and capitalized on the misfortunes of Donnie Allison to win his fifth Daytona 500. The 47 second triumph was petty's 155th in Winston Cup Grand National competition. A record 53 laps were run under the caution flag, which reduced Petty's average winning speed to 140.894 mph.

In 1975, it appeared David Pearson was on his way to his first Daytona 500 victory as he built a sizable lead on second place Benny Parsons late in the race. However, Richard Petty, who was several laps behind the leaders, and Parsons hooked up in a draft and began reeling in Pearson who was slowed by lapped traffic. The key moment of the race occurred two laps from the end when contact with a backmarker sent Pearson spinning on the backstretch. Parsons avoided the accident and went on to take the win.

In the 1976 500, Richard Petty was leading on the last lap when he was passed on the backstretch by David Pearson. Petty tried to turn under Pearson coming off the final corner, but didn't clear Pearson. The contact caused the drivers to spin in to the grass in the infield just short of the finish line. Petty's car didn't start, but Pearson was able to keep his car running and limp over the finish line for the win. Many fans consider this finish to be the greatest in the history of NASCAR.

For Bobby Allison, The Daytona 500 prior to the 1978 race was not kind to him, in fact he came to the race with a 67-race winless streak but with 11 laps remaining, he pushed his Bud Moore Ford around Buddy Baker to take the lead and never look back as he captured his first Daytona 500 win.

The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first 500-mile (800 km) race to be broadcast live on national television, airing on CBS, whose audience was increased in much of the Eastern and Midwestern USA due to a blizzard. (The Indianapolis 500 was only broadcast on tape delay that evening in this era; most races were broadcast only through the final quarter to half of the race, as was the procedure for ABC's Championship Auto Racing broadcasts; with the new CBS contract, the network and NASCAR agreed to a full live broadcast.) That telecast introduced in-car and low-level track-side cameras, which has now become standard in all sorts of automotive racing broadcasts. A final lap crash and subsequent fight between leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison (along with Donnie's brother Bobby Allison) brought national (if unwelcome) publicity to NASCAR, with the added emphasis of a snowstorm that bogged down much of the northeastern part of the United States. Donnie Allison was leading the race on the final lap with Yarborough drafting him tightly. As Yarborough attempted a slingshot pass at the end of the backstretch, Allison attempted to block him. Yarborough refused to give ground and as he pulled alongside Allison, his left side tires left the pavement and went into the wet and muddy infield grass. Yarborough lost control of his car and contacted Allison's car halfway down the backstretch. As both drivers tried to regain control, their cars made contact several more times before finally locking together and crashing into the outside wall in turn three. After the cars settled in the grass, Donnie Allison and Yarborough began to argue. After they had talked it out, Bobby Allison, who was lapped at that point, pulled over, began defending his brother, and a fight broke out. Richard Petty, who was over half a lap behind at the time, went on to win; with the brawl in the infield, the television audience scarcely noticed. The story was the talk of the water cooler the next day, even making the front page of The New York Times Sports section. NASCAR, as a national sport, had finally arrived after years of moonshine runners.

1980–1989

Buddy Baker started the decade by winning the fastest Daytona 500 in history, at 177.602 mph (285.809 km/h).

The 1981 event saw Richard Petty take an amazing gamble to win his 7th Daytona 500. With 24 laps to go, Petty came to the pits for his final scheduled pit stop, but instead of changing tires, only took on fuel. It worked well as Petty became the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in three different decades.

In 1983, Cale Yarborough was the first driver to run a qualifying lap over 200 mph (320 km/h) at Daytona in his #28 Hardees Chevrolet Monte Carlo. However, on his second of two qualifying laps, Yarborough crashed and flipped his car in turn four. The car had to be withdrawn, and the lap did not count. Despite the crash, Yarborough drove a back-up car (a Pontiac LeMans) to victory, taking the lead from Buddy Baker on the last lap with a duplicate of the pass he attempted on Donnie Allison in 1979. A year later in 1984, Yarborough completed a lap of 201.848 mph (324.828 km/h), officially breaking the 200 mph (320 km/h) barrier at Daytona. He won the race for the second year in a row, and fourth time in his career, with the identical last-lap pass, this time outpacing Darrell Waltrip.

