Daytona 500 Champions Records

Transcription

1 DAYTONA 500 CHAMPIONS RECORDS

2 472

3 Bobby Allison Three-time champion (1978, 1982 and 1988) Bobby Allison is one of only five drivers to have won the three or more times. He captured the 1978 with Bud Moore, the 1982 with DiGard Racing and the 1988 with the Stavola Bros. Allison and his son Davey delivered the race s only 1-2 father-son finish in That same year, Bobby won the 300-mile Nationwide race, the 125-mile qualifying race and the fishing tournament. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAYTONA 500 MOMENT? What would have to be the favorite 500 moment would be at 1988 at the age of 50, I won my third Super Bowl of my career with the best young man in racing second to me. But I still don t remember It s kind of tough in a way. Sitting here right now, it hurts and annoys me that I have no memory of that. I sat down with a tape a few months ago and watched the entire race flag to flag to see if it would do anything for me. It looks like some movie that somebody made somewhere that kind of looked like something I had done one day. 1 02/26/61 Chevrolet # $ /14/65 Ford # $1, /27/66 Ford # $1, /26/67 Mercury # $1, /25/68 Ford # $10, /23/69 Dodge # $1, /22/70 Dodge # $9, /14/71 Dodge # $1, /20/72 Chevrolet # $1, /18/73 Chevrolet # $1, /17/74 Chevrolet # $3, /16/75 Matador # $25, /15/76 Mercury # $5, /20/77 Matador # $6, /19/78 Ford # $44, /18/79 Ford # $17, /17/80 Mercury # $54, /15/81 Pontiac # $84, /14/82 Buick # $120, /20/83 Chevrolet # $29, /19/84 Buick # $38, /17/85 Buick # $14, /16/86 Buick # $18, /15/87 Buick # $60, /14/88 Buick # $202,940 Totals/Avg $757,

4 Davey Allison 1992 champion Davey Allison captured his lone victory in 1992 with Robert Yates Racing, but he also visited Gatorade Victory Lane in 1988 after he finished second to his father Bobby, the only 1-2 father-son finish in the history of The Great American Race. On the final lap in the final turn, Bobby Allison went high and Davey ducked low but wasn t able to pull off the pass. Said Davey on the radio after the finish: I went down low in 3 and 4 but he was too strong. All the time in the pits was wife/mother Judy Allison, who was rooting for the one who pays the bills. AFTER HIS 1992 DAYTONA 500 WIN I ve watched my dad win the 500 a couple of times, and I followed him across the line once, just a few years ago. You know, it s hard to sit here and say this is the greatest thing that s ever happened to me, because that 88 was such a special day. I don t think anything could ever replace it. But, as far as wins go, this is the best one I ve ever had. 1 02/15/87 Ford # $14, /14/88 Ford # $113, /19/89 Ford # $22, /18/90 Ford # $31, /17/91 Ford # $77, /16/92 Ford # $244, /14/93 Ford # $37,445 Totals/Avg $541,570 Mario Andretti 1967 champion Mario Andretti became the first Indy driver to win the in 1967 driving for Holman- Moody Ford. He was two days shy of his 27th birthday when he won. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000 and voted co-driver of the Century by the Associated Press and Racer Magazine that same year. GATORADE VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW This had to be the toughest race I have ever driven. The physical pounding on the banking and the degree of concentration that running at those speeds demands took a lot out of me. 1 02/27/66 Chevrolet # $1, /26/67 Ford # $48, /25/68 Mercury # $1,580 Totals/Avg $51,

5 Buddy Baker 1980 champion After coming so close to his elusive victory in many of his previous 18 career starts, Buddy Baker finally knocked the Gatorade Victory Lane gates down in 1980 by winning his first Great American Race in record fashion. Baker, driving a silver and black No. 28 Oldsmobile nicknamed the Grey Ghost, dominated the race by starting from the pole and leading 143 laps. Even though he was the class of the field, Baker still needed a quick late pit stop for gas to secure the victory. Baker finished the with a record average speed of mph. ON IF HE COULD PUT INTO WORDS WHAT FINALLY WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 MEANT TO HIM I wish I could. I have tried every way in the world. I do a lot of after-dinner speaking and I have my own satellite show, and that question is impossible for a race car driver to answer. It is exhilaration, it s, OK, you ve won the biggest race that we have in NASCAR. The years of frustration waiting to get into that spot and it finally happening the emotion was to a point where you almost felt nauseous. It s hard to explain. 1 02/26/61 Chrysler # $ /18/62 Chrysler # $ /23/64 Plymouth # $ /14/65 Dodge # $1, /27/66 Chevrolet # $1, /26/67 Dodge # $1, /25/68 Dodge # $1, /23/69 Dodge # $10, /22/70 Dodge # $2, /14/71 Dodge # $16, /20/72 Dodge # $1, /18/73 Dodge # $10, /16/75 Ford # $2, /15/76 Ford # $7, /20/77 Ford # $23, /19/78 Oldsmobile # $16, /18/79 Oldsmobile # $23, /17/80 Oldsmobile # $102, /15/81 Oldsmobile # $35, /14/82 Buick # $40, /20/83 Ford # $59, /19/84 Ford # $14, /17/85 Oldsmobile # $53, /16/86 Oldsmobile # $15, /15/87 Oldsmobile # $74, /14/88 Oldsmobile # $36, /17/91 Pontiac # $18, /16/92 Oldsmobile # $38,275 Totals/Avg $609,

