History of the Daytona 500 facts for kids

The Daytona 500 is a famous car race held every year at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. This article shares some cool facts, numbers, and exciting stories from past Daytona 500 races.

Before the Race: Fun Facts

Before the big race, there are always special guests and traditions! Since 2006, a famous person has driven the pace car to start the race, just like at the Indy 500. But during the race, if 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 when the race officially begins!

The table below shows some of the special guests and cars from past Daytona 500 events:

Exciting Race Stories

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 that needed photos to decide the winner!

In 1960, Junior Johnson won by using a clever trick called the "draft." This is when one car follows closely behind another to reduce air resistance and go faster.

Fireball Roberts finally won his only Daytona 500 in 1962 after being a top driver for years. He led most of the race, showing how strong he was.

The 1963 race had a real-life hero! Tiny Lund won after he bravely saved another driver, Marvin Panch, from a burning car before the race. Because of his courage, Lund got to drive Panch's car and won!

Richard Petty dominated the 1964 race, leading 184 out of 200 laps. This was his first big win on a super-speedway.

In 1967, Mario Andretti, a famous race car driver, won his only NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona 500. He led for more than half the race.

The 1968 and 1969 races featured exciting battles. Cale Yarborough won in 1968 with a last-minute pass. The next year, LeeRoy Yarbrough used the same move to win on the very last lap!

The 1970s: Big Moments and First Live TV

The 1970 race saw many top drivers drop out, leading to an unexpected win for Pete Hamilton. He took the lead late in the race and held on for his first big victory.

In 1972, A. J. Foyt had a very easy win, leading for most of the race. He averaged a super-fast 161.550 miles per hour, which was a record for the Daytona 500 at the time!

Due to an oil shortage in 1974, the race was shortened to 180 laps. Richard Petty won his fifth Daytona 500, becoming the first driver to win two years in a row.

The 1976 race had one of the most famous finishes ever! Richard Petty and David Pearson crashed on the last lap right before the finish line. Pearson managed to get his car running again and slowly crossed the line to win, while Petty's car wouldn't start.

The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first time the race was shown live on national TV. A big snowstorm in other parts of the country meant even more people watched. On the final lap, leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed and then got into a fight! While they were arguing, Richard Petty, who was far behind, drove past to win the race. This exciting finish helped make NASCAR much more popular across the country.

The 1980s: Speed Records and Close Finishes

• 1980: Buddy Baker won the fastest Daytona 500 ever, averaging 177.602 miles per hour.
• 1981: Richard Petty made a risky move by only taking fuel, not new tires, during his last pit stop. This gamble 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, which actually made his car faster!
• 1983: Cale Yarborough was the first to drive a qualifying lap over 200 miles per hour at Daytona, but he crashed right after. 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, and fourth time overall.
• 1985: Bill Elliott was dominating, but NASCAR made him stop for a long time to fix a headlight. He still managed to come back and win his first Daytona 500.
• 1987: Bill Elliott set an all-time speed record for qualifying at Daytona, going 210.364 miles per hour. He then won the race easily.
• 1988: Special parts called restrictor plates were added to cars to slow them down because speeds were getting too dangerous. Bobby Allison and his son Davey Allison finished first and second, a special moment for the family. Bobby Allison became the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500. This race also saw Richard Petty have a huge crash, but he was okay!
• 1989: After 17 tries, Darrell Waltrip finally won the Daytona 500! He saved fuel for the last 53 laps and ran out of gas just as he pulled into the winner's circle. He was so excited, he even did a special dance!

The 1990s: Upsets and a Long-Awaited Win

• 1990: Dale Earnhardt seemed sure to win, but on the last lap, he ran over a piece of another car's engine, blew a tire, and lost the lead. This allowed the lesser-known Derrike Cope to win in a huge upset!
• 1992: Davey Allison led the last 102 laps to win his only Daytona 500.
• 1993: Rookie Jeff Gordon made a big splash, but it was Dale Jarrett who won, getting a push from another car on the last lap. His dad, Ned Jarrett, was announcing the race and cheered loudly for his son!
• 1994: Sterling Marlin won his first career race by saving fuel. Sadly, this race was overshadowed by the deaths of two drivers, Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr, in practice crashes earlier in the week.
• 1995: Sterling Marlin won again, becoming one of only three drivers to win back-to-back Daytona 500s.
• 1997: Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver at the time to win the Daytona 500. His teammates helped him work together to pass the leader.
• 1998: After 20 years of trying, Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500! Fans and even other race teams celebrated with him. It was a huge moment in racing history.
• 1999: Jeff Gordon won his second Daytona 500 with help from Dale Earnhardt, making a daring three-wide pass to take the lead.

