1966 Daytona 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Track map of Daytona International Speedway showing mainly the speedway.
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| Date | February 27, 1966 | ||
| 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 | 198 laps, 495 mi (796.625 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching as high as 60.1 °F (15.6 °C); wind speeds approaching 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 160.927 miles per hour (258.987 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Paul Goldsmith | Ray Nichels | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Earl Balmer | Ray Fox | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 108 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 Plymouth | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
The 1966 Daytona 500, the 8th running of the event, was won by Richard Petty driving a 1966 Plymouth on February 27, 1966. Petty drove his number 43 to victory in just over three hours after starting the race on the pole. There were four caution flags which slowed the race for 22 laps. Petty came from two laps down to win the event after 198 laps were completed. The race was shortened by two laps due to rain. The win was Petty's second victory of the season.
The 1966 season marked the return of the Chrysler Hemi engine in NASCAR competition, while Ford took a one-year leave from competition before realizing that the ploy was detrimental to their sales. The 1966 Daytona 500 was the fifth event of 49 in the 1966 season, which included the two qualifying races for the 500. The 1966 season opened in Augusta with Petty taking the win in the season inaugural event. Dan Gurney followed with a win in Riverside before the drivers and their teams ventured to Daytona International Speedway for the 500-mile (800 km) event. NASCAR ran a total of 49 events, ending at the Rockingham Speedway in October.David Pearson won the NASCAR Grand National Championship (now Sprint Cup) after winning 15 events while 168 drivers competed in at least one event during the 1966 season.
Richard Petty captured the pole position for the event with a speed of 175.165 miles per hour (281.901 km/h). The two 100 mile qualifying events were won by Paul Goldsmith driving a number 99 1965 Plymouth, who bested second-place finisher Richard Petty, and Earl Balmer driving his number 3 1965 Dodge. A total of 50 drivers started the Daytona 500 in 1966, and a total of 18 cars were still running at the conclusion of the race.
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