View Daytona 500: Facts and Folklore
Daytona 500…Facts, Figures and Folklore. PART ONE
By Gregg Leary
Thanks to “Daytona 500: An Official History,” by Bob Zeller
Category:NASCAR -> Sprint Cup
Land Speed racing on the beach at Ormond Beach and Daytona began in 1903 and ended with Sir Malcolm Campbell’s 276 MPH run in 1935. When land speed record racing moved to Bonneville, Daytona tried to keep its place as “the world center of speed” by staging a stock car race on a beach/road course in 1936. It did NOT go well. Bill France, participant in that first race, took over as promoter of future events and kept Daytona’s racing tradition alive…through the 1948 founding of NASCAR and the success of beach road course races through 1958.
The beach road course had to be moved to Ponce Inlet as development and congestion made running on Daytona Beach a nightmare. But even the move southward was only a temporary fix. France’s races were at the mercy of the tides and development moved south to Ponce Inlet as well. Many race fans snuck by the “Beware of Rattlesnakes” signs and watched the races for free. Most fans could only see a portion of the course and missed much of the action…and as Bill France Jr. said, “We were charging people for standing on somebody’s else’s land.” The solution…a permanent high banked “palace of speed” that would incorporated all the best features that France had experienced as a driver, promoter and spectator…high banks like the board tracks he raced on in his youth…a “doglegged” front stretch so grandstand spectators could see the cars all the way around the track…like France had experienced at circular Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania…and phenomenal speed…even faster than Indianapolis…a track from which he was physically removed in 1954.
France had proposed a new speedway at Daytona in April 1953. On April 22 the City Commission of Daytona Beach asked the Florida legislature to create a special racing authority to oversee the project.
December 1953: Lou Perini, owner of the Milwaukee Braves (like Roush-Fenway’s alliance of over a half-century later) was interested in building the speedway for $1,675,000.
France announced at 1954 Speedweeks that this would be the LAST race on the beach/road course… in 1955 the race would be held at the new speedway.
March 13, 1954…France met Perini who said, “I’m not just interested in another speedway,” and would spend up to $3 Million if necessary.
May 1954…France was in Indy to investigate promoting a NASCAR race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. On May 13th he borrowed a guest pass and walked Gasoline Alley at the Brickyard. Rival AAA officials saw France and had Chief Steward Harry McQuinn escort him out.
Bill Neely’s “Daytona USA” addressed the issue. France said, “It wasn’t Tony Hulman. He and I were friends. It was the AAA…they were jealous of NASCAR.” Asked if the insult inspired him to build his own speedway, France replied, “It didn’t hold us back any.”
June 4, 1954: Perini backs out of project. His engineers advised him that Daytona’s highways could not handle the massive amount of traffic predicted.
Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities Authority, headed by J. Saxton Lloyd was formed to help assist in building the speedway. Lloyd owned Daytona Motor Company where France once worked. Lake Lloyd is named for him.
1955: France creates the Daytona Beach Motor Speedway and signs a 99-year lease to operate the yet to be built speedway. France paid $400,000 in advance rent. AAA said it would refuse to sanction any races at the speedway if France controlled it.
The Civil Aeronautics Authority (forerunner to FAA) objected to speedway plans as they felt it would interfere with airport ops.
In June 1955 France predicted the track would be completed by July 4, 1957 at a cost of $2.5 million.
June 7, 1957: The Automobile Manufacturers pull out of the sport
November 8, 1957: France signs a 50-year lease and says he will build the speedway himself.
November 25, 1957: Ground clearing on the speedway began.
February 23, 1958: Paul Goldsmith wins the last race on the beach.
France’s new company went public and offered 300,000 shares of stock at $1 each.
Pure Oil, 76 Fuel and Pepsi came on board as official sponsors.
Clint Murchison Jr. and Howard Sluyter arrange a $600,000 loan.
France said, “We spent $2 million between he time the first tree was knocked down and we had the speedway completed.”
“ There have been other tracks that separated the men from the boys. This is the track that will separate the brave from the weak after the boys are gone.” Jimmy Thompson
“The only limit on the speed is how fast the car will go and how fast you’ve got the nerve to drive it.” Fireball Roberts
“There wasn’t a man there who wasn’t scared to death of the place. We were all rookies going 30 to 40 miles per hour faster than we had ever gone before.” Lee Petty
Why 31 degrees of banking? It was the highest the fill could be banked before it began rolling down the hill.
Where did the fill dirt for the banking come from? Lake Lloyd was excavated to provide the dirt for the banking.
Daytona 500…Facts Figures and Folklore. PART TWO
By Gregg Leary
Thanks to “Daytona 500: An Official History,” by Bob Zeller
1959: The concept of the TWIN Qualifying races was born…one race for the convertibles…one for the hardtops. The convertibles only ran in 1959 since they were “aerodynamically challenged.”
Richard Petty drove a convertible, wearing the number #43 for the first time. He only lasted 8 laps and blew his engine. Although Junior Johnson was reputed to have
”discovered” drafting…it’s likely nearly all the competitors figured it out. Petty figured out the “slingshot pass,” tucking in behind another car then leaping out from the draft…”It was almost like finding extra horsepower,” said Petty.
Both twin qualifiers and the Daytona 500 itself were caution free!
Lee Petty wins photo-finish over Johnny Beauchamp…trouble is there is no photo-finish camera. Bill France initially declared Beauchamp the winner then milks publicity for almost three days asking for journalist and fan photos to document the real winner… until Hearst “The News of the Day” newsreel clearly shows Petty the winner.