The 2000s: Tragedy and New Rules

• 2000: Dale Jarrett won his third Daytona 500. However, many people thought the race was boring because new rules made it hard for cars to pass each other.
• 2001: This race is known as Black Sunday because Dale Earnhardt tragically died in a crash on the final lap. His team cars, driven by Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished first and second. This sad event led to many new safety improvements in NASCAR.
• 2002: Sterling Marlin was penalized for working on his car during a red flag, which meant he had to go to the back of the field. Ward Burton ended up winning the race.
• 2003: Michael Waltrip won his second Daytona 500, but the race was cut short due to rain, making it the shortest Daytona 500 ever.
• 2004: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race exactly six years after his father's famous win. He and Tony Stewart were the strongest cars that day.

Practice for the 2004 Daytona 500.

• 2005: The race finished at night for the first time. Jeff Gordon won his third Daytona 500, holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a thrilling finish that used a new "green-white-checker" rule.
• 2007: Kevin Harvick won by just 0.02 seconds over Mark Martin in one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. A huge crash happened behind them as they crossed the finish line.

Start of the 2008 Daytona 500. The inside cars are Jimmie Johnson (No. 48), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88), and Reed Sorenson (No. 41). The outside cars are Michael Waltrip (No. 55) and Denny Hamlin (No. 11).

• 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 because of rain, and Matt Kenseth was declared the winner. He had only led one lap under green flag conditions.

The 2010s: Potholes, Jet Dryers, and New Winners

• 2010: A huge, dangerous pothole formed on the track, causing long delays as crews tried to fix it. The race finished at night, with Jamie McMurray winning in an exciting overtime finish.
• 2011: The track was completely repaved. In a memorable moment, 20-year-old Trevor Bayne won the race in only his second career start, becoming the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever!
• 2012: Rain delayed the race by a day, making it the first Daytona 500 to start at night. The race is famous for when Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer, causing a big fire and a long delay. Matt Kenseth won his second Daytona 500.
• 2013: Rookie Danica Patrick made history by winning the pole position, becoming the first woman to do so in a NASCAR Cup Series race. She also led laps during the race. Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500.
• 2014: This race was delayed for over six hours due to thunderstorms. When it finally restarted, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second Daytona 500, exactly ten years after his first win.
• 2015: Joey Logano won the race after several caution flags and an overtime finish.
• 2016: Denny Hamlin won by an incredibly close 0.010 seconds over Martin Truex Jr., making it the closest finish in Daytona 500 history. It was also the first Daytona 500 win for Toyota.
• 2017: Kurt Busch won the first Daytona 500 to use NASCAR's new stage racing format. A big crash near the end of the second stage took out many cars.
• 2018: Austin Dillon brought the famous No. 3 car back to victory lane, 20 years after Dale Earnhardt's win in the same car.
• 2019: Denny Hamlin won his second Daytona 500 in a race that saw several big crashes.

The 2020s: Back-to-Back Wins and New Champions

• 2020: President Donald Trump served as the Grand Marshal, and his official car even paced the opening lap. The race was delayed by rain. Denny Hamlin won his second Daytona 500 in a row, becoming the first driver to win back-to-back since 1995. However, his win was overshadowed by a serious crash involving Ryan Newman at the finish line.
• 2021: A large crash happened early in the race, and then rain caused a long delay. When the race restarted, Michael McDowell scored his first career win in a dramatic last-lap crash.
• 2022: This was the first race for NASCAR's new "Next Gen" car. Rookie Austin Cindric won the 500 in only his eighth Cup start, becoming the second youngest winner.
• 2023: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race after several overtime restarts, giving his team, JTG Daugherty Racing, their first Daytona 500 victory.
• 2024: William Byron won the race under a caution flag, bringing an end to his team's long wait for a Daytona 500 win.