In 1987, Bill Elliott qualified for the pole position at an all-time Daytona record of 210.364 mph (338.532 km/h). He had already won convincingly in the 1985 race, and won his second Daytona 500 in 1987 in dominating fashion.

Sandwiched between Elliott's wins, was a classic 1986 race that came down to the final 70 laps of the race (the last 70 were run under green). It was a 2-car race involving Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine. Earnhardt led for 10 laps while Bodine led for 60. With 3 laps to go, Earnhardt was forced to make a pit stop for a "splash 'n go". However, as Earnhardt left the pits he burned a piston, allowing Bodine to cruise to victory by 11.26 seconds.

The 1988 Daytona 500 was the first race requiring the use restrictor plates. These devices were mandated to reduce dangerously high speeds at Daytona International Speedway and its sister track, Talladega Speedway. The race began despite uncertainty about how well these would work. Eventually, Bobby Allison and his son Davey Allison finished one-two and celebrated together in Victory Lane. Bobby Allison thus became the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500. The race is also remembered for Richard Petty's wild accident on lap 106. Petty spun, became airborne and tumbled along a large section of catch fence before his car came to a stop. The car was then torn nearly in half from hits by A. J. Foyt and Brett Bodine. Petty escaped without serious injury. Restrictor plates remain in use at Daytona and Talladega to this day despite a disposition to create pack racing and a phenomenon known as The Big One.

The 1989 event was won by Darrell Waltrip, his first Daytona 500 victory after 17 attempts. (Coincidentally, the car he drove to victory, the Tide Ride, wore number 17.) Fans loudly cheered the child-like exuberance of Waltrip's victory celebration. As he was being interviewed by CBS pit reporter Mike Joy, Waltrip shouted, "I won the Daytona 500! I won the Daytona 500!" Shortly after, an exuberant Waltrip performed an "Ickey Shuffle" dance in Victory Lane, and ruined his helmet spiking it to the ground.

1990–1999

After years of trying to win it, Dale Earnhardt appeared headed for certain victory in the 1990 Daytona 500 until a series of events in the closing laps. On lap 193 Geoff Bodine spun in the first turn, causing the third and final caution of the race. Everyone pitted except Derrike Cope, who stayed out. On the lap 195 restart, Earnhardt retook and held the lead, only to puncture a tire when he drove over a piece of metal bell housing from the failed engine of Rick Wilson's car on Lap 200. As Earnhardt's damaged car slowed, Cope drove past and earned his first Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) victory. It was the first of two victories for the relatively unknown Cope in the 1990 season.^[7] In an ironic twist, the local CBS affiliate of Cope, who at the time was a resident of the Seattle suburb of Spanaway, opted to pre-empt the race to telecast a Seattle SuperSonics basketball game, and the race was delayed until 3 PM US PST because of the pre-emption, following a CBS NBA telecast.

Earnhardt didn't fare better in the 1991 race as Ernie Irvan passed Earnhardt with six laps to go to score an upset win. Earnhardt spun out with two laps remaining and took out Davey Allison and Kyle Petty. Irvan cruised on the final lap as the race ended under the caution flag.

In 1992, Davey Allison dominated en route to his only Daytona 500 victory. He avoided the "Big One" on lap 92 and went on to lead the final 102 laps.

In 1993, Jeff Gordon made his first Daytona 500 start. He made quite a splash, finishing in the top five. On lap 170, trying to avoid the spinning cars of Michael Waltrip and Derrike Cope, Rusty Wallace's Pontiac lost control and cart-wheeled several times down the backstretch grass. With two laps to go and Dale Earnhardt leading, Dale Jarrett's Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet was running third going into turn three. Using a push from fourth place Geoff Bodine, Jarrett went under Jeff Gordon for second and pulled even with the leader Earnhardt. They bumped and that sent the, at that time, 5 time Winston Cup Champion sliding up the track and Jarrett made the pass. In the broadcast booth, his father and former Cup Champion Ned Jarrett became his son's biggest fan on national TV. It was the fourth time Earnhardt had been leading the Daytona 500 with less than ten laps to go, but failed to win.