6 Trevor Bayne 2011 champion On a new racing surface, Trevor Bayne drove the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to Gatorade Victory Lane after two green-white-checkered attempts in the 53rd annual. Bayne, who turned 20 years old the day prior to the race, became the youngest driver to win The Great American Race and returned the storied Wood Brothers to victory lane for the first time in 10 years in a paint scheme similar to the one David Pearson drove to victory in the ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 The first realization I got is when I was talking to (the Wood Brothers). They said it was as cool as (David) Pearson s win and that s when it sinks in because I don t put myself on that kind of stage with those guys. I don t think of myself as doing the same thing that David Pearson did or AJ Foyt or Tiny Lund or (Cale Yarborough). When they made that comment, that this was one of the coolest 500 wins, that s when I thought, Wow, this is real. This is something that a lot of people strive for their whole career. This is one of the biggest races in motorsports and we were the ones in Victory Lane. 1 02/20/11 Ford # $1,463, /26/12 Ford # $283,200 Totals/Avg $1,747,

7 Geoff Bodine 1986 champion Geoff Bodine, a native of Chemung, N.Y., led 65 laps and had the right fuel mileage to win the The victory came down to fuel milage. Dale Earnhardt ran out of gas and Bodine had just enough to deliver owner Rick Hendrick his first of six wins. ON WINNING THE 1986 DAYTONA 500 My dreams and my goals were fulfilled on that day. 1 02/18/79 Oldsmobile # $3, /15/81 Pontiac # $5, /14/82 Buick # $3, /20/83 Pontiac # $12, /19/84 Chevrolet # $27, /17/85 Chevrolet # $42, /16/86 Chevrolet # $192, /15/87 Chevrolet # $36, /14/88 Chevrolet # $27, /19/89 Chevrolet # $79, /18/90 Ford # $80, /17/91 Ford # $28, /16/92 Ford # $116, /14/93 Ford # $141, /20/94 Ford # $52, /19/95 Ford # $56, /18/96 Ford # $44, /16/97 Ford # $57, /15/98 Ford # $84, /14/99 Chevrolet # $88, /17/02 Ford # $656,687 Totals/Avg $1,835,

8 Ward Burton 2002 champion Ward Burton captured the 2002 after a series of wild events. During the ninth and final caution of the day on Lap 195, a red flag was also display during which race leader and two-time champion Sterling Marlin inexplicably got out of his car and tried to bend a crumpled fender back into shape. Repairs aren t allowed during red flags and Marlin was sent to the rear of the field on the restart. Burton inherited the lead and proceeded to out-race everyone to the finish giving Dodge its first victory since ON WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 This is where big dreams have come true for a lot of people and a lot of dreams have been broken here when it comes to NASCAR racing. This is holy ground when it comes to NASCAR racing. A win in the is something that nothing else will ever top. FAVORITE OR FIRST DAYTONA 500 MEMORY? A moment that sticks out in my mind about the 500 that nobody else would think about was when my dad brought us down here to watch the race. I was about 10 years old. I was a big Bobby Allison fan. He had the Coca-Cola car. Every time the guard that was manning the big fence on the frontstretch would leave I would run up to the fence and get right up to the fence and be as close as I could when the cars came by. He finally made me get up higher in the stands. He didn t like that a whole lot. 1 02/19/95 Chevrolet # $45, /18/96 Pontiac # $54, /16/97 Pontiac # $82, /15/98 Pontiac # $98, /14/99 Pontiac # $111, /20/00 Pontiac # $166, /18/01 Dodge # $165, /17/02 Dodge # $1,409,017 *9 02/16/03 Dodge # $203, /15/04 Chevrolet # $218,912 Totals/Avg $2,556,223 *Rain Shortened Event 478

9 Derrike Cope 1990 champion In one of the greatest upset victories in NASCAR history, Washington native Derrike Cope passed Dale Earnhardt on the last lap in Turn 3 to win the 1990 after Earnhardt ran over a piece of bell housing. It was Cope s third start and he became the fourth driver in history to earn his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in The Great American Race. ON EARNHARDT BLOWING HIS TIRE To drive off into Turn 3 and see something happening to his right rear tire, you kind of thought we were probably going to wreck when the car turned sideways. It really had the look of the Days of Thunder slow mo when the car turns sideways. When I got to him, he just masterfully saved the race car. The car just turned right and wiggled up the race track. Anybody else would have probably put that thing into the fence. At that point, I knew that (Terry) Labonte and (Bill) Elliott didn t have anything for me. They tried me two or three laps earlier. They couldn t do it together. I knew I had won it. The cool down lap was about reflecting to my father what we accomplished to get to this point. A lot of naysayer s said we would never amount to anything. Certainly my father and I amounted something that day. 1 02/15/87 Ford # $10, /14/88 Ford # $15, /18/90 Chevrolet # $188, /17/91 Chevrolet # $28, /16/92 Chevrolet # $23, /14/93 Ford # $29, /20/94 Ford # $36, /19/95 Ford # $35, /18/96 Ford # $43, /16/97 Pontiac # $50, /15/98 Pontiac # $80, /14/99 Pontiac # $110, /20/00 Ford # $82, /15/04 Dodge # $207,962 Totals/Avg $942,

