1959 was the very first Daytona 500 on the brand new 2.5 mile superspeedway. Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp were battling for the win off of turn 4 on the last lap with the lapped car of Joe Weatherly in the mix. The three of them crossed the line side-by-side-by-side, Beauchamp on the bottom, Petty in the middle and Weatherly on top. Beauchamp celebrated in victory lane but three days later Petty was declared the winner when newsreel footage showed that Petty beat Beauchamp to the line.
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 Sprint Cup race. Since 1995, U.S. television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the Indianapolis 500 held in May.
On Sunday February 20th, 2011 a sold out crowd of approximately 185,000 will attend the race in person.
The winner of the Daytona 500 is presented with the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane, and the winning car is displayed, in race-winning condition, for one year at Daytona 500 Experience, a museum and gallery adjacent to Daytona International Speedway.
The Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sprint Cup Race, the second race of the series, is scheduled for February 27, 2011 at Phoenix International Raceway located in the Phoenix Metroplex West Valley community of Avondale. PIR hosts a second Sprint Cup Race on November 13, 2011. This race is the next to the last race in the Chase.
