The Daytona 500 is the crown jewel of the NASCAR Cup Series. Revered not only for its superspeedway racing action and the heftiest purse of the season but also because in 1979, it became the first race to be broadcast live in its entirety on television, catapulting NASCAR into the international spotlight.
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But how did the race ascend to the prestigious slot of the season opener? While it has held this prime position for over six decades and seems set to continue, the Daytona 500’s origins at the Daytona International Speedway aren’t as straightforward.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the first NASCAR points race at the Speedway. The tradition of racing in Daytona dates back to 1905 when cars tore through a makeshift “road course” combining the hard-packed sands of Daytona Beach with the adjacent highway.
Bill France recognized an opportunity and took the reins of the beach race in 1938. With the burgeoning popularity of the event leading developers to snatch up beachfront properties for hotel development, France realized his racing days on the beach were numbered. By then, having already founded NASCAR, he organized the 1949 beach race on July 10 during its inaugural season.
Despite attracting 5,000 spectators, France knew shifting the race back to February could boost attendance. True to his vision, he moved the race back to Daytona in February 1950.
This timing proved so successful that it was maintained when the first Daytona 500, originally known as the Firecracker 250, kicked off in 1959. To add to the fervor, twin Daytona 500 qualifying races were introduced in 1960, counting as points races until 1971.
The first Daytona 500 in 1959 was marked by confusion and the mistaken celebration of the wrong winner
Back in 1959, technology wasn’t equipped to swiftly and accurately determine a winner in a tight race. On the afternoon of February 22, at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway, the finish was too close for the naked eye to call.
Three drivers — Joe Weatherly in a Chevrolet on the outside, Lee Petty in an Oldsmobile in the center, and Johnny Beauchamp in a Ford on the inside — crossed the finish line virtually simultaneously.
France, alongside flagman Johnny Bruner Sr., initially declared Beauchamp and Petty as the top two finishers, respectively. Petty, heading towards Victory Lane, was redirected when Beauchamp and his crew were ushered in to celebrate.
The premature celebration stemmed from the lack of photographic evidence at the finish line, as NASCAR didn’t have a camera positioned to capture the moment.
The situation became more tangled as photos taken by photographers didn’t clarify the winner until one shot by T. Taylor Warren perfectly captured the finish from the ideal angle. Initially, real-time judgments mistakenly sent Beauchamp to Victory Lane.
The narrative took a turn on Wednesday when, after reviewing the footage provided by Hearst News and Warren’s decisive photograph, France reversed his earlier decision. He officially declared Lee Petty the winner, placing Beauchamp in second, rectifying the mix-up days after the race.