10 Dale Earnhardt 1998 champion Dale Earnhardt is the all-time winning driver at Daytona International Speedway with 34 victories but the always eluded him. The driver of the famous black No. 3 Chevrolet captured his lone victory in 1998 on his 20th career start in The Great American Race. With the gift of a lucky penny from a young fan glued to his dashboard, Earnhardt led 107 laps, including the final 61, on his way to the Harley J. Earl. Earnhardt s Gatorade Victory Lane celebration was delayed by the scores of crew members that lined pit road to congratulate the new champion. A statue honors him outside the Daytona International Speedway ticket office DAYTONA 500 VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW The is ours. We won it, we won it, we won it. 1 02/18/79 Buick # $22, /17/80 Oldsmobile # $36, /15/81 Pontiac # $37, /14/82 Ford # $14, /20/83 Ford # $37, /19/84 Chevrolet # $81, /17/85 Chevrolet # $17, /16/86 Chevrolet # $61, /15/87 Chevrolet # $64, /14/88 Chevrolet # $52, /19/89 Chevrolet # $95, /18/90 Chevrolet # $109, /17/91 Chevrolet # $113, /16/92 Chevrolet # $87, /14/93 Chevrolet # $181, /20/94 Chevrolet # $110, /19/95 Chevrolet # $212, /18/96 Chevrolet # $215, /16/97 Chevrolet # $72, /15/98 Chevrolet # $1,059, /14/99 Chevrolet # $613, /20/00 Chevrolet # $116, /18/01 Chevrolet # $194,111 Totals/Avg $3,607,

11 Dale Earnhardt Jr champion While his legendary father Dale Earnhardt needed 20 starts to win the, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first Great American Race in 2004 on his fifth career start. With President George W. Bush in attendance, Earnhardt Jr., who already won a Budweiser Duel earlier in the week, used a textbook drafting pass late in the race to slip past Tony Stewart to win the. Earnhardt Jr. didn t get a whole lot of time to celebrate as he competed in the rain-delayed Nationwide Series race on Monday where he earned his third trip to Gatorade Victory Lane during Budweiser Speedweeks. ON WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 I m just real excited to have won this race. It s really hard to win it. Some of our greatest competitors come in and out of this sport without taking this trophy home. I m glad I can say I ve accomplished it and I can put the ongoing strive to win it behind me because we really wanted to win it so bad. 1 02/20/00 Chevrolet # $107, /18/01 Chevrolet # $975, /17/02 Chevrolet # $177,937 *4 02/16/03 Chevrolet # $243, /15/04 Chevrolet # $1,495, /20/05 Chevrolet # $828, /19/06 Chevrolet # $377, /18/07 Chevrolet # $315, /17/08 Chevrolet # $352,920 *10 02/15/09 Chevrolet # $291, /14/10 Chevrolet # $1,096, /20/11 Chevrolet # $350, /26/12 Chevrolet # $1,102,175 Totals/Avg $7,716,421 *Rain Shortened Event 481

12 Bill Elliott Two-time champion (1985 and 1987) Nicknamed Awesome Bill, Elliott won the for Melling Racing in 1985 and 1987 driving the No. 9 Coors Light Ford. Elliott also holds a record that will probably never be broken fastest qualifying lap. In 1987, Elliott won the pole with a fast lap of mph, a year before restrictor plates were implemented in NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway. ON THE 1987 QUALIFYING LAP OF mph Oh my God, you were out of control. I keep telling people that when I left pit road that day, I didn t think I was coming back. I knew the car was good. I knew if I could hold it onto the floor, it would run well. We all didn t realize it would run that well. 1 02/19/78 Mercury # $11, /17/80 Mercury # $12, /15/81 Ford # $30, /14/82 Ford # $36, /20/83 Ford # $66, /19/84 Ford # $58, /17/85 Ford # $185, /16/86 Ford # $56, /15/87 Ford # $204, /14/88 Ford # $31, /19/89 Ford # $24, /18/90 Ford # $114, /17/91 Ford # $28, /16/92 Ford # $60, /14/93 Ford # $52, /20/94 Ford # $65, /19/95 Ford # $42, /18/96 Ford # $78, /16/97 Ford # $133, /15/98 Ford # $129, /14/99 Ford # $107, /20/00 Ford # $526, /18/01 Dodge # $392, /17/02 Dodge # $195,268 *25 02/16/03 Dodge # $211, /19/06 Chevrolet # $257,758 *27 02/15/09 Ford # $288, /14/10 Ford # $270, /20/11 Chevrolet # $312,171 Totals/Avg $3,982,424 *Rain Shortened Event 482

