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Daytona 500 History
This article documents historical records, statistics, and race recaps of the Daytona 500, held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Pre-race history The table below summarizes the pace cars, Grand Marshals, Honorary Starters, and performers of the national anthem at the Daytona 500. Since 2006, the pace car has been driven by a celebrity guest at the start of the race (mirroring the tradition used the Indy 500). During the race, however, a NASCAR official drives the pace car during caution periods. Since 2004, Brett Bodine has served as the official pace car driver. Previously, Robert "Buster" Auton and Elmo Langley were pace car drivers. Since 2010, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds perform two flyovers after the national anthem and after the starting command. Race recaps 1959–1969 Lee Petty, patriarch of the racing family, won the 1959 Daytona 500 on February 22, 1959, defeating Johnny Beauchamp in a highly unusual manner. Petty a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three held in Florida, with the annual fall showdown Dixie Vodka 400 being held at Homestead south of Miami. From 1988 to 2019, it was one of the four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. The inaugural Daytona 500 was held in 1959 coinciding with the opening of the speedway and since 1982, it has been the season-opening race of the Cup series. The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse. Championship points awarded are equal to that of any other NASCAR Cup Series race. It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1962 Daytona 500
The 1962 Daytona 500, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 18, 1962, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was won by Fireball Roberts driving a 1962 Pontiac. Roberts drove his famous number 22 to victory in three hours and 10 minutes. The race was run in its entirety without a single caution flag. Roberts dominated the event by leading 144 of the 200 laps. The win was Roberts' second victory of the season. Speedweeks This year's Speedweeks followed a familiar pattern, Fireball was the class of the field. he won the pole for his qualifying race in his Smokey Yunick prepared 1962 Pontiac and again led from flag to flag, averaging over the 40 laps to set the all-time Grand National race speed record. The Indy Invasion For the top Indianapolis drivers, including the three previous winners of the Indianapolis 500--A. J. Foyt, Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann—this was irresistible. They clamored to get the United States Auto Cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unocal Corporation
Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headquartered in El Segundo, California, United States. Unocal was involved in domestic and global energy projects. Unocal was one of the key players in the CentGas consortium, which attempted to build the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline to run from the Caspian area, through Afghanistan, to the Indian Ocean, at a time after the Taliban siege of Kabul in 1996. On August 10, 2005, Unocal merged its entire upstream petroleum business with Chevron and became a wholly-owned subsidiary. Unocal then ceased operations as an independent company, but continues to conduct many operations as Union Oil Company of California, a Chevron company. History The Union Oil Company of California was founded on October 17, 1890, in Santa Paula, California, by Lyman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1969 Daytona 500
The 1969 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on February 23, 1969, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Background Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, that is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona is a four-turn superspeedway that is long. The track also features two other layouts that utilize portions of the primary high speed tri-oval, such as a sports car course and a motorcycle course. The track's infield includes the Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation. The track was built by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. to host racing that was being held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course and opened with the first Daytona 500 in 195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Stephenson Boyd
Alan Stephenson Boyd (July 20, 1922October 18, 2020) was an American attorney and transportation executive who led several large corporations and also served the U.S. Government in various transportation-related positions. He was the first United States Secretary of Transportation, appointed by Lyndon Johnson. Additionally, he served in executive positions with the Civil Aeronautics Board, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and was a president of Amtrak. Early life and education Boyd was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 20, 1922, to Clarence and Elizabeth (Stephenson) Boyd. His maternal great-grandfather was John Stephenson, a coachbuilder who invented and patented the first streetcar. Boyd's father died when he was two years old. He graduated from Macclenny–Glen High School in 1939, and went on to study at the University of Florida. However, he dropped out at the end of his sophomore year. He subsequently joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 and remained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chevrolet Camaro (first Generation)
