View Daytona 500 Trivia
Daytona 500 Trivia
By Gregg Leary
Category:NASCAR -> Sprint Cup
1. In what year was the first Daytona 500 held?
2. Who was initially declared the winner of the first Daytona 500?
3. Who was finally declared the winner of the first Daytona 500 after newsreel footage showed him cross the finish line first?
4. What is the percentage of banking in the corners at Daytona?
5. Where did the fill dirt come from to build the high banks?
6. Who said, “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.”
7. The 1959 Daytona 500 was a “sweepstakes” race. What did that mean?
8. In how many Daytona 500s did convertibles compete?
9. How many caution flags did the 1959 Daytona 500 have?
10. Who said, “There wasn’t a man there who wasn’t scared to death of the place. We were all a bunch of rookies, going 30 or 40 miles an hour faster than we ever had before in our lives.”
11. In what race did Richard Petty carry the famous #43 for the first time?
12. How many Daytona 500s did Richard Petty win?
13. Who said, “Get out of the race car if you’ve got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won’t climb up there and eat your candy ass.” (Hint: He won the 1998 Daytona 500.)
14. Who said, “Dale would have raced the Daytona 500 if it paid two hot dogs and a Coke.”
15. How many drivers in the 2001 Daytona 500 were wearing the HANS device?
16. How many drivers in the 2002 Daytona 500 were wearing a HANS or Hutchens device?
17. What driver was Darrell Waltrip talking about (to Rick Hendrick) when he said, “He ain’t gonna make it. He wrecks too much.”
18. Who was “0 for 462” before he won the 2001 Daytona 500?
19. In the 1988 Daytona 500 they became the only father/son, one-two finish in “The Great American Race.”
20. Who are the only father/son winners of the Daytona 500?
21. In what year was “The Brawl?” Bobby Allison said, “Cale kept beating on my fist with his nose.”
22. Who said in 1989, “I won the Daytona 500! This is the Daytona 500, isn’t it? Don’t lie to me! I’m not dreaming am I?”
23. During a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the 1976 Daytona 500, this driver screamed over his radio, “The ##### hit me!” Who said it and who was he talking about?
24. According to legend, when he showed up for Speedweeks in 1963 he was without a ride and had 18 cents in his pocket. That changed after he won the 1963 Daytona 500 in a true Cinderella story.
25. Who said, “I only won the Daytona 500 once, but I won the Daytona 475 eleven times.”
26. Ralph Moody said of this 1967 Daytona 500 winner…”The seat is like a baby chair. He’s so short, the pedal and throttle had to be built up.”
27. After Tommy Irwin’s car plunked into Lake Lloyd during a qualifying race, this driver had scuba gear placed inside his car before the Daytona 500.
28. Only three drivers have won back-to-back Daytona 500s. Name them.
29. He has the record for the fastest Daytona 500 at 177.602 MPH in 1980.
30. He ran the slowest Daytona 500 at 124.740MPH in 1960, but is credited with discovering “drafting” at Daytona.
31. He is the oldest Daytona 500 winner.
32. He is the youngest Daytona 500 winner.
The Answers:
1. 1959
2. Johnny Beauchamp
3. Lee Petty
4. 31 degrees
5. Lake Lloyd
6. Jimmy Thompson
7. Both hardtops and convertibles competed.
8. Only 1959
9. None
10. Lee Petty
11. The 1959 Daytona 500
12. 7
13. Dale Earnhardt
14. Richard Childress
15. 6
16. All of them.
17. Jeff Gordon
18. Michael Waltrip
19. Bobby and Davey Allison
20. Lee and Richard Petty, Bobby and Davey Allison
21. 1979
22. Darrell Waltrip
23. David Pearson about Richard Petty
24. Tiny Lund
25. Buddy Baker
26. Mario Andretti
27. Tom Pistone
28. Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin
29. Buddy Baker
30. Junior Johnson
31. Bobby Allison
32. Jeff Gordon