13 A.J. Foyt 1972 champion A.J. Foyt won the 1972 with the Wood Brothers Racing in dominating fashion leading 167 laps of the 200. The four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 was named one of NASCAR s 50 greatest drivers in 1998 and was named co-driver of the Century by the Associated Press in HOW IMPORTANT WAS YOUR DAYTONA 500 VICTORY TO YOUR CAREER? Naturally, it stacks up as one of the top priority races that I ve won because there are a lot people that should ve won this race a lot more than they did including the late great Dale Earnhardt. Look how many times he led it to right to the last minute and lost. If it s your day, you can win it. If it s not, I don t care who you are. Let s face it, he should ve won this thing seven or eight or nine times. He won it just one time. It s hard to believe but that s the way the ball bounces. 1 02/24/63 Pontiac # $ /23/64 Ford # N/A 3 02/25/66 Ford # $1, /26/67 Ford # N/A 5 02/25/68 Ford # $2, /23/69 Ford # $5, /22/70 Ford # $1, /14/71 Mercury # $19, /20/72 Mercury # $21, /18/73 Chevrolet # $7, /17/74 Chevrolet # $6, /16/75 Chevrolet # $6, /15/76 Chevrolet # $4, /20/77 Chevrolet # $13, /19/78 Buick # $12, /18/79 Oldsmobile # $38, /17/80 Oldsmobile # $3, /15/81 Oldsmobile # $3, /14/82 Oldsmobile # $8, /20/83 Chevrolet # $20, /19/84 Oldsmobile # $5, /17/85 Oldsmobile # $10, /16/86 Oldsmobile # $11, /15/87 Oldsmobile # $7, /14/88 Oldsmobile # $11, /19/89 Oldsmobile # $11, /18/90 Oldsmobile # $18, /16/92 Oldsmobile # $23,055 Totals/Avg $275,

14 Jeff Gordon Three-time champion (1997, 1999 and 2005) In the first of Jeff Gordon s three wins in 1997, Gordon became the youngest Daytona 500 winner, but he was more overjoyed for delivering a victory in The Great American Race to his car owner Rick Hendrick, who was back in North Carolina battling leukemia. Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven slipped past Bill Elliott in the final laps of the race to deliver the ailing car owner a finish. After taking a cell phone call from Hendrick in Gatorade Victory Lane, Gordon received a champagne soaking from his teammates Labonte and Craven. ON WINNING HIS THIRD DAYTONA 500 It s the ultimate race. There s just no better place to win at than Daytona. You know the sport s getting more competitive. It s getting bigger and it s just one of those races if you can pick one, this is the one you want to win. I appreciate this one more than I ever have before because I ve just been in the sport longer. I understand how difficult it is to win these races. I think I recognize more than I ever have how prestigious this event is. ON WHICH DAYTONA 500, OTHER THAN THE RACES HE WON, WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE The first one. The first year that I came here in the Cup car. We won the (Duel) 125 as a rookie, we were battling up front there with Dale Earnhardt at the end of the race and I just remember it being a very surreal moment where five or ten (laps) to go and I was running somewhere in the topfive and I was looking around going, Oh my God, I can t believe that I m part of this right now. At the time I was like, I might have a shot to win this thing, even though realistically I never had a shot at winning it, but I was just happy just to be there in that lead group, going to the finish, watching them battle it out was pretty cool. 1 02/14/93 Chevrolet # $111, /20/94 Chevrolet # $112, /19/95 Chevrolet # $67, /18/96 Chevrolet # $59, /16/97 Chevrolet # $377, /15/98 Chevrolet # $115, /14/99 Chevrolet # $1,172, /20/00 Chevrolet # $106, /18/01 Chevrolet # $166, /17/02 Chevrolet # $274,063 *11 02/16/03 Chevrolet # $238, /15/04 Chevrolet # $318, /20/05 Chevrolet # $1,497, /19/06 Chevrolet # $334, /18/07 Chevrolet # $371, /17/08 Chevrolet # $319,599 *17 02/15/09 Chevrolet # $356, /14/10 Chevrolet # $318, /20/11 Chevrolet # $316, /26/12 Chevrolet # $317,549 Totals/Avg $6,951,930 *Rain Shortened Event 484

15 Pete Hamilton 1970 champion Driving a second Petty Enterprises Plymouth SuperBird, Hamilton survived a fierce late-race battle with David Pearson to win the A big difference maker in the victory was taking four tires on his last pit stop while Pearson only took two. GATORADE VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW I was having my misgivings when I was called in on the next yellow after Richard (Petty, his car owner) went out. But he just leaned in the window and yelled, Go get em, kid. It s all yours. But I think he would have had to pry me out of that SuperBird with a crowbar! 1 02/23/69 Dodge # $1, /22/70 Plymouth # $44, /14/71 Plymouth # $2, /18/73 Plymouth # $2,000 Totals/Avg $50,785 Kevin Harvick 2007 champion Kevin Harvick nipped Mark Martin at the start/finish line to capture the Harvick beat Martin by.020 seconds, the closest in finish since the advent of computer scoring in Harvick s victory was Richard Childress Racing s first win since Dale Earnhardt in Harvick, who started 34th and led only four laps in the race, became the fifth driver to win both the and the DRIVE4COPD NASCAR Nationwide Series race in the same year. ON THE IMPACT OF WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 It s hard to explain the magnitude of the. It was something I really didn t understand I think until I won the race, just knowing the difference between the and winning a race. It s a huge mark on your resume. To be a part of everything that has gone on has been fun to be part of. It s something that we ve all enjoyed. Hopefully we get to do it again. 1 02/17/02 Chevrolet # $192,888 *2 02/16/03 Chevrolet # $569, /15/04 Chevrolet # $610, /20/05 Chevrolet # $288, /19/06 Chevrolet # $302, /18/07 Chevrolet # $1,510, /17/08 Chevrolet # $322,224 *8 02/15/09 Chevrolet # $1,115, /14/10 Chevrolet # $421, /20/11 Chevrolet # $328, /26/12 Chevrolet # $415,261 Totals/Avg $6,078,776 *Rain Shortened Event 485

