Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule.

The Daytona 500 is widely considered to be NASCAR's most important and prestigious race, and has the largest purse, although it is equivalent to other races on the calendar for championship purposes. It is also the circuit's first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. 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. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers.

The event serves as the final event of Speedweeks and is known as "The Great American Race" and the "Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing."

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 USA, a museum and gallery adjacent to Daytona International Speedway.

1990-1999

After years of trying to win the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt appeared headed for certain victory in the 1990 event until a series of events in the closing laps. On lap 193 Geoff Bodine spun in the first turn, causing the third and final caution of the race. Everyone pitted except Derrike Cope, who stayed out on the track. On the lap 195 restart, Earnhardt retook and held the lead. On the final lap, Earnhardt punctured a tire when he drove over a piece of metal bell housing that had fallen from the failed engine of Rick Wilson's car. As Earnhardt's damaged car slowed, Cope drove past and earned his first Winston Cup (now NEXTEL Cup) victory. It was the first of two victories for the relatively unknown Cope in the 1990 season. In an ironic twist, the local CBS affiliate in Seattle, Washington opted to pre-empt the race to telecast a Seattle Supersonics basketball game, as Cope lived in the suburb of Spanaway at that time. In 1992, Davey Allison dominated en route to his only Daytona 500 victory. He avoided the "Big One" on lap 92 and went on to lead the final 102 laps.

In 1993, Jeff Gordon made his first 500 start. He made quite a splash, finishing in the top five. On lap 170, trying to avoid the spinning cars of Michael Waltrip and Derrick Cope, Rusty Wallace in the number 2, Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac, lost control and cartwheeled several times down the backstretch grass. With two laps to go and Dale Earnhardt leading, Dale Jarret in the number 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet was running third going into turn three. Using a push from fourth place Geoff Bodine, Jarret went to the low side of Jeff Gordon for second and pulled even with the leader Earnhardt. They bumped and that sent the five time Winston Cup Champion sliding up the track and Jarret made the pass. With his father and former Cup Champion Ned Jarret in the broadcast booth, he became his son's biggest fan on national TV. It at the time was the fourth time Earnhardt had been leading the 500 with less than 10 laps to go. All four times he failed to win.

In 1998, Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 after 20 years of trying. Though Earnhardt had usually been a strong competitor in the Daytona 500, mechanical problems, crashes or bad luck had prevented him from winning the race. In 1998, however, Earnhardt was leading when Lake Speed and John Andretti made contact on Lap 198, causing the race to end under caution. After his victory, a joyous Earnhardt drove slowly down pit road, where members of other race teams had lined up to give him handshakes and high-fives. The victory was widely celebrated, even by people who weren't his fans, and was a defining moment in Earnhardt's career and legacy.

2000-present

On the last turn of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash. This was the second restrictor-plate race run under a rules package (discontinued after the 2001 season) that included a small strip atop the car's roof and a small lip on the rear spoiler. Though it was meant to give power back to the drivers and help produce more lead changes, critics charged that it created dangerous racing conditions, as cars raced 3 or more wide for long stretches of the race, and compared to past set ups, the cars raced much closer together. An 18-car crash on lap 173, which sent Tony Stewart's car flying end-over-end, caused the race to be red-flagged (stopped) while the track was made safe.

Michael Waltrip, making his first start for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won the race, with his teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing second, in cars that were both owned by Dale Earnhardt, who had been running third prior to his fatal crash in Turn 4.

The 2001 Daytona 500 was also the first NASCAR Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) points race to be televised by the Fox Network, which covered the other major Cup events during Speedweeks, as well as the previous day's Busch Series race. Fox's commentators and reporters included Darrell Waltrip, Michael's brother, and Larry McReynolds, who had been Dale Earnhardt's crew chief at the 1998 Daytona 500. Sterling Marlin was battling Jeff Gordon for the lead of the 2002 Daytona 500 when they made contact. Gordon spun while a multi-car crash broke out behind them.

NASCAR red-flagged the race so it could be raced to completion, and stopped the field on the backstretch. Marlin had been told that the right front fender on his car had been knocked into the right front tire, and jumped out of the car to pull the fender away from the tire. NASCAR officials in the safety vehicle immediately jumped out and stopped him. Since no one is allowed to work on a car during red-flag conditions, Marlin was sent to the back of the field. Marlin's move led to Ward Burton's win. 2006 Daytona 500In 2003, Michael Waltrip won when rain shortened the race to 109 laps and in 2004, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the race three years after his father's death and exactly six years to the date that his father won the Daytona 500.

Changes to the Daytona 500 meant the race could run into the dusk, with engines starting at 2:40 PM, and the green flag waving around 2:55 PM, meaning the race would finish under the lights as darkness fell at the finish. In 2005, Jeff Gordon won his third Daytona 500 in the first instance NASCAR used the green-white-checker finish rule in the 500. Jimmie Johnson took the honors in 2006, also under a nighttime green-white-checker finish. Also in 2005, qualifying race distance was raised 20%, with the qualifying races now 60 laps (150 miles) and only the top two drivers making the field through the race under new NASCAR rules on exemptions.

2007- This Year's Gatorade Duel At Daytona Will Send Many Teams Packing

The moment of truth during Speedweeks 2007 for many NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams - including Michael Waltrip, Brian Vickers and Ward Burton - will come in the Gatorade Duel At Daytona on Thursday, Feb. 15. For this year's Daytona 500, NASCAR's richest and most prestigious event, there could be as many as 30 teams without guaranteed starting spots trying to qualify for "The Great American Race." "The day of the Gatorade Duel At Daytona is going to be the most important bubble day in motorsports," Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. The Daytona 500 qualifying format is unique. The top 35 teams in owner's points have guaranteed starting spots in the Daytona 500 while all remaining teams fight over seven starting spots. Four spots are split among the top two finishing drivers in each Gatorade Duel that are not already guaranteed a starting spot get into the Daytona 500. The next three spots go to the fastest three qualifiers based on the single-car time trials from Budweiser Pole Qualifying that are not guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500. A final Daytona 500 starting spot is reserved for a past NEXTEL Cup Series champion.