1959 Daytona 500

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1959 Daytona 500
Race details
Race 2 in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National season

The photo finish between Petty and Beauchamp
Date February 22, 1959 (1959-02-22)
Location Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km)
Average speed 135.521 miles per hour (218.100 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Bob Welborn
Time 140.121 mph
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner Bob Welborn, Shorty Rollins, and Jack Smith
Duel 2 Winner
Most laps led
Driver Jack Smith
Laps 57
Winner
No. 42
 Lee Petty
 Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network Not televised.

The 1959 First Annual 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona[1] (now known as the 1959 inaugural Daytona 500) was the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921 spectators.[2] It was the first race held at the 2.5-mile (4.0 kilometer) Daytona International Speedway.

Summary

Qualifying

Cotton Owens had the fastest qualifying lap, at 143.198 miles per hour (mph) (230.45 kilometres per hour [km/h]). The race had one qualifying race for Convertibles and one for the hardtop Grand National cars. Bob Welborn, winner of the 100-mile (160 km) Grand National qualifying race earlier in the week, started on the pole position.[3] Shorty Rollins won the Convertible qualifying race and started second. Twenty of the 59 cars in the Daytona 500 were convertibles.[4]

Race

There were no caution periods in the race; making it one of the few "perfect games" in NASCAR history, though it would occur in three of the first four Daytona 500s, as the Daytona 500 also went caution-free in both 1961 and 1962. This would be repeated ten years later with the 1969 running of the Motor Trend 500. Welborn led the early laps in the race but his race ended after 75 laps (of 200) with engine problems. Other leaders in the first 22 laps of the race were "Tiger" Tom Pistone and Joe Weatherly. Fireball Roberts took over the lead in lap 23, leading the next 20 laps before dropping out of the race on lap 57 due to a broken fuel pump.. Johnny Beauchamp led several laps before Pistone and Jack Smith battled for the lead during the next 100 miles (160 km). Richard Petty also had to retire from the race with an engine problem and earned $100 ($800.8 in today's money) for his 57th-place performance.

Lee Petty battled with Beauchamp during the final 30 laps of the race, and they were the only two drivers to finish on the lead lap. Petty took the lead with 3 laps left, and led at the start of the final lap. Petty and Beauchamp drove side by side across the finish line at the end final lap for a photo finish. Beauchamp was declared the unofficial winner by NASCAR officials, and he drove to victory lane. Petty protested the results, saying "I had Beauchamp by a good two feet. In my own mind, I know I won."[3] Beauchamp replied "I had him by two feet. I glanced over to Lee Petty's car as I crossed the finish line and I could see his headlight slightly back of my car. It was so close I didn't know how they would call it, but I thought I won."[3] Early leader Fireball Roberts, who was standing by the finish line, said "There's no doubt about it, Petty won."[3] It took NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. three days to decide the winner the following Wednesday.[3] In the end, with the help of photographs and newsreel footage, Petty was officially declared the winner.

The controversial finish helped the sport. The delayed results to determine the official winner kept NASCAR and the Daytona 500 on the front page of newspapers.

Official results

The race lasted 3:41:22, with an average speed of 135.521 mph (218.10 km/h).[2]


  1. Lee Petty[2]
  2. Johnny Beauchamp
  3. Charley Griffith
  4. Cotton Owens
  5. Joe Weatherly
  6. Jim Reed
  7. Jack Smith
  8. Tom Pistone
  9. Tim Flock
  10. Speedy Thompson
  11. Johnny Allen
  12. Raul Cilloniz
  13. Curtis Turner
  14. Junior Johnson
  15. Dick Freeman
  16. Joe Lee Johnson
  17. Marvin Panch
  18. Gene White
  19. Roy Tyner
  20. Jimmy Thompson
  21. Herman Beam
  22. Wilbur Rakestraw
  23. Jim McGuirk
  24. Larry Frank
  25. Elmo Langley
  26. Rex White
  27. Ben Benz
  28. Dick Joslin
  29. Ken Rush
  30. Bob Rose
  31. Harold Smith
  32. Dick Foley
  33. Brownie King
  34. Glen Wood
  35. Bob Pronger
  36. Billy Carden
  37. Bernie Hentges
  38. Shorty Rollins
  39. Joe Eubanks
  40. Tiny Lund
  41. Bob Welborn
  42. Buck Baker
  43. Ken Johnson
  44. L. D. Austin
  45. Fireball Roberts
  46. Paul Bass
  47. Bobby Johns
  48. Eduardo Dibos
  49. Gober Sosebee
  50. Bob Said
  51. Bob Duell
  52. Pete Kelly
  53. Bob Potter
  54. Carl Tyler
  55. George Green
  56. Fritz Wilson
  57. Richard Petty
  58. Larry Odo
  59. Ken Marriott

References

  1. ↑ Caraviello, David (2008-02-16). "In 1959, first Daytona 500 changed city, sport forever". NASCAR. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Race results; Retrieved October 24, 2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 1959: Petty's photo finish; Mark Aumann, Turner Sports Interactive; January 9, 2003; Retrieved October 24, 2007
  4. ↑ Daytona 500 Anniversary - The 50th Run; Stock Car Racing magazine; Benny Phillips; July 3, 2002; Retrieved February 21, 2008
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