16 Ernie Irvan 1991 champion Ernie Irvan pulled off his biggest victory of his NASCAR career when he won the 1991 Daytona 500. The California driver made a late-race pass on Dale Earnhardt to take the lead. On Lap 197, Earnhardt and Davey Allison crashed forcing the race to end under the caution. But the race wasn t over for Irvan, who was afraid he was running out of gas. In order to squeeze out as much fuel as possible under caution, Irvan drove on the apron of the track and manage to make it to the checkered flag. ON WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 I think I won the one I needed to win. 1 02/19/89 Pontiac # $9, /18/90 Ford # $31, /17/91 Chevrolet # $233, /16/92 Chevrolet # $43, /14/93 Chevrolet # $40, /20/94 Ford # $190, /18/96 Ford # $85, /16/97 Ford # $72, /15/98 Pontiac # $205, /14/99 Pontiac # $123,584 Totals/Avg $1,035,

17 Dale Jarrett Three-time champion (1993, 1996 and 2000) Dale Jarrett is a three-time champion and will be making his 20th and final Daytona 500 start in the 50th running of the. He has one win with Joe Gibbs Racing and two triumphs with Robert Yates Racing. His father Ned, a former racer, called the finish for CBS Sports for all of Jarrett s victories. ON HIS MOST MEMORABLE DAYTONA 500 MOMENT In 1976, with Petty and Pearson coming off of (Turn) 4, that s the number one for me. They don t get any more exciting than that. The top two drivers that was just incredible. To have that finish, it was just a great racing moment to me. That s what the is about doing everything that you can to win and having it come down to literally the last 300 yards of the race with two drivers that have won this race multiple times, and it was just an incredible finish. 1 02/14/88 Buick # $18, /19/89 Pontiac # $15, /17/91 Ford # $74, /16/92 Chevrolet # $19, /14/93 Chevrolet # $238, /20/94 Chevrolet # $38, /19/95 Ford # $119, /18/96 Ford # $360, /16/97 Ford # $70, /15/98 Ford # $111, /14/99 Ford # $121, /20/00 Ford # $1,277, /18/01 Ford # $167, /17/02 Ford # $183,337 *15 02/16/03 Ford # $256, /15/04 Ford # $279, /20/05 Ford # $307, /19/06 Ford # $326, /18/07 Toyota # $259, /17/08 Toyota # $277,213 Totals/Avg $4,525,091 *Rain Shortened Event 487

18 Jimmie Johnson 2006 champion Jimmie Johnson outlasted a green-white-checkered finish to win the On the final lap, Ryan Newman, running second, pulled out of line and made an attempt to pass Johnson on the backstretch. But Newman didn t have any drafting help and ended up in a battle for secondplace honors with Casey Mears and that allowed Johnson to drive away to victory. Johnson won the without his crew chief Chad Knaus, who was sent home by NASCAR following qualifying the previous weekend for rules violations in post-qualifying technical inspection. Darian Grubb served as interim crew chief for Johnson and rallied the No. 48 team to victory. ON WINNING THE 2006 DAYTONA 500 It s amazing to be in this position to win this race and how big this is for my career. I think over the next couple of days and really over the next few years, it will really sink in what this race means to me and how big it is and what it means for my career. 1 02/17/02 Chevrolet # $162,962 *2 02/16/03 Chevrolet # $707, /15/04 Chevrolet # $472, /20/05 Chevrolet # $533, /19/06 Chevrolet # $1,505, /18/07 Chevrolet # $298, /17/08 Chevrolet # $329,606 *8 02/15/09 Chevrolet # $336, /14/10 Chevrolet # $351, /30/11 Chevrolet # $329, /26/12 Chevrolet # $327,149 Totals/Avg $5,354,677 *Rain Shortened Event Robert Glen (Junior) Johnson 1960 champion Junior Johnson, a 28-year-old moonshiner and race car driver from Wilkes County, N.C., captured the 1960 with crew chief Ray Fox and owner John Masoni in a last-minute deal. Masoni had Ray Fox put together a car in seven days and Fox lured Johnson as the driver. Johnson was drafting Bobby Johns late in the race when coming off of Turn 2 on Lap 191, Johns car was hit with a gust of win. The air pressure popped out the rear window and put Johns into a spin. Johnson would go on to win the by a marign of 23 seconds ahead of Johnson. 488