In 1994, there were some changes on the Cup circuit for the Daytona 500. After the deaths of Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, some drivers changed teams. Ernie Irvan bought his way out of the number 4 Kodak Chevy to go drive Allison's old ride, the 28 Havoline Ford. Replacing Irvan was Sterling Marlin. Geoff Bodine bought Alan Kulwicki's team and drove the number seven Exide Batteries Ford. Between father Coo Coo and son Sterling, the Marlin family was 0-for-443 in Winston Cup starts heading into the 36th annual Daytona 500. Driving on just hope, Marlin was able to run the final 59 laps on his tank of fuel to win it. Several other drivers also gambled on gas but weren't able to get the same mileage as Marlin. Lake Speed, running fifth at the time, ran out with three laps left. Mark Martin was third before his tank went dry with two laps to go. Irvan, the 1991 winner, drove the number 4 Chevrolet the previous season ironically finished second, .19 seconds behind his former ride.

In 1995, Sterling Marlin amazingly became the first person to win back-to-back Daytona 500s since Cale Yarborough. But this year he won on sheer power and track position and not on a fuel gamble. On the final caution, Marlin's crew chief, Tony Glover, kept Marlin on the track since there were 21 cars on the lead lap at the finish. Even on old tires, he was able to fend off the charging Dale Earnhardt, who went from 14th to second on fresh tires following the final restart with 10 laps to go. Earnhardt quickly moved past everyone but Marlin, locking onto the leader's back bumper by lap 197. Needing help to get around Marlin on the final lap, Earnhardt looked for third place Mark Martin. But Martin's car was on worn tires and he couldn't provide the needed push.

In 1996, Dale Jarrett won his second Daytona 500 in four years, again holding off Dale Earnhardt, driving the number 88 Ford Quality Care Ford for Robert Yates Racing.

In 1997, Jeff Gordon become the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500. Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven ganged up on race leader Bill Elliott during the final ten laps. The race ended under the caution flag, as the teammates grabbed a 1-2-3 finish.

In 1998, Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 after 20 years of trying. Though Earnhardt had usually been a strong competitor in the Daytona 500, mechanical problems, crashes or bad luck had prevented him from winning the race. In 1998, however, Earnhardt was leading when Lake Speed and John Andretti made contact on Lap 198, causing the race to end under caution. After his victory, a joyous Earnhardt drove slowly down pit road, where members of other race teams had lined up to give him handshakes and high-fives. The victory was widely celebrated, even by people who weren't his fans, and was a defining moment in Earnhardt's career and legacy.^[8] Mike Joy, who was play-by-play announcer for CBS's broadcast in 1998 (his first play-by-play call of the Daytona 500) called the win "the most anticipated moment in racing".

In 1999, Jeff Gordon grabbed his second Daytona 500 win using drafting help from Dale Earnhardt to pull off a daring three-wide pass on Rusty Wallace and Mike Skinner with 10 laps remaining. Gordon then managed to hold off a determined Earnhardt to earn the victory.

2000–2007

The 2000 race almost produced another upset winner as Johnny Benson led the late stages of the event, until succumbing to polesitter Dale Jarrett on a restart with only four laps remaining. Jarrett then managed to hold off the rest of the field to grab his third Daytona 500 victory. The race was widely criticized by media and fans for being uncompetitive.

On the last turn of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash. This was the second restrictor-plate race run under a rules package (discontinued after the 2001 season but restored to NASCAR's Busch Series in 2004) that included a small strip atop the car's roof and a small lip on the rear spoiler.^[9] Though it was meant to give power back to the drivers and help produce more lead changes, critics charged that it created dangerous racing conditions, as cars raced three or more wide for long stretches of the race. It did create closer racing compared to past set ups. An 18-car crash on lap 173, which sent Tony Stewart's car flying end-over-end, caused the race to be red-flagged (stopped) while the track was made safe. Michael Waltrip, making his first start for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won the race, with his teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing second, in cars that were both owned by Dale Earnhardt, who had been running third prior to his fatal crash in Turn 4.^[10] The 2001 Daytona 500 was also the first NASCAR Cup points race to be televised by FOX which covered the other major Cup events during Speedweeks, as well as the previous day's Busch Series (now called the Nationwide Series) race. Fox's commentators and reporters included Darrell Waltrip, Michael's brother, and Larry McReynolds, who had been Dale Earnhardt's crew chief at the 1998 Daytona 500.

