Here's why NASCAR shortened the Daytona 500 to 450 miles in 1974

Coming second to none in the complete season of the NASCAR Cup Series, the elusive Daytona 500 is one such event that has garnered as many stock car racing fans as the championship has itself. The prestigious event debuted on the calendar for the first time in 1959, seeing Lee Petty take the checkered flag in P1.

Ever since its debut, Daytona International Speedway has seen drivers go around the track 64 times, with the 2023 season about to mark the event's 65th run. While seeing drivers go the full 500-mile distance during the race is common for fans, except when the clouds decide to play spoilsport, the Daytona 500 has never seen a shortened race, except on one occasion.

The 1974 Daytona 500 saw the first ever winner at the Daytona Beach, Florida track, a certain driver by the name of Richard Petty, celebrate his win at Victory Lane.

The governing body, however, on the other hand, had to give in to global pressures seemingly unrelated to stock car racing. The war that ensued in the Middle-East in 1973 meant oil supplies to the the United States of America were in limited amounts, due to a host of western countries, including America, supporting Israel during the period of unrest.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' decision to withhold oil supplies meant a gasoline shortage in the country, with gas stations running out of fuel on several occasions, not to mention the huge waiting lines at the stations for consumers. Under governmental pressure, NASCAR officials also decided to shorten the races in the first half of the season by 10%.

The largely symbolic gesture meant that the 1974 Daytona 500 consisted of a total of 450 actual miles, with the first 10% of laps 'not recorded' by NASCAR over the first half of the season.

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NASCAR 1974: Daytona 500 also held another record that stood for more than 36 years

The 1974 run of the Daytona 500 was noteworthy for another reason other than being a 500-mile-long race that was 450-miles-long. The event at the Daytona Beach, Florida track held the record for the highest number of overtakes for the lead, at 59, until the record was broken in 2011.

It was also the first Daytona 500 to be televised live, with none other than Jackie Stewart and Keith Jackson commentating.

Watch the 65th Daytona 500 go live from Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023.