19 ON WINNING THE 1960 DAYTONA 500 When I found out about the draft, it was a big advantage because I could run 20 mph faster. My car wouldn t even run by itself. It was a big moment in my career. Winning Daytona, that s the cream of the crop. If you don t win that in NASCAR, you did not have a good career. 1 02/22/59 Ford # $ /14/60 Chevrolet # $19, /26/61 Pontiac # $ /18/62 Pontiac # $ /24/63 Chevrolet # $1, /23/64 Dodge # $1, /14/65 Ford # $1,110 Totals/Avg $24,910 Matt Kenseth Two-time champion (2009, 2012) Matt Kenseth drove his No. 17 DeWalt Ford from the 39th starting position to earn his first Daytona 500 victory in Kenseth s starting position was the lowest ever by a winner and the first time Ford had won the since Kenseth, who pushed Kevin Harvick to his Daytona 500 win in 2007, had the favor returned as Harvick pushed him past then-leader Elliott Sadler on Lap 146. Caution came out the next lap for an accident and the race was halted for rain on Lap 152. Shortly after, the race was called, and Kenseth was declared the winner and owner Jack Roush celebrated his first win. In 2012, Kenseth captured his second, which was postponed due to weather conditions for the first time in history. The race was held under the lights on a Monday evening and became NASCAR s first ever weeknight primetime race. A red flag on lap 160 put the race to a halt after Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer in Turn 3 under caution. Kenseth then held off Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle to win the race, which finally concluded around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning. ON WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 It s pretty unbelievable to be able to sit here and be able to actually (race) in the, much less win one. It s just a dream come true. 1 02/20/00 Ford # $182, /18/01 Ford # $136, /17/02 Ford # $147,662 *4 02/16/03 Ford # $200, /15/04 Ford # $307, /20/05 Ford # $292, /19/06 Ford # $302, /18/07 Ford # $309, /17/08 Ford # $308,129 *10 02/15/09 Ford # $1,530, /14/10 Ford # $375, /20/11 Ford # $315, /26/12 Ford # $1,589,387 Totals/Avg $5,998,

20 Fred Lorenzen 1965 champion Nicknamed The Golden Boy, Fred Lorenzen, driving for Holman-Moody, won the first rain shortened in Just before the rain hit the speed, Lorenzen was in a tight battle for the lead with Marvin Panch. As Panch and Lorenzen battled off of Turn 2, they made contact and Panch spun down the backstretch. The race was declared official after 133 laps. GATORADE VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW I just never thought I could do it. This is the one I always wanted all my life. 1 02/14/60 Ford # $1, /26/61 Ford # $3, /18/62 Ford # $2, /24/63 Ford # $15, /23/64 Ford # $ /14/65 Ford # $27, /27/66 Ford # $4, /26/67 Ford # $15, /14/71 Plymouth # $3,825 Totals/Avg $75,

21 DeWayne (Tiny) Lund 1963 champion Before the 1963, DeWayne L. Tiny Lund, didn t even have a ride for The Great American Race. But a heroic action not only earned him a ride but also a victory. Ten days before the, Marvin Panch suffered severe burns when he crashed a sports car during testing for the 250-mile American Challenge Cup race. Among the first to arrive on the scene was Tiny Lund, who helped Panch escape from the burning car. Panch, who was unable to race in the, recommended to the Wood Brothers that Lund be his replacement. The Wood Brothers ended up tapping Lund as Panch s substitute and Lund went on to captured the and was also awarded the Carnegie Medal of Heroism. OWNER LEONARD WOOD ON THE 1963 DAYTONA 500 VICTORY WITH TINY LUND The first one that we won is probably one of the most exciting ones. You re down there for four weeks so are current driver Marvin Panch had qualified the car. Somebody wanted him to driver a sports car. He came down the backstretch and backed off of it and it got loose and got away from and caught fire. Tiny Lund (and a few others) was coming through the tunnel and saw this thing burning upside down. They picked the car up and dragged Marvin out. Of course Tiny gets in and wins the race. It s sort of a Cinderella story. It was very exciting and emotional at the same time. 1 02/22/59 Chevrolet # $ /14/60 Oldsmobile # $ /24/63 Ford # $24, /23/64 Ford # $1, /14/65 Ford # $1, /26/67 Plymouth # $6, /25/68 Mercury # $2, /22/70 Dodge # $1, /14/71 Dodge # $1, /18/73 Chevrolet # $1,510 Totals/Avg $40,

22 Sterling Marlin Two-time champion (1994 and 1995) In 278 races, Sterling Marlin never visited Gatorade Victory Lane. But beginning in 1994, Marlin was suddenly a permanent fixture in Gatorade Victory Lane at Daytona. The son of Coo Coo Marlin and a native of Tennessee, Sterling Marlin became the third driver to win back-to-back s driving the No. 4 Chevrolet for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. In the 1994 Daytona 500, Marlin became the fifth driver to make the his first victory with some cleaver pit strategy. In the 1995, Marlin made his Chevrolet as wide as he could to hold off Dale Earnhardt. ON WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 IN 1994 It was a relief to me to get the monkey off of my back. We had run second a lot and I had run second here in races a lot. Finally coming off of Turn 4, it was like, Thank God, don t run out of gas, nothing happens, we got it. It was great to see the checkered flag in the hand. 1 02/17/80 Chevrolet # $17, /20/83 Chevrolet # $6, /19/84 Chevrolet # $15, /17/85 Chevrolet # $16, /16/86 Chevrolet # $37, /15/87 Oldsmobile # $16, /14/88 Oldsmobile # $43, /19/89 Oldsmobile # $47, /18/90 Oldsmobile # $26, /17/91 Ford # $133, /16/92 Ford # $34, /14/93 Ford # $54, /20/94 Chevrolet # $258, /19/95 Chevrolet # $300, /18/96 Chevrolet # $70, /16/97 Chevrolet # $121, /15/98 Chevrolet # $122, /14/99 Chevrolet # $100, /20/00 Chevrolet # $104, /18/01 Dodge # $262, /17/02 Dodge # $255,879 *22 02/16/03 Dodge # $229, /15/04 Dodge # $254, /20/05 Dodge # $341, /19/06 Chevrolet # $248, /18/07 Chevrolet # $280,641 Totals/Avg $3,399,163 *Rain Shortened Event 492

