Daytona 500 history facts for kids

The Daytona 500 is a super exciting car race held every year at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. This article shares some of the cool history, fun facts, and race highlights from this famous event. Get ready to learn about the cars, the drivers, and all the amazing moments that make the Daytona 500 so special!

Getting Ready for the Big Race

Before the Daytona 500 even starts, there's a lot of excitement! Special cars called pace cars lead the drivers around the track. Famous people, called Grand Marshals, give the command for the race to begin. Other important guests, known as Honorary Starters, wave the green flag to kick things off. And of course, talented singers perform the national anthem.

Since 2006, a celebrity often drives the pace car at the very start of the race. But during the race, when there's a caution, a NASCAR official takes over. Brett Bodine has been the official pace car driver since 2004. Also, since 2010, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds fly over the track twice – once after the national anthem and again after the starting command!

Here’s a look at some of the special guests and cars from past Daytona 500 races:

Exciting Race Highlights

Early Years: 1959-1969

The very first Daytona 500 in 1959 was won by Lee Petty, a famous racing dad. He beat Johnny Beauchamp in a super close finish! It took three days to decide the winner by looking at photos and newsreels. Lee Petty won $19,050.

In 1960, Junior Johnson won, even though his car was older and slower. He used a smart trick called the draft to keep up with the faster cars.

Fireball Roberts finally won his first Daytona 500 in 1962. He led most of the race, showing everyone how good he was.

The 1963 race had a real-life hero! Tiny Lund helped save another driver, Marvin Panch, from a burning car before the race. Because of his bravery, Lund got to race in Panch's place and won the Daytona 500!

Richard Petty won his first super-speedway race in 1964. He drove a powerful Plymouth and led almost the entire race.

The 1965 and 1966 races were both shortened because of rain. Richard Petty won again in 1966.

In 1967, Mario Andretti took control of the race, leading for many laps to get his only win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

The 1968 and 1969 races had exciting battles. Cale Yarborough won in 1968, and LeeRoy Yarbrough won in 1969 with a last-lap pass.

The Seventies: 1970-1979

The 1970 race was full of surprises. Many top drivers had problems, but Pete Hamilton, who wasn't well-known, battled for the lead and won! It was his first of four NASCAR wins.

In 1972, A. J. Foyt had an easy win, leading for a long time. He averaged a record-breaking 161.550 mph!

The 1974 Daytona 500 was shorter due to the 1973 oil crisis. Richard Petty won his fifth Daytona 500, becoming the first driver to win two in a row.

In 1975, Benny Parsons won after David Pearson spun out near the end. Parsons and Richard Petty worked together using the draft to catch Pearson.

The 1976 race had one of the most famous finishes ever! Richard Petty and David Pearson crashed on the last lap. Pearson managed to get his car running again and slowly crossed the finish line to win.

Bobby Allison won his first Daytona 500 in 1978, ending a long winless streak.

The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first one shown live on national TV. It ended with a dramatic crash and a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison after the race. While they were arguing, Richard Petty drove past them to win! This exciting finish helped make NASCAR much more popular across the country.

The Eighties: 1980-1989

• 1980: Buddy Baker won the fastest Daytona 500 ever, averaging 177.602 mph!
• 1981: Richard Petty made a risky move by only taking fuel, not new tires, during his last pit stop. It paid off, and he won, becoming the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in three different decades.
• 1982: Bobby Allison won, even after his car's bumper fell off early in the race! This was also the first time the Daytona 500 was the first race of the NASCAR season.
• 1983: Cale Yarborough was the first to qualify over 200 mph at Daytona, but he crashed. He still won the race in a backup car!
• 1984: Cale Yarborough officially broke the 200 mph barrier and won the race for the second year in a row.
• 1985: Bill Elliott was dominating, but NASCAR made him pit to fix a headlight. He still managed to come back and win his first Daytona 500.
• 1986: Geoff Bodine won after Dale Earnhardt had to make a late pit stop and then had engine trouble.
• 1987: Bill Elliott set an all-time Daytona record qualifying speed of 210.364 mph and won his second Daytona 500.
• 1988: To slow down the cars, special parts called restrictor plates were added. Bobby Allison and his son Davey Allison finished first and second, a very special moment. Bobby became the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500.
• 1989: Darrell Waltrip finally won the Daytona 500 after 17 tries! He saved fuel for the last 53 laps and ran out of gas right as he pulled into Victory Lane.

