1999 Daytona 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
Track map of Daytona International Speedway showing mainly the speedway.
|
|||
| Date | February 14, 1999 | ||
| Location |
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, US |
||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km) |
||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds approaching 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 161.551 miles per hour (259.991 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | |
| Laps | 104 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, and Ned Jarrett | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 9.6/25 (12.9 million viewers) |
||
The 1999 Daytona 500, the 41st running of the event, was held February 14, 1999, at Daytona International Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the pole and won the race, making him the first Daytona 500 pole sitter to win the race since Bill Elliott in 1987.
The start of the 1999 season was marked by three owners (Andy Petree, Travis Carter, and Joe Gibbs) expanding to 2 full-time teams for the first time in their careers. Their drivers were Kenny Wallace (Petree), Darrell Waltrip (Carter), and rookie Tony Stewart (JGR). Several new teams debuted, including Joe Bessey's new #60 and the #58 Ford owned by Scott Barbour. Speedweeks would also be marked by controversy involving Junie Donlavey's #90 Ford. Rookie driver Mike Harmon was dismissed from his team just before the Gatorade 125 qualifying races after reports surfaced that Harmon's sponsor, Big Daddy's Barbecue Sauce, was not living up to its contract obligations, as well as the team wanting a veteran driver to find more speed on the track; Donlavey's team wound up signing Mike Wallace, who'd driven for the team in the 1994-96 period.
Jeff Gordon won the pole for the race with a speed of just over 195 mph, and would start alongside former Indy Racing League champion Tony Stewart, who was making his Winston Cup debut. A total of 59 drivers would make an attempt to qualify for the 1999 Daytona 500. Bobby Labonte would win the first Gatorade 125 qualifying race after taking the lead from Gordon on lap 39. A lap 1 incident, the only caution of the First Duel, ended Dan Pardus and Jeff Green's chances at making the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt won the 2nd Gatorade duel after taking the lead from Stewart on lap 8. The second duel was marred by two caution periods that ended Dick Trickle, Glen Morgan, and David Green's chances at qualifying for the race. This would be Earnhardt's final win at Daytona.
...
Wikipedia