23 Jamie McMurray 2010 champion Driving for owner Chip Ganassi, McMurray survived a green-white-checkered finish and a hardcharging Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the. McMurray led only the final two laps of the race - the fewest by a champion. The race showcased a record 21 different leaders who exchanged the lead 52 times. ON HIS FAVORITE MEMORY FROM HIS DAYTONA 500 VICTORY The thing that I m going to remember is getting out of the car and running up and grabbing the flag and then running back down and seeing the Daytona (painted) in the infield (grass) and seeing. I don t think I ll ever forget that. That s the memory I have burned in my head right now of the 500; that s something I ll never forget. (NSCS) *1 02/16/03 Dodge # $171, /15/04 Dodge # $224, /20/05 Dodge # $257, /19/06 Ford # $287, /18/07 Ford # $265, /17/08 Ford # $276,888 *7 02/15/09 Ford # $274, /14/10 Chevrolet # $1,508, /20/11 Chevrolet # $321, /26/12 Chevrolet # $318,608 Totals/Avg $3,905,346 *Rain Shortened Event 493

24 Ryan Newman 2008 champion Ryan Newman and the No. 12 alltel Dodge team gave owner Roger Penske his win in the 50th running of "The Great American Race." On the last lap on the backstretch, Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch pushed Newman to victory past fellow Indiana native Tony Stewart. Busch took second while Stewart settled for third place. ON WINNING THE 50TH RUNNING OF THE DAYTONA 500 I don t have the words. It s probably one of the most awesome things that s ever happened to me. To understand all the history of NASCAR, of racing in general, to be looking face to face with all the (previous winners at the driver s meeting) the greats that were on stage up there and now to be part of one of those guys and part of that team, it s just awesome. (NSCS) 1 02/17/02 Ford # $253,587 *2 02/16/03 Dodge # $195, /15/04 Dodge # $255, /20/05 Dodge # $306, /19/06 Dodge # $796, /18/07 Dodge # $283, /17/08 Dodge # $1,506,045 *8 02/15/09 Chevrolet # $295, /14/10 Chevrolet # $295, /20/11 Chevrolet # $321, /26/12 Chevrolet # $336,221 Totals/Avg $4,843,789 *Rain Shortened Event 494

25 Marvin Panch 1961 champion Marvin Panch, who was running third late in the 1961, won The Great American Race when second place Banjo Matthews spun out after blowing an engine with 18 laps to go and then leader Fireball Roberts also blew an engine with 13 laps to go. Panch finished 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Joe Weatherly with an average speed of mph, which set a world record for 500 miles. Panch used his winning to purchase a home in the Daytona Beach area. ON BUYING A HOUSE IN DAYTONA BEACH WITH HIS WINNINGS FROM THE DAYTONA 500 I bought a farm. We still have it. My daughter lives on it now and if I m nice to her she ll let me park my motor home out there. I come down to Daytona Beach in the winter time and I go to North Carolina in the summertime. ON WHERE HE HAS HIS DAYTONA 500 TROPHY I still have the big trophy. It s in (my daughter s) little museum that she s got out at the house. 1 02/22/59 Ford # $ /14/60 Ford # $ /26/61 Pontiac # $21, /18/62 Dodge # $ /23/64 Ford # $4, /14/65 Ford # $2, /27/66 Ford # $1,820 Totals/Avg $31,

26 Benny Parsons 1975 champion Leading only four laps, Benny Parsons won the 1975 driving the No. 72 King s Row Chevrolet for L.G. DeWitt. To capture his win, Parsons used some late-race drafting help from the lapped car of Richard Petty and the leader David Pearson spun out on Lap 197 after making contact with the lapped car of Cale Yarborough. GATORADE VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW This is it. This is the biggest day of my life better than winning the 1973 Winston Cup championship. 1 02/23/69 Ford # $2, /22/70 Ford # $1, /14/71 Ford # $1, /20/72 Mercury # $6, /18/73 Chevrolet # $1, /17/74 Chevrolet # $4, /16/75 Chevrolet # $40, /15/76 Chevrolet # $23, /10/77 Chevrolet # $30, /19/78 Oldsmobile # $26, /18/79 Oldsmobile # $10, /17/80 Oldsmobile # $32, /15/81 Ford # $13, /14/82 Pontiac # $21, /20/83 Buick # $5, /19/84 Chevrolet # $10, /17/85 Chevrolet # $14, /16/86 Oldsmobile # $47, /15/87 Chevrolet # $122, /14/88 Ford # $13,390 Totals/Avg $432,