Sterling Marlin was battling Jeff Gordon for the lead of the 2002 Daytona 500 when they made contact. Gordon spun while a multi-car crash broke out behind them. NASCAR red-flagged the race so it could be raced to completion, and stopped the field on the backstretch. Marlin had been told the right front fender on his car had been knocked into the right front tire, and jumped out of the car to pull the fender away from the tire. NASCAR officials in the safety vehicle immediately jumped out and stopped him. Since no one is allowed to work on a car during red-flag conditions, Marlin was sent to the back of the field, giving Ward Burton the win.

Michael Waltrip won the 2003 race when it was shortened to 109 laps due to rain.^[11] The following year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned one of the most memorable victories in recent memory. Late in the race, Dale made a daring move without drafting help going into Turn 3 to get by Tony Stewart. The win came six years to the date after his father won the event.

Practice for the 2004 Daytona 500.

Changes to the Daytona 500 meant the race could run into the dusk, with engines starting at 2:40 PM, and the green flag waving around 2:55 PM, meaning the race would finish under the lights as darkness fell at the finish. In 2005, Jeff Gordon won his third Daytona 500 in the first instance of NASCAR using the green-white-checker finish rule in the 500. Jimmie Johnson took the honors in 2006, also under a nighttime green-white-checker finish. Johnson won the race in a year that would see him win the Nextel Cup Championship.

The 2007 race continued the move of the race into the night, as the start time was moved to 3:30 PM, ensuring the last part of the race would be held in the dark. It was held exactly six years to the day of Dale Earnhardt's death, and was the first time Toyota, a foreign name plate car, entered the Daytona 500. Two of the four qualifying Toyotas completed the race, with Dale Jarrett finishing 23rd and Michael Waltrip finishing 30th. Tony Stewart led for a good part of the race, but was taken out in a late crash with Kurt Busch. Many fans brought up the fact that the wreck was strangely similar to the one that claimed Dale Earnhardt. (Neither Stewart nor Busch were injured in the crash.)

At the end, Mark Martin was leading for the last 26 laps. A wreck in the final five laps forced a race stoppage. In a green-white-checker finish, Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing was running fifth with half a lap to go, but picked up a push from Matt Kenseth and rocketed forward to draw even with Martin as they rounded turn 3. As a huge wreck erupted behind them, Martin and Harvick drag-raced to the checkered flag with Harvick claiming victory by .02 seconds, the 4th closest finish in NASCAR history. Most of the rest of the field crashed across the finish line: one car, the #07 of Richard Childress Racing driver Clint Bowyer, flipped on its top and caught fire after colliding with another car. Bowyer's momentum carried him over the line, upside-down and in flames, for an 18th place finish. The car then righted itself in the infield grass and Bowyer alertly exited the burning vehicle to walk away unharmed. Harvick tied Benny Parsons and Ward Burton for the record of the fewest laps led by a race winner, as all three led only four laps, although Harvick's percentage of laps led was fewer than the others since he led four of 202 laps, while the other lead four of 200 laps. Harvick also broke the record by winning from the 34th starting position.

The newest Cup driver to Roush Fenway Racing, David Ragan, would also surprise many by finishing 5th in his debut superspeedway race. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya would make his 2nd NASCAR start at Daytona, although he did not have a stellar performance like his ARCA debut where he finished 3rd. He would finish in the 19th position after starting 36th from his Gatorade Duel finish. Mike Wallace would also be a surprise by finishing 4th.

2008 Race: The 50th Running

Start of the 2008 Daytona 500.

The 50th running of the Daytona 500 was on Sunday, February 17, 2008. The race was the first Daytona 500 run using NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, which was introduced in 2007, and became standard in 2008. The race also marked the first race under the "Sprint Cup" banner, following the merger of Sprint with NEXTEL in 2005.

The first 150 laps were mostly caution free, with only two yellow flags thrown for debris. Most of the drivers seemed content to fall in line and let the beginning of the race play itself out. The final fifty laps saw Jeff Gordon go to the garage for suspension failure, but able to return and finish the race 14 laps down. The final twenty laps were very exciting, with three cautions for accidents. When the race was restarted for the final time on lap 197, Tony Stewart quickly stormed past Jeff Burton into the lead. On the final lap down the back straightaway, Stewart dove to the bottom to pick up drafting help from his teammate Kyle Busch, who had led most of the race. This move proved to be a disaster as Ryan Newman, with drafting help from teammate Kurt Busch, surged to the front and took the checkered flag. In all, 32 cars finished on the lead lap. As the race winner, Ryan Newman took home $1,506,040.00 while last-place finisher Kenny Wallace won $256,735.00.

