Daytona's infield has been remodeled for this season. Its look, as thesephotos (above & below) demonstrate, is modern and upscale.
The track immediately met with disaster as local racing legend MarshallTeague, testing his Sumar Special Indy Car, died instantly in a violentcrash on February 11. The incident, just 11 days before the scheduledrunning of the first-ever Daytona 500, cast a pall over the raceway.Speculation was that the track was unsafe and would produce untoldcarnage.
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 a week later produced no incidents as BobWelborn's Chevy took the top spot with a lap of 140.121 mph. A 200-mileNASCAR Modified Sportsman race, which featured more than 70 cars--mostof them 1930s and 40s vintage Chevy and Ford coupes racing at speeds inexcess of 130 mph--also came off without a hitch as Banjo Matthews tookthe checkered flag in front of Perk Brown and Curtis Turner.
A total of 59 cars lined up for the inaugural Daytona 500 on February22, 1959. In what is still regarded as one of the speedway's greatestraces, Lee Petty's Oldsmobile and the Ford Thunderbird of JohnnyBeauchamp finished in an apparent dead heat. NASCAR officials declaredBeauchamp the winner only to reverse the finishing order three dayslater when photos revealed Petty had nipped Beauchamp at the checkeredflag.
The event, which was run caution-free and without major incident, was aninstant classic and immediately established the legend of DaytonaInternational Speedway and the 500 as "The Great American Race."
Since then, the Daytona 500 and its summer 400-mile companion race haveproduced countless racing thrills as well as their share of tragedy.Other events, such as the Rolex 24-hour sports car race, the AmericanMotorcycle Association Daytona "Bike Week," and World KartingAssociation rally, are Daytona racing mainstays and draw thousands offans to the speedway annually.
Meanwhile, the speedway has undergone multiple transformations. Seatingcapacity has expanded to more than 150,000. Upgrades to the grounds,including Daytona USA, a fan-interactive center detailing past andcurrent glories of the sport, have made the track a year-around touristattraction. Originally located in a swamp, the area surrounding thetrack is an endless sea of restaurant, shopping, and lodging choices.
About the only thing that hasn't changed over the years at Daytona isthe racing layout itself. France's vision of a high-banked,superspeedway has been resurfaced a number of times, but the track todaystill retains its original shape, length, and banking measurements.
For nearly 50 years, "France's Folly" has stood the test of timeproviding countless motorsports thrills while establishing Daytona onthe global map along with Indianapolis as American racing facilityicons. The latest round of grounds improvements mark the next step inkeeping Daytona at the forefront of American and Internationalmotorsports for decades to come.