The Nineties: 1990-1999

• 1990: Dale Earnhardt seemed sure to win, but on the last lap, he hit a piece of another car's engine. This caused a tire to blow, letting the less-known Derrike Cope slip by and win in a huge upset!
• 1991: Dale Earnhardt's bad luck at Daytona continued. Ernie Irvan passed him with six laps left. Earnhardt then spun out near the end.
• 1992: Davey Allison led the last 102 laps to win his only Daytona 500.
• 1993: Rookie Jeff Gordon had a great race. On the last lap, Dale Jarrett got a push from Geoff Bodine to pass Dale Earnhardt and win. Jarrett's dad, Ned Jarrett, who was announcing the race, was super excited!
• 1994: Sterling Marlin won his first career Cup race by saving fuel for the last 59 laps. Sadly, this race was overshadowed by practice crashes that killed two drivers, Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr.
• 1995: Sterling Marlin won his second Daytona 500 in a row, a rare achievement. He held off a charging Dale Earnhardt on old tires.
• 1996: Dale Jarrett won his second Daytona 500, again beating Dale Earnhardt, who finished second for the third time in four years.
• 1997: Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500 at that time. His team worked together to get a 1-2-3 finish.
• 1998: After 20 years of trying, Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500! The race ended under caution, and Earnhardt drove slowly down pit road, shaking hands with members of other teams. It was a huge moment for racing fans everywhere.
• 1999: Jeff Gordon won his second Daytona 500. He used drafting help from Dale Earnhardt to make a daring three-wide pass for the lead.

The 2000s: 2000-2009

• 2000: Polesitter Dale Jarrett won his third Daytona 500. The race was criticized for not having much passing due to new rules.
• 2001: This day is known as Black Sunday in NASCAR. Michael Waltrip won, with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. second. But on the final lap, their team owner, Dale Earnhardt, was involved in a crash and sadly passed away. This tragedy led to many new safety improvements in NASCAR.
• 2002: Sterling Marlin was penalized for working on his car during a red flag. Ward Burton then won the race after a wild last few laps.
• 2003: Michael Waltrip won his second Daytona 500, but it was the shortest ever, ending after 109 laps due to rain.
• 2004: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart were the strongest drivers. Earnhardt Jr. passed Stewart with 20 laps to go and won, exactly six years after his father's famous win.

Cars practicing for the 2004 Daytona 500.

• 2005: The race finished under the lights for the first time. Jeff Gordon held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win his third Daytona 500 in the first use of the green-white-checker finish rule.
• 2006: Jimmie Johnson won after a green-white-checkered finish. There was some controversy before the race with his team's car.
• 2007: Mark Martin was leading on the last lap, but Kevin Harvick surged from fifth place to win by a tiny 0.02 seconds, one of the closest finishes ever!

The start of the 2008 Daytona 500.

• 2008: This was the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Ryan Newman made a last-lap pass to win, surprising everyone.
• 2009: The race was stopped early due to rain, and Matt Kenseth was declared the winner. He led only one lap under green flag conditions.

The 2010s and Beyond: 2010-Present

• 2010: A large, dangerous pothole developed on the track, causing long delays. The race finished in prime-time, with Jamie McMurray winning in overtime.
• 2011: The track was completely repaved. The third lap was a "silent lap" to remember Dale Earnhardt, who died ten years earlier. 20-year-old Trevor Bayne, in only his second Cup Series start, won the race, becoming the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever!
• 2012: Rain delayed the race, making it the first Daytona 500 to start in prime-time on a Monday night. The race is famous for an incident where Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer, causing a big fire and a long delay. Matt Kenseth won his second Daytona 500.
• 2013: This race featured NASCAR's new Generation 6 car. Rookie Danica Patrick made history by winning the pole position, becoming the first woman to do so in a Cup Series race. Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500.
• 2014: For the second year in a row, a rookie, Austin Dillon, won the pole. The race was delayed for over six hours due to thunderstorms. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second Daytona 500, exactly ten years after his first.
• 2015: Joey Logano won this race, which went into overtime and was extended to 203 laps.
• 2016: Rookie Chase Elliott started from the pole. Denny Hamlin won by just 0.010 seconds over Martin Truex Jr., the closest finish in Daytona 500 history!
• 2017: Kurt Busch won the first race using NASCAR's new stage racing format. A big crash near the end of the second stage took out many cars.
• 2018: 20 years after Dale Earnhardt's win, Austin Dillon brought the famous No. 3 car back to victory lane with a last-lap pass.
• 2019: Several large crashes happened during the race. Denny Hamlin won his second Daytona 500.
• 2020: President Donald Trump served as the Grand Marshal, and the Presidential state car paced the opening lap. The race was delayed by rain. Denny Hamlin won his second Daytona 500 in a row, but his win was overshadowed by a serious crash involving Ryan Newman at the finish line.
• 2021: A big 16-car wreck happened early in the race. On the last lap, another large crash occurred, and Michael McDowell scored his first career Cup win.
• 2022: This was the first race for NASCAR's new Next Gen car. Austin Cindric won the 500 in only his eighth Cup start, becoming the second-youngest winner.
• 2023: Kyle Busch seemed close to winning, but several overtime restarts led to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking his first Daytona 500 victory.
• 2024: After a rain delay, William Byron won the race under caution, ending a long winless streak for his team.