2009-Present

The 51st Daytona 500 was called on account of rain with 48 laps remaining. The leader at the time of the red flag, Matt Kenseth, was declared the winner, his first Daytona 500 win in his ten attempts and the first win for Roush Fenway Racing. Typically in American motorsport, a race is declared official once the halfway point plus one lap is reached (100 laps / 250 miles (400 km)). Kenseth had passed Elliott Sadler in the middle of Lap 148 when the caution waved for the final time following Aric Almirola's spin and eventual rainstorm. Kenseth led one lap under green.

After discussions with fans, NASCAR declared for all 2010 season races (except the Coca-Cola 600), to be started in one of three time slots -- 1 PM, 3 PM, or 7:30 PM Eastern time. The 2010 Daytona 500 was set for a 1 PM start under the new rule.

Despite the new rule, the 2010 Daytona 500 finished within minutes of the 2007 race and was the longest Daytona 500 time-wise in history because of two red flag periods totaling 2 hours and 28 minutes of delays for repairs to a pothole that developed in the exit of Turn 2 on the track. A rule change just days before the race led to the first 2nd attempt at a green-white-checker finish. Jamie McMurray passed Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick on Lap 207 and holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the race. Combined with a retraction of bump-drafting restrictions and a declaration by NASCAR CEO Brian France to "Have at it, Boys" in the pre-season, the lead changed 52 times, the most since 2001, among a race-record 21 leaders.

For the first time since late 1978, the track is currently being re-paved in preparation for the 2011 Daytona 500.

Qualifying procedure

Qualifying is unique at Daytona for the 500. Some teams must race their way into the Daytona 500 field. The first row is set by one round of qualifying, held one week before the race. (Prior to 2003, this was two rounds; prior to 2001, it was three.) The remainder of the field is set by a pair of qualifying races (these were 100 miles (160 km) from 1959–1967; 125 miles (201 km) from 1969–2004; and 150 miles (240 km), with two-lap overtime if necessary, beginning in 2005. These races were not held in 1968 because of rain). The top two drivers from the qualifying races that are not in the top 35 in owner points are given spots on the field, and the rest is set by the finishing order of the duels, with guaranteed spots to those in the top 35. The remaining spots, 40 to 43 are filled by top qualifying times of those not already in the field from the qualifying race. If there is a previous NASCAR Champion without a spot, he will get one of those four spots, otherwise, the fourth fastest car is added to the field.

Prior to 2005, after the top two cars were set, the top 14 cars in the qualifying races advanced to the field, and then between six (1998–2003), eight (1995-97, 2004), or ten (until 1994) fastest cars which did not advance from the qualifying race were added, and, since the mid-1980s, between two and seven cars were added by previous year's points performance and or championship.

Television

The Daytona 500 was the first 500-mile (800 km) auto race to be televised live flag-to-flag on network television when CBS aired it in 1979, continuing to air until 2000. From 2001 to 2006, the race alternated between FOX and NBC under the terms of a six-year, $2.48 billion NASCAR television contract. Starting in 2007, FOX became the exclusive home of the Daytona 500 under the terms of NASCAR's new television package.

A byproduct of both the track's 1998 lighting system and both the 2001 and 2007 television packages has been later start times. The race started at 12:15 pm (EST) from 1979 until 2000. The start time was moved to 2:30 pm (EST) for the convenience of west coast viewers. The 2005 race ended at sunset for the first time in its history, and the 2006 race ended well after sunset. The changing track conditions caused by the onset of darkness in the closing laps force the crew chiefs to predict the critical car setup adjustments needed for their final two pit stops. Since then, all races have ended after dark, with the 2007 race ending in prime time, at 7:07 pm (EST). However, in 2010, the race will move back to a 1:00 pm start time, which should result in it ending in daylight. However, two red flags caused by track surface issues led to long delays that pushed the race into 7:34 PM EST, pushing the race into prime-time for the second time.

