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The Daytona 500 is the most awaited NASCAR event of the year. Marking the grand start to the Cup Series season, the Great American Race is held over 200 laps at the Daytona International Speedway, clocking a distance of 500 miles.
Being one of the most well-known and most attended motorsports events in the US, the Daytona, like any other race, has its history in the books. It laid the foundation for NASCAR through the races that were earlier held at Daytona Beach in the late 1940s. The first 500 was held in 1959, and since then, it has remained the crown of the Cup Series.
Heading into this season's Great American Race, there are a few facts that new fans might not be aware of. So here are some of the more engrossing lesser-known facts about the grand race.
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#1 Two teams hold the title for most Daytona 500 victories
Although the event has existed for a large part of NASCAR's history, the winner remains extremely unpredictable because of the close racing that often comes with intense crashes and last-minute shakeups in the race. Despite this uncertainty, two teams; Petty Enterprises and Hendrick Motorsports have won the grand event a whopping nine times. The latter team has an opportunity to take the lead of the record given its current lineup.
#2 First female pole sitter of the 500
The 2013 edition of the Cup Series season-opening race marked history as Danica Patrick, piloting the #10 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, clinched pole position. She was the first and only female to date to have scored a pole position in the race. She finished eighth in the race.
#3 Only driver to win both races at Daytona in a season
The Daytona International Speedway hosts two races during the Cup Series season, the first being the Daytona 500 and the other one is currently called the Coke Zero Sugar 400 due to sponsorship reasons. Jimmie Johnson is the only driver in the sport's history to have won both races in the same season, clinching victories during the 2013 season with Hendrick Motorsports.
#4 Shortest Daytona 500
The race is held over 200 laps, covering a distance of 500 miles. Regularly, due to overtime, the race exceeds that limit. However, there was a moment during the 2003 race when the race had to be cut short due to rain. The race ended after 109 laps and Michael Waltrip was declared the winner.
#5 The first Daytona 500 did not have a declared winner for three days
NASCAR has had its fair share of close finishes. This was also observed during the initial running of the race back in 1959. Due to technological limitations, it was hard to decide the winner. After three days of analysis, NASCAR declared Lee Petty as the winner.