The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American muscle car introduced by Chevrolet in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It rode on a brand-new rear wheel drive GM F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop, and convertible. The F-body was shared with the Pontiac Firebird for all generations. A 230 cu in Chevrolet straight-6 was standard, with several Chevy V8s available as options. The first-generation Camaro was built through the 1969 model year. Almost all of 1967–1969 Camaros were built in the two U.S. assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio and Van Nuys, California. There were also five non-U.S. Camaro assembly plants in countries that required local assembly and content. These plants were located in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru. Options The Camaro's standard drivetrain was either a straight-6 engine rated at at 4400 rpm and of torque at 1600 rpm; or a and (in January 1969) V8s, with a standard three-speed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1968 Daytona 500
The 1968 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on February 25, 1968, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Cale Yarborough won the race from the pole Summary The event was won by Cale Yarborough driving a 1968 Mercury. Yarborough drove his #21 to victory in just over 3 hours and 23 minutes after starting the race on the pole. There were 11 caution flags which slowed the race for 60 laps, a track record at the time that remained so until 2005. Yarborough squeaked out the victory by less than a second over LeeRoy Yarbrough. The win was Yarborough's first victory of the season and his first victory in the "Great American Race". This was also the only Daytona 500 where the grid was set exclusively by qualifying times. The 125-mile qualifying races were not held due to inclement weather. First Daytona 500 starts for Andy Hampton, Buddy Arrington, Bill Seifert, Dave Marcis, (Marcis would make every Daytona 500 until 2000), Earl Brooks, D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars. First generation (1967–1969) The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both a two-door hardtop and a conver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1967 Daytona 500
The 1967 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 26, 1967, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Mario Andretti won his first NASCAR Cup Series race. And he was the first foreign born, European and Italian driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race Summary Mario Andretti, better known for his accomplishments in open-wheel and USAC competition, won his first and only NASCAR Grand National Series event, pulling away from 1965 winner Fred Lorenzen in the closing laps. He ran in a Holman-Moody Ford. This is the only time a person born outside the United States has ever won the Daytona 500. More than 94,000 people witnessed a 204-minute race where six cautions slowed the pace for a total of 54 laps. There were 36 lead changes among 9 drivers. Curtis Turner won the pole at a speed of . Tiny Lund ran out of gas while trying to win the race. Six drivers failed to make the grid; including Don Biederman and Earl Brooks. Innes Irela ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plymouth Belvedere
Plymouth Belvedere is a series of American automobile models made by Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954 the Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top trim and became a full model line with sedans, station wagons, and convertible body styles. The Belvedere continued as Plymouth's full-sized car until 1965, when it became an intermediate, and was replaced after the 1970 model year by the Satellite, a name originally used for the top-trim level Belvederes. The nameplate "belvedere" is Italian for "beautiful sight" or “fair view”. Chrysler also had the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois which began production in 1965. Cranbrook Belvedere 1951–1953 Introduced on March 31, the 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook Belvedere is a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouth's first such body design and was introduced in response to the 1950 Chev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1966 Daytona 500
The 1966 Daytona 500, the 8th running of the event, was won by Richard Petty driving a 1966 Plymouth on February 27, 1966. Petty drove his number 43 to victory in just over three hours after starting the race on the pole. There were four caution flags which slowed the race for 22 laps. Petty came from two laps down to win the event after 198 laps were completed. The race was shortened by two laps due to rain. The win was Petty's second victory of the season. 1966 season The 1966 season marked the return of the Chrysler Hemi engine in NASCAR competition, while Ford took a one-year leave from competition before realizing that the ploy was detrimental to their sales. The 1966 Daytona 500 was the fifth event of 49 in the 1966 season, which included the two qualifying races for the 500. The 1966 season opened in Augusta with Petty taking the win in the season inaugural event. Dan Gurney followed with a win in Riverside before the drivers and their teams ventured to Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1965 Daytona 500
The 1965 Daytona 500, the 7th running of the event, was held on February 14, 1965 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fred Lorenzen, driving a 1965 Ford, won the race from fourth position in a two-hour-and-23-minute time span by Darel Dieringer by a full lap. There were 3 cautions flags which slowed the race for 43 laps. The race ended on lap 133 due to persistent rain. This was Lorenzen's first victory of the season. Safety innovations NASCAR instituted new rules in October 1964 to enhance safety and decrease speeds for 1965 after the previous year's deaths of Joe Weatherly and Fireball Roberts. The Chrysler Hemi engine was dominated that year by 1964 NASCAR Champion Richard Petty. Ford Motor Company wanted a new engine with high-rise cylinder heads to compete with the Hemi and threatened to pull out if Bill France Sr. didn't allow it. NASCAR's new rules, however, banned both Hemi engines and high-rise cylinder heads. Speedweeks Darel Dieringer won th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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