The television ratings for the Daytona 500 have surpassed those of the larger Indianapolis 500 (which has much larger physical attendance and international attendance) since 1995, even though the 1995 race was available in much fewer homes than the year before. Then-broadcaster CBS had lost well-established VHF (channels 2-13) affiliates in major markets as a result of the Fox affiliate switches of 1994. As an example, new affiliates WDJT in Milwaukee and WGNX in Atlanta — both cities that are home to NASCAR races — and WWJ in Detroit, close to Michigan International Speedway, were on the UHF band (channels 14-69), meaning that they had a significantly reduced broadcast area compared to former affiliates WITI, WAGA-TV, and WJBK, respectively. WDJT was not available in many Wisconsin markets by the time the Daytona 500 took place.

List of Daytona 500 winners

For NASCAR Grand National winners at Daytona from 1949–1958, see Daytona Beach & Road Course.
All winners are American unless otherwise noted.

Year	Date	Driver (No. of 500s won)	Car #	Car Make	Start	Distance (laps/miles)	Winner's Prize (USD)	Average Speed (mph)	Race Time	Owner (No. of 500's won)
1959	February 22	Lee Petty	42	Oldsmobile	15th	200 / 500	$19,050	135.521	3:41:22	Petty Enterprises
1960	February 24	Robert G. "Junior" Johnson	27	Chevrolet	9th	200 / 500	$19,600	124.740	4:00:30	John Masoni
1961	February 26	Marvin Panch	20	Pontiac	4th	200 / 500	$21,050	149.601	3:20:32	Smokey Yunick
1962	February 18	Edward G. "Fireball" Roberts	22	Pontiac	Pole	200 / 500	$24,190	152.529	3:10:41	Jim Stephens
1963	February 24	DeWayne L. "Tiny" Lund	21	Ford	12th	200 / 500	$24,550	151.566	3:17:56	Wood Brothers Racing
1964	February 23	Richard Petty	43	Plymouth	2nd	200 / 500	$33,300	154.334	3:14:23	Petty Enterprises (2)
1965	February 14	Fred Lorenzen	28	Ford	4th	133 / 332.5	$27,100	141.539*	2:22:56	Holman-Moody
1966	February 27	Richard Petty (2)	43	Plymouth	Pole	198 / 495	$28,150	160.927*	3:04:54	Petty Enterprises (3)
1967	February 26	Mario Andretti†	11	Ford	12th	200 / 500	$48,900	146.926	3:24:11	Holman-Moody (2)
1968	February 25	Cale Yarborough	21	Mercury	Pole	200 / 500	$47,250	143.251	3:23:44	Wood Brothers Racing (2)
1969	February 23	LeeRoy Yarbrough	98	Ford	19th	200 / 500	$38,950	157.950	3:09:56	Junior Johnson
1970	February 22	Pete Hamilton	40	Plymouth	9th	200 / 500	$44,850	149.601	3:20:32	Petty Enterprises (4)
1971	February 14	Richard Petty (3)	43	Plymouth	5th	200 / 500	$45,450	144.462	3:27:40	Petty Enterprises (5)
1972	February 20	A.J. Foyt	21	Mercury	2nd	200 / 500	$44,600	161.550	3:05:42	Wood Brothers Racing (3)
1973	February 18	Richard Petty (4)	43	Dodge	7th	200 / 500	$36,100	157.205	3:10:50	Petty Enterprises (5)
1974	February 17	Richard Petty (5)	43	Dodge	2nd	180 / 450	$39,650	140.894*	3:11:38	Petty Enterprises (6)
1975	February 16	Benny Parsons	72	Chevrolet	32nd	200 / 500	$43,905	153.649	3:15:15	L.G. DeWitt
1976	February 15	David Pearson	21	Mercury	7th	200 / 500	$46,800	152.181	3:17:08	Wood Brothers Racing (4)
1977	February 20	Cale Yarborough (2)	11	Chevrolet	4th	200 / 500	$63,700	153.218	3:15:48	Junior Johnson (2)
1978	February 19	Bobby Allison	15	Ford	33rd	200 / 500	$56,300	159.730	3:07:49	Bud Moore Engineering
1979	February 18	Richard Petty (6)*	43	Oldsmobile	13th	200 / 500	$73,900	143.977	3:28:22	Petty Enterprises (7)
1980	February 17	Buddy Baker	28	Oldsmobile	Pole	200 / 500	$102,175	177.602‡	2:48:55	Harry Rainer