1960: 1959 was caution free. Not so, 1960. Tommy Irwin’s T-bird sinks into Lake Lloyd on the first lap of the first 100 mile qualifier. (Tom Pistone had “scuba gear” in his car in case he ended up in Lake Lloyd. He was a non-swimmer.) The next day 37 cars crashed on the first lap of the 250 mile modified/sportsman race…”the most spectacular accident in the history of automobile racing,” according to Bernard Kahn.
Fireball Roberts won the pole at 151.5 MPH…faster than anyone had ever gone at Indianapolis…needless to say, Bill France was pleased!
Lee and Richard Petty both led laps in the race.
Junior Johnson, in a much slower Chevrolet, tucked in the draft of Bobby Johns’ Pontiac…until a gust of wind popped the rear window out of Johns’ car and he spun. Junior went on to win…but 21 cars crashed. The next two races on the schedule in Florida had to be cancelled so teams could rebuild their wrecked automobiles.
1961: Both Pettys…Lee and Richard flew “out of the park” in twin qualifying crashes. Richard was uninjured but his car was totaled in the first qualifier. Lee tangled with 1959 nemesis Johnny Beauchamp in a crash in the second qualifier that essentially ended his racing career. Both Petty cars ironically had the nickname “The Blue Angels” painted on their roofs. Lee asked Bill France to get him and Richard pilot’s licenses since they had flown out of the racetrack. Lee Petty’s car is in Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville, NC. Both Pettys missed the 500.
Marvin Panch won the caution-free race when teammate Fireball Roberts blew up with 13 laps to go.
1962: It was all Fireball Roberts! He won the pole, his twin qualifying race and the Daytona 500 to sweep speedweeks and end his Daytona jinx. He had been disqualified from his 1955 Beach/Road course win. In the 1959 Daytona 500 he had won the pole and led 21 laps when his fuel pump died. In 1960 he won his qualifying race. In 1961 he won the pole, his qualifying race and led the 500 until his engine blew with 13 laps to go.
Cale Yarborough started his first Daytona 500, but finished last…completing only 4 laps. He would later win the race 4 times.
1963: Tiny Lund, who came to Daytona without a ride, rescues 1961 Daytona 500 winner Marvin Panch from his burning Maserati 10 days before the Daytona 500…as Panch was practicing for the 250 mile American Challenge Cup sports car race. Panch’s car owners, the Wood Brothers offer Lund the ride. Tiny wins the storybook 500 on one set of tires…running out of fuel in the last corner and coasting to the checkered flag.
Johnny Rutherford wins the twin qualifier in his Smokey Yunick #13 Chevrolet…the last driver to win in his first NASCAR start. USAC had lifted its ban and open-wheelers… JR, AJ Foyt, Dan Gurney, Troy Ruttman, Jim Hurtubise, and Parnelli Jones ran in the 500. ABC’s Wide World of Sports covered the event for the first time. Bill Flemming and Chris Economaki held the mics. It aired three weeks later along with dog sled races from New Hampshire. For the first time a national TV audience experienced the excitement of a Daytona 500.
1964: The Hemi rules! Hemi engines had pulled the powerful Kiekhaefer Chrysler 300’s in 1955-6 but the engine was discontinued in 1957. Chrysler reintroduced it in 1964. Speeds jumped over 15 MPH. Richard Petty won his first of 7 Daytona 500s.
1965: The powerful hemi engine is banned…Chrysler boycotts. Richard Petty goes drag racing. David Pearson, Paul Goldsmith and Bobby Isaac went to USAC stock cars. Fred Lorenzen…a pre-Jeff Gordon “Golden Boy” Yankee from Elmhurst, Illinois wins the race.
Some interesting “names” who ran in the Daytona 500:
Paul Goldsmith: Won the last Beach race in 1958. (Also won it on a motorcycle. Ran 6 Indy 500’s…best finish 3rd in 1960.) Ran Daytona 61, 63, 64.
Junior Johnson: Supposedly “discovered” drafting in his 1960 Daytona win. Ran the Beach course. Ran Daytona 59-65.
Johnny Allen: Ran Beach course. Slept in his car night before first Daytona 500…no luxury motorhome. Ran Daytona 59-63, 65.
Rex White: Ran Daytona 59-63. Oldest surviving NASCAR Cup Champ 1960.
Marvin Panch: 1961 Daytona 500 Winner. His accident led to Tiny Lund’s 1963 win. Ran beach race. Daytona 59-62, 64-65.
Richard Petty: 7 Daytona 500 wins. Ran ‘59 race in convertible. First time in #43. He and Dad flew “out of park” in 1961 qualifiers. Won in 64. Boycotted in 65.
Cale Yarborough: Finished last in 1962 500. Won 4 Daytona 500s.
“Tiger Tom” Pistone: 59-61, 65. Carried scuba gear…afraid of drowning in Lake Lloyd.
Glen Wood: Drove 59 race. Car owner of Tiny Lund’s 1963 winner.
Ned Jarrett: 60-65.
Fred Lorenzen: 60-65. 1965 Winner. “Golden Boy.” Yankee in southern sport.
Crash before 1964 Firecracker caused him to plead with NASCAR to slow cars and make them safer…especially after teammate Fireball Roberts’ death.
David Pearson: 60-64. Boycott 1965. Winner 1976.
Parnelli Jones: 60, 63-4.
Red Farmer: 60, 62, 65.
Bobby Allison: Rookie in 1961.
Buddy Baker: Rookie in 1961. Winner 1980. Speed average of 177.6 MPH still stands as fastest Daytona 500.
Dan Gurney: 62-64.
The Daytona 500, “The Great American Race” is truly NASCAR’s Super Bowl.