NASCAR Heading Back to the Future for 50th Daytona 500

February 8, 2008

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

NASCAR Chairman Brian France promised a "back to basics" theme for the sport this year, and what better place to start than the season-opening Daytona 500 -- particularly this year, as the Great American Race reflects on some history of its own.

2008 marks the 50th Anniversary of the 500, the first race having been run on February 22, 1959, and won by Lee Petty in his '59 Oldsmobile.

It seems only fitting that a year that began with France's pledge to "always be mindful of our past" will intersect with the many commemorative activities surrounding the iconic race's golden anniversary.

From NASCAR legend Junior Johnson driving the pace car to Richard Petty serving as honorary starter, there will be plenty of living history in Daytona this month, even as NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow officially transitions into its Car of Today.

Both Johnson and Petty are former winners of the Daytona 500 - Johnson in 1960 and Petty a seven-time winner. Johnson will be pacing the field in a 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06, while Petty's duties will include dropping the green flag to start the race that was first won by his father 50 years earlier.

Beyond that, all 24 living NASCAR Daytona 500 champions will serve as Grand Marshals for the event and will take part in fan events throughout Speedweeks. Jointly giving the command to "Start Your Engines" will be the following drivers, with the year(s) they won the race shown in parentheses:

 1. Bobby Allison       (1978, 1982, 1988)
 2. Mario Andretti      (1967)
 3. Buddy Baker         (1980)
 4. Geoff Bodine        (1986)
 5. Ward Burton         (2002)
 6. Derrike Cope        (1990)
 7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2004)
 8. Bill Elliott        (1985, 1987)
 9. A.J. Foyt           (1972)
10. Jeff Gordon         (1997, 1999, 2005)
11. Pete Hamilton       (1970)
12. Kevin Harvick       (2007)
13. Ernie Irvan         (1991)
14. Dale Jarrett        (1993, 1996, 2000)
15. Jimmie Johnson      (2006)
16. Junior Johnson      (1960)
17. Fred Lorenzen       (1965)
18. Sterling Marlin     (1994, 1995)
19. Marvin Panch        (1961)
20. David Pearson       (1976)
21. Richard Petty       (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981)
22. Darrell Waltrip     (1989)
23. Michael Waltrip     (2001, 2003)
24. Cale Yarborough     (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984)

• Former Daytona 500 winners Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty will receive Daytona's version of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as their hand and footprints are permanently cemented into the Daytona 500 Champions Walk of Fame.

• There will be numerous question-and-answer sessions throughout the week preceding the race with past 500 champions, including Darrell Waltrip, Junior Johnson, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, Pete Hamilton, Ernie Irvan, Marvin Panch, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Derrike Cope, Ward Burton, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Geoff Bodine, and reigning Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick.

• Fans will also have an opportunity to obtain autographs from some of the past champs including Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Geoff Bodine, Junior Johnson, Marvin Panch and Pete Hamilton.

Courtesy of that website, I came across this fun and interesting list of ten things you may not know about the Daytona 500. For example, did you know that …

• In 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 was run caution-free.

• The 1967 Daytona 500 was the only NASCAR win for racing superstar Mario Andretti.

• Tiny Lund won the 1963 Daytona 500 on one set of tires. His pit crew, the famous Wood Brothers known for their lightning-fast pit stops, did not have to change a single tire all day.

• Paul Bass drove an Edsel convertible in the inaugural Daytona 500. It was the only appearance of an Edsel in NASCAR competition.

• The 1974 Daytona 500 was actually the "Daytona 450". NASCAR cut the distance of their races by 10% in the early part of the season due to America's energy crisis.

• In 1989 Darrell Waltrip finally won the Daytona 500 in his 17th attempt. He drove car number 17 that day and pitted in pit stall number 17.

• Upon seeing the mammoth Daytona International Speedway for the first time, in preparation for the first Daytona 500, driver Jimmy Thompson 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."

• Curtis Turner's 1967 Daytona 500 pole speed of 180.831 mph was the first time a NASCAR stock car had qualified at over 180 mph.

• Jimmie Johnson, Loy Allen Jr. and Mike Skinner all won the pole for the Daytona 500 in their rookie seasons.

• A total of six drivers have scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup win in the Daytona 500. They are Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994) and Michael Waltrip (2001).

Saturday night's Bud Shootout, a non-points race that kicks off Speedweeks, will feature a record of 23 drivers - the largest field ever to start the race. 18 drivers made the field by scoring a pole in 2007, while five others qualified because they are past winners of the Shootout.

And here's a bit of trivia that might help you win a bar bet. Who sang the National Anthem at the 1996 Daytona 500? Answer: Engelbert Humperdinck. Really.

You can contact Rebecca at.. Insider Racing News



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