1981	February 15	Richard Petty (7)	43	Buick	8th	200 / 500	$90,575	169.651	2:56:50	Petty Enterprises (8)
1982	February 14	Bobby Allison (2)	88	Buick	7th	200 / 500	$120,360	153.991	3:14:49	DiGard Motorsports
1983	February 20	Cale Yarborough (3)	28	Pontiac	8th	200 / 500	$119,600	155.979	3:12:20	Harry Ranier (2)
1984	February 19	Cale Yarborough (4)	28	Chevrolet	Pole	200 / 500	$160,300	150.994	3:18:41	Harry Ranier (3)
1985	February 17	Bill Elliott	9	Ford	Pole	200 / 500	$185,500	172.265	2:54:09	Melling Racing
1986	February 16	Geoff Bodine	5	Chevrolet	2nd	200 / 500	$192,715	148.124	3:22:32	Hendrick Motorsports
1987	February 15	Bill Elliott (2)	9	Ford	Pole	200 / 500	$204,150	176.263	2:50:12	Melling Racing (2)
1988	February 14	Bobby Allison (3)	12	Buick	3rd	200 / 500	$202,940	137.531	3:38:08	Stavola Brothers Racing
1989	February 19	Darrell Waltrip	17	Chevrolet	2nd	200 / 500	$184,900	148.466	3:22:04	Hendrick Motorsports (2)
1990	February 18	Derrike Cope	10	Chevrolet	12th	200 / 500	$188,150	165.761	3:00:59	Bob Whitcomb
1991	February 17	Ernie Irvan	4	Chevrolet	2nd	200 / 500	$233,000	148.148	3:22:30	Morgan-McClure Motorsports
1992	February 16	Davey Allison	28	Ford	6th	200 / 500	$244,050	160.256	3:07:12	Robert Yates Racing
1993	February 14	Dale Jarrett	18	Chevrolet	2nd	200 / 500	$238,200	154.972	3:13:35	Joe Gibbs Racing
1994	February 20	Sterling Marlin	4	Chevrolet	4th	200 / 500	$258,275	156.931	3:11:10	Morgan-McClure Motorsports (2)
1995	February 19	Sterling Marlin (2)	4	Chevrolet	3rd	200 / 500	$300,460	141.710	3:31:42	Morgan-McClure Motorsports (3)
1996	February 18	Dale Jarrett (2)	88	Ford	7th	200 / 500	$360,775	154.308	3:14:25	Robert Yates Racing (2)
1997	February 16	Jeff Gordon	24	Chevrolet	6th	200 / 500	$377,410	148.295	3:22:18	Hendrick Motorsports (3)
1998	February 15	Dale Earnhardt	3	Chevrolet	4th	200 / 500	$1,059,805	172.712	2:53:42	Richard Childress Racing
1999	February 14	Jeff Gordon (2)	24	Chevrolet	Pole	200 / 500	$1,172,246	161.551	3:05:42	Hendrick Motorsports (4)
2000	February 20	Dale Jarrett (3)	88	Ford	Pole	200 / 500	$1,277,975	155.669	3:12:43	Robert Yates Racing (3)
2001	February 18	Michael Waltrip	15	Chevrolet	19th	200 / 500	$1,331,185	161.783	3:05:26	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
2002	February 17	Ward Burton	22	Dodge	19th	200 / 500	$1,389,017	130.810	3:29:50	Bill Davis Racing
2003	February 16	Michael Waltrip (2)	15	Chevrolet	4th	109 / 272.5	$1,419,406	133.870*	2:02:08	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2)
2004	February 15	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	8	Chevrolet	3rd	200 / 500	$1,495,070	156.341	3:11:53	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (3)
2005	February 20	Jeff Gordon (3)	24	Chevrolet	15th	203 / 507.5	$1,497,150	135.173*	3:45:16	Hendrick Motorsports (5)
2006	February 19	Jimmie Johnson	48	Chevrolet	9th	203 / 507.5	$1,505,120	142.734*	3:33:26	Hendrick Motorsports (6)
2007	February 18	Kevin Harvick	29	Chevrolet	34th	202 / 505	$1,510,469	149.333*	3:22:55	Richard Childress Racing (2)
2008	February 17	Ryan Newman	12	Dodge	7th	200 / 500	$1,543,045	152.672	3:16:30	Penske Championship Racing
2009	February 15	Matt Kenseth	17	Ford	39th1	152 / 380	$1,536,388	132.816	2:51:40	Roush Fenway Racing
2010	February 14	Jamie McMurray	1	Chevrolet	13th	208 / 520	$1,514,649	137.284	3:47:16	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