27 David Pearson 1976 champion David Pearson won the 1976 in one of the most memorable and landmark finishes in NASCAR history. In a last lap battle with Richard Petty, Pearson and Petty crashed exiting Turn 4. When both cars came to rest in the tri-oval grass, they still had not crossed the start/finish line. Petty s radiator was pushed back into the fan on the front of the engine and the car wouldn t restart. But Pearson dumped the clutch and kept the car in neutral keeping it from stalling. Pearson straightened out his damaged machine and slowly crossed the start/finish line to capture the only victory of his career. The finish has become the iconic image of the Petty-Pearson rivalry. DAVID PEARSON ON THE 1976 FINISH You can t hardly be interviewed now without that race being brought up. RICHARD PETTY ON THE 1976 FINISH More people know about that race more than the seven I won. 1 02/14/60 Chevrolet # $ /26/61 Pontiac # $ /18/62 Pontiac # $2, /24/63 Dodge # $ /23/64 Dodge # $ /27/66 Dodge # $7, /26/67 Dodge # $4, /25/68 Ford # $4, /23/69 Ford # $5, /22/70 Ford # $17, /14/71 Mercury # $4, /18/73 Mercury # $1, /17/74 Mercury # $7, /16/75 Mercury # $13, /15/76 Mercury # $46, /20/77 Mercury # $5, /19/78 Mercury # $6, /18/79 Mercury # $3, /15/81 Chevrolet # $4, /20/83 Chevrolet # $25, /19/84 Chevrolet # $25, /17/85 Chevrolet # $19,270 Totals/Avg $208,

28 Lee Petty Inaugural 1959 champion It took 61 hours for Lee Petty to be declared the inaugural winner. Petty and Johnny Beauchamp were the only contenders for the victory as the race approached its conclusion. As Petty and Beauchamp exchanged the lead in the final laps of the race, Joe Weatherly, whose car was two laps down, was able to latch on to the leaders draft. On the final lap, when the leaders and Weatherly came off of Turn 4 to take the checkered flag, they were three wide with the lap car of Weatherly on the high side, Petty in the middle and Beauchamp at the bottom. Both Petty and Beauchamp drove to Victory Lane and Beauchamp was declared the unofficial winner. While Beauchamp was able to celebrate the win in Victory Lane after the race, Petty would actually be declared the winner 61 hours later after officials reviewed the still photos and newsreel footage. INTERVIEW AFTER BEING DECLARED WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL DAYTONA 500 Man, I d never have believed it myself that there could be a 500-mile race like this one. It was close. Too close. 1 02/22/59 Oldsmobile # $19, /14/60 Plymouth # $3,650 Totals/Avg $22,700 Richard Petty Seven-time (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979 and 1981) Richard Petty is the all-time leader in wins with seven. Known as The King, he is one of only three drivers to win back-to-back and is one of only two drivers to have won a in three different decades. Other records Petty holds include most laps led (781), most races led (20) and most laps led in a race (184) when he captured the 1964 Daytona 500. ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 When you win any of them, it s a great deal. I always looked at Daytona as it s been three of four months since we ran a Cup race. Everybody gets all enthused and it s the biggest thing going. If you win Daytona, you re a winner for the rest of the year, whether or not you show up the rest of the year. That was the significance of Daytona. I was fortunate as Daytona was growing up, and as NASCAR was growing up, Richard Petty was growing up. So we all grew up together. It was always a big deal for me but it s a big deal for anybody. At Daytona, you start out a winner and you are a winner all year long. 498

29 1 02/20/59 Oldsmobile # $ /14/60 Plymouth # $6, /28/62 Plymouth # $10, /24/63 Plymouth # $2, /23/64 Plymouth # $33, /27/66 Plymouth # $28, /26/67 Plymouth # $3, /25/68 Plymouth # $4, /23/69 Ford # $3, /22/70 Plymouth # $1, /14/71 Plymouth # $45, /20/72 Plymouth # $2, /18/73 Dodge # $33, /17/74 Dodge # $34, /16/75 Dodge # $9, /15/76 Dodge # $35, /20/77 Dodge # $9, /19/78 Dodge # $11, /18/79 Oldsmobile # $73, /17/80 Oldsmobile # $15, /15/81 Buick # $90, /14/82 Pontiac # $14, /20/83 Pontiac # $22, /19/84 Pontiac # $10, /17/85 Pontiac # $18, /16/86 Pontiac # $10, /15/87 Pontiac # $76, /14/88 Pontiac # $11, /19/89 Pontiac # $19, /18/90 Pontiac # $22, /17/91 Pontiac # $43, /16/92 Pontiac # $32,530 Totals/Avg $735,

30 Edward Glenn (Fireball) Roberts 1962 champion Glenn Fireball Roberts is the only winner of the born in Daytona Beach. Raised in Apopka, Florida, Roberts was a 33-race winner in NASCAR s top division. A great all-around athlete, Roberts nickname was actually derived from his legend as a baseball pitcher, but a promising career as a hurler was never more interesting to him than racