Beech Tree News Network

Having just come off the Daytona 500, I figured I’d give a little history.  The 500 was christened “The Great American Race” by broadcaster Ken Squier.  That much I knew.  There were several things I wondered about, however.  You might be surprised by some of my findings.
The inaugural Daytona 500 was won by Lee Petty in 1959.  He defeated Johnny Beauchamp in an unusual manner-after the race was over. Beauchamp was the original winner, but a few days of poring over the finish line photographs, Petty was declared the winner.  1973 and ’74 saw Richard Petty become the first to capture back-to-back 500 victories. 1981 saw Richard win his 7th Daytona 500, making him the first driver to win the 500 in three distinct decades.
The ‘90’s saw some great races, such as the late Dale Earnhardt looking for his first win. ‘91, ’93, ’95 and ’96 saw Earnhardt so close that he could taste victory, only to have it snatched away, either by a better driver of car circumstances.  In 1998, after 20 years of trying, he finally won the 500.  In 2001, Earnhardt perished in a last-lap crash.  In 2004 the family dynasty continued, as Dale Earnhardt Jr won the Daytona 500. I’ll have more 500 family connections later.
How have previous winners faired in the title hunt at years end? 2012 winner Matt Kenseth finished 7th in final standings.  In contrast, 2011 winner Trevor Bayne was (and still is) nowhere to be found championship-wise.  I would almost call that the “Derrike Cope Syndrome”.  Cope won the 500(in 1990) because the leader wrecked.  It was one of his two wins in his 25 year Cup career. To truly be “Cope Syndrome” worthy, Bayne must win one more race in his career.  He’s young enough for it to happen.
Dale Jr. won the 2004 race and finished 5th in the standings. That proves that sometimes a good Daytona finish can mean a good finish at year’s end. He finished 2nd this year.  As a fan of his, I’m excited for what that means the rest of the season! 2010 winner Jamie McMurray finished a disappointing 14th in the final standings.  Oddly enough, that’s also where 2009 winner Matt Kenseth finished in the ’09 standings.
Richard Petty has the most Daytona 500 wins at seven.  Cale Yarborough has 4 wins.  Family ties are strong in the 500.  As mentioned, Lee Petty won the inaugural in 1959.  His son Richard won in ’64, ’66, ’71, ’73, ’74, ’79 and ’81.  Bobby Allison took the checkers in ’78, ’82 and ’88.  His son, the late Davey Allison, won in 1992, a year before he was killed in a plane crash.  Dale Earnhardt finally won the 500 in 1998 on his 20th try.  Son Dale Jr won in 2004.  The Waltrip brothers won the race: Darrell in 1989 and Michael in ’01 and ’03.  The 2001 win was overshadowed, obviously, by the death of Dale Sr. 
A.J. Foyt is the only driver to win the Daytona 500(’67) and the Indianapolis 500(’61, ’64, ’67 and ’77). 
Five years the race was rain-shortened.  In 1965, it was shortened 133 laps because of rain.  The 1966 race saw a 198 lap shortage because of rain.  In 1974, the race was shortened 180 laps due to the energy crisis.  In 2003, Michael Waltrip won the race that was shortened to 109 laps due to rain.  It was the shortest ever recorded Daytona 500.  In 2009, the race was shortened 152 laps because of rain. Matt Kenseth won the longest in 2012, which included a rainout.  It was the first time in 54 editions that the race concluded on a Monday.  I recall that year.  It was one of the few times I washed and wore the same shirt on consecutive days! (Dale Jr. of course)
I’ll close with some good news for last weekend’s race (won by Jimmie Johnson, who also won in 2006. This was crew chief Chad Knaus’ first win (he was suspended the first time JJ won).  Ratings were up 30% from last year. This was the best ratings year for the 500 since 2010.

Hello, my name is Andy Sullivan. I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Mid-Continent University in May 2009. I began writing for Beech Tree News in July 2009.  I enjoy playing guitar, the occasional Wii game, writing, and listening to music. I write a sports blog that can be found at http://andyuk79.tumblr.com
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