What is the shortest Daytona 500 ever recorded? All you need to know

The shortest Daytona 500 on record took place on February 15th, 2003. It was a short race due to the unpredictable Florida rain. The race had been called off when the racers were on their 109th lap out of the 200, hence shortening the race to 272.5 miles.

Michael Waltrip, who drove for Dale Earnhardt Inc on a No 15 NAPA Chevrolet claimed victory in the race. He won with an average speed of 133.870 mph. It was his second Daytona 500 victory, as he claimed his first victory during the 2001 season.

In a YouTube video, Waltrip shared the strategy that helped him win the race (via NASCAR on Fox):

“When the green flag flew, everything worked just like I had thought it would. I got down in behind Dale pushed by to the lead. That move was technical, precise and well executed." (2:20 onwards)

The Daytona 500 is a legendary event, a racer's dream track. It is called "The Great American Race" or "Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing" and is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It spans about 2.5 miles and comprises 200 laps. The average speed is higher compared to other race tracks at 180-200 mph. Hence, it feels like a short race course to drivers. It owes its creation to Bill France Sr, who founded the NASCAR organization.

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The Origination of Daytona 500

Syndication: USA TODAY - Source: Imagn

The first-ever race that took place at Daytona 500 was on February 22, 1959, which was won by Lee Petty. Since then, the Daytona 500 has become an iconic race event, serving as a launch pad for cementing the careers of racers. Some of them include Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. In a podcast, Dale Jr talked about France's leadership, saying via The Dale Jr Download podcast (56:36 onwards):

"You know, leadership is so critical, right? And I don’t know, Bill France Sr. must have been an insanely good leader."

The vision of the Daytona 500 was proposed by Bill France Sr - a former stock car racer, on April 4th, 1953. The tri-oval track had been constructed to overcome the limitation of the sandy course on Daytona Beach. France had a plan to build a professional high-speed speedway, and he signed a contract with the City of Daytona Beach to build the race track.