Classic Daytona 500 Photos

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Feb 21, 2013

Classic Daytona 500 Photos

Bill France Sr.

NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. surveys Daytona International Speedway from a car in 1965.

Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Mario Andretti, Richard Petty and David Pearson

Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Mario Andretti, Richard Petty and David Pearson (left to right) pose for a photo before the 1968 500.

Richard Petty

Richard Petty relaxes for a minute prior to the 1972 Daytona 500. Petty would finish 26th in the event.

Andy Granatelli

STP CEO and car owner Andy Granatelli pours champagne on himself after Richard Petty drove the No. 43 car to victory at the 1973 Daytona 500.

Paul Newman

A close-up of actor and car owner Paul Newman during the 1974 Daytona 500. An avid racer, Newman owned a NASCAR car before selling it to Penske Racing.

Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison

Bobby Allison (left, in helmet) fights with Cale Yarborough (right) as Allison's brother, Donnie, swings his helmet at Yarborough after the 1979 Daytona 500. Donnie Allison was leading the race on the final lap when Yarborough spun both of them into the infield. They started fighting shortly thereafter, prompting Bobby Allison to pull over and join. The incident drew great publicity for NASCAR, with many considering the 1979 500 the most important race in stock car history.

Bill Elliott

Bill Elliott celebrates at Victory Lane following his 1985 Daytona win. Elliott won the 500 twice in his career and holds the speed record at Daytona.

Geoff Bodine

Geoff Bodine celebrates with his wife Kathy (right) and another lucky lady after winning the 1986 race.

Richard Petty

Richard Petty sits outside his No. 43 car at Daytona 500 qualifying in 1987. The King won Daytona a record seven times but finished third that year.

Bobby Allison

Bobby Allison is showered with beer in 1988 after winning his third and final Daytona 500. Allison and his son, Davey, finished 1-2 in the '88 race.

Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Waltrip celebrates pointedly after winning the 1989 500.

Ernie Irvan

Ernie Irvan poses with a few models after winning the 1991 race.

Kyle Petty

Kyle Petty gathers his thoughts prior to the 1993 Daytona 500. Petty led 19 laps in the '93 race, but finished 31st after crashing in the 171st lap.

Michael Waltrip

Waltrip stands on pit road before the 1993 500. Waltrip, who finished 16th in 1993, won the 500 in 2001 and 2003.

Dale Jarrett

Dale Jarrett shows his appreciation for Daytona International Speedway by holding up a heart-shaped sign after winning the 1993 race.

Rusty Wallace

Rusty Wallace tries out some new headgear --- actually, make that an air filter --- in the days leading up to the 1996 race.

Rusty Wallace Fans

Rusty Wallace fans spell out what NASCAR really stands for during practice at the 1996 Daytona 500. Wallace finished the race in 16th after starting 43rd.

Ricky Craven

Ricky Craven climbs into his car before Wednesday practice in 1997. Craven finished third in the '97 race.

Rusty Wallace

Napoleon, a knight in shining armor and Cleopatra congratulate Rusty Wallace during Speedweeks leading up to the 1998 Daytona 500.

Jimmy Spencer

Jimmy Spencer holds a gun before firing up his engine for the start of the 1998 race.

Brian Williams

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, a big NASCAR fan, stands next to Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 car before the 1999 race.

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon sprays champagne in Victory Lane after winning the 1999 Daytona 500. Gordon has won the race three times.

Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt adjusts his goggles car prior to the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt was tragically killed in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 race.

Spotter

A spotter stands in a post above the track during Friday practice prior at the 2003 Daytona 500.

Fan

A Jeff Gordon fan watches the 2004 Daytona 500. Unfortunately for the fan, Dale Earnhardt Jr., not Gordon, claimed Victory Lane that year.

Clint Bowyer

Clint Bowyer slides on the roof of his car after wrecking on the final lap of the 2007 race. Kyle Busch's spin out caused a pileup that flipped Bowyer, causing him to skid on his roof across the finish line for 18th place. Kevin Harvick won the race, beating Mark Martin by .02 seconds.

Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman does a burnout after winning the 50th running of the Great American Race. In a thrilling finish, Newman, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch raced through the final lap nearly even with each other before teammate Kurt Busch helped to nudge Newman into first.

Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth raises his fist in triumph with his crew after winning the 2009 race. Kenseth's win came after just 152 laps when a severe rainstorm forced the cancellation of the final 48. Kenseth took the lead just six laps before the race was stopped, getting his first win since November 2007.

Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw performs before the start of the race in 2010. The 2010 running of the Daytona 500 was the longest in Daytona history due to two red flag stoppages to repair a pothole between turns 1 and 2. The two delays to work on the pothole took a combined two hours and 24 minutes.

Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray celebrates in the confetti at victory lane after winning the race in 2010. McMurray led for just two laps of the race, the fewest in Daytona 500 history, after making a late pass on Kevin Harvick who had led for 41 laps.

Crew Worker

A NASCAR crew worker pushes a set of tires through the garages during a rain delay at the 2010 NextEra Energy Resources 250, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Daytona International Speedway two days before the Daytona 500. The intense rain on the scheduled day of the 2010 race forced its postponement until the next day. Timothy Peters eventually claimed the victory.

Trevor Bayne

An elated Trevor Bayne celebrates in victory lane after winning the 2011 race. Bayne moved into the lead when David Ragan went to pit during a caution after lap 203 and held on to win his first race in the Sprint Cup Series at just 20 years old.

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson stands with his wife, Chandra, and their daughter, Genevieve Marie, on the grid during pre-race ceremonies of the 2011 race. Johnson got snagged in a 17-driver crash on lap 29 and never managed to make up the gap.

Kate Upton, Jane Lynch and the Three Stooges

Kate Upton, Jane Lynch and the Three Stooges pose with the Harley J. Earl Trophy before the the 54th running of the Daytona 500. Winners of the race have received a small replica of the trophy since 1998, and the original remains on display at the Daytona International Speedway.

Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick gets out of her No. 10 car after qualifying for the 2013 race. Not only did her lap qualify Patrick for the race, she won the poll, beating out all 44 other drivers with a lap of 196.434 mph.Patrick became the first woman to secure the top spot in a NASCAR Spring Cup Series race.