† - Andretti was born in a part of Italy that is now in Croatia, but became a naturalized American citizen.
‡ - Record for fastest Daytona 500 at 177.602 mph (285.823 km/h) set by Buddy Baker in 1980.
¹ - Originally started 39th, but had to go back to the 43rd position due to changing to a backup car after crashing in the qualifying races. A driver who crashes during the qualifying race and goes to a backup car, or after 2003, changes an engine between the first practice after the qualifying race and the Daytona 500, is relegated to the rear of the field.

The following races have been shortened:

• 1965: 332.5 miles (133 laps) because of rain.
• 1966: 495 miles (198 laps) because of rain.
• 1974: 450 miles (180 laps) Race scheduled for 90% distance in response to the energy crisis; scoring began on lap 20.
• 2003: 272.5 miles (109 laps) because of rain.
• 2009: 380 miles (152 laps) because of rain.

The following races have been lengthened because of the green-white-checker finish. Note that from July 25, 2004 until November 22, 2009, only one attempt was permitted in Sprint Cup Series racing. Starting February 11, 2010, a maximum of three attempts was permitted.

• 2005 and 2006: 507.5 miles (203 laps)
• 2007: 505 miles (202 laps)
• 2010: 520 miles (208 laps) (two attempts — Lap 203 and Lap 207; This was the first time a NASCAR Sprint Cup race used the Green-white-checker format 2 times to finish a race.

Pole position winners

Prerace ceremonies before the 2008 Daytona 500.

Race winner records

Multiple victories

• 7 victories
  • Richard Petty (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981)
• 4 victories
  • Cale Yarborough (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984)
• 3 victories
  • Bobby Allison (1978, 1982, 1988)
  • Dale Jarrett (1993, 1996, 2000)
  • Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999, 2005)
• 2 victories
  • Bill Elliott (1985, 1987)
  • Sterling Marlin (1994, 1995)
  • Michael Waltrip (2001, 2003)

Consecutive victories

• Two consecutive victories
  • Richard Petty (1973–1974)
  • Cale Yarborough (1983–1984)
  • Sterling Marlin (1994–1995)

Winners from the pole position

• 1962 Fireball Roberts
• 1966 Richard Petty
• 1968 Cale Yarborough
• 1980 Buddy Baker
• 1984 Cale Yarborough
• 1985 Bill Elliott
• 1987 Bill Elliott
• 1999 Jeff Gordon
• 2000 Dale Jarrett

Family winners

• Petty
  • Father Lee (1959) and son Richard (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981)
• Allison
  • Father Bobby (1978, 1982, 1988) and son Davey (1992)
    • The 1988 race was the third 1st-2nd finish by a father and son in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
• Earnhardt
  • Father Dale (1998) and son Dale Jr. (2004)
• Waltrip
  • Brothers Darrell (1989) and Michael (2001, 2003)

Won Daytona 500 and Budweiser Shootout in same year

• 1982 Bobby Allison
• 1987 Bill Elliott
• 1996 Dale Jarrett
• 1997 Jeff Gordon
• 2000 Dale Jarrett (also won Bud Shootout Qualifier)

Won Daytona 500 and Gatorade Duel in same year

• 1962 Fireball Roberts (also won Daytona 500 pole position)
• 1977 Cale Yarborough
• 1984 Cale Yarborough (also won Daytona 500 pole position)
• 1985 Bill Elliott (also won Daytona 500 pole position)
• 1988 Bobby Allison
• 1995 Sterling Marlin
• 1998 Dale Earnhardt
• 2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Won Budweiser Shootout, Gatorade Duel, & Daytona 500 in same year

• none

Daytona 500 winners born outside of United States

• 1967 Mario Andretti (Italy)

References