1959 Daytona 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 44 in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series | |||
Lee Petty #42 and Johnny Beauchamp #73 battle on the last lap of the 1959 Daytona 500.
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| Date | February 22, 1959 | ||
| Official name | First Annual 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona | ||
| Location |
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) |
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| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures reaching up to 68 °F (20 °C); wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 135.521 mph (218.100 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 41,921 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | |||
| Time | 140.121 mph (225.503 km/h) | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Bob Welborn, Shorty Rollins and Jack Smith | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jack Smith | ||
| Laps | 57 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Not televised | ||
The 1959 First Annual 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona (now known as the 1959 Inaugural Daytona 500) was the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921 spectators. It was the first race held at the 2.5-mile (4.0 kilometer) Daytona International Speedway.
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida that was one of the first superspeedways to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Daytona is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track also features two other layouts that utilize portions of the primary high speed tri-oval, such as a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) sports car course and a 2.95-mile (4.75 km) motorcycle course. The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd. The speedway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The track was built by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. to host racing that was being held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course and opened with the first Daytona 500 in 1959.
The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar. It is also the series' 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 which in turn greatly surpasses the Daytona 500 in in-track attendance and international viewing. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers.
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