The Daytona 500 - A Glorious Beginning

Or so it seemed. Three years later, on February 18, 1979, a race unparalleled in terms of historical significance unfolded on national television. For the first time ever, the race was broadcast live from start to finish, as CBS provided coverage on a weekend when much of the East Coast was under a heavy snowstorm. That set the stage for a classic battle between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison on the backstretch of the last lap of the 500. While their cars collided and settled onto the infield grass, Richard Petty sped by for the sixth of his seven wins in the Daytona 500.

The checkered flag signaled the end of the race, but another show quickly transpired around Yarborough and the Allison brothers, Donnie and Bobby. Yarborough, obviously upset over losing the race, was livid, and a fight ensued, but it was Bobby who was in the thick of it. As Bobby, who finished 11th, came back around the track to offer Donnie a ride, Yarborough took the feud to Bobby and the two engaged in a classic fistfight that was caught by the cameras of CBS.

If stock car racing has its version of the 1958 NFL Championship Game-a classic televised battle between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants credited with lifting pro football to new heights-then it surely is the 1979 Daytona 500. The phenomenal growth of the sport over the past three decades can be traced directly to that moment.

There have been other Daytona classics since then, including the next year, 1980, when Buddy Baker turned in one of the most dominant and awe-inspiring performances ever. Baker averaged 177.602 mph in claiming his only Daytona 500 win in a car dubbed the "Gray Ghost" because of the way it blended into the asphalt as it approached other cars. The black and silver No. 28 Oldsmobile fielded by Ranier Racing and powered by a Waddell Wilson engine was a rocket that no other car could match. Bobby Allison was the only driver with Baker on the lead lap at the finish, but even he was out of contention, finishing 12 seconds back as the race ended under caution.

In 1988, Bobby Allison and his son Davey became the only father-son duo to finish First and Second in the 500. That was followed by Darrell Waltrip's only Daytona 500 win the next season. Davey then prevailed in 1992 for his only win in the race.

Jeff Gordon has three wins in the Daytona 500, including one in 1999 that came complete with a spectacular pass of Rusty Wallace with 10 laps to go. With Wallace in front, the cars of Wallace, Mike Skinner, and Gordon rolled into Turn 1, with Skinner on the high side, and Gordon quickly closing on Wallace and staring at an opportunity to do something spectacular. That he did, zooming by Wallace, pinning him high, and barely missing the slow car of Ricky Rudd on the apron. For an instant, it was four-wide racing on Daytona's high banks, but the bold move allowed Gordon to take the lead. He then had to contend with Dale Earnhardt on his rear bumper over the final laps, but he held him off for the victory.

Gordon's driving in that race symbolizes much of why Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 hold such a remarkable place in the sport's past, present, and future. Legends are made at Daytona. Careers are enhanced. Talent is showcased at its highest level.

And each February, Speedweeks show up on the calendar, to the delight of everyone who cares about stock car racing.

When the green flag drops on the 2007 version, the roar of engines heard on the front stretch of Daytona International Speedway will not merely be the sound of raw horsepower. It'll be the echoes of all the legendary men who have performed legendary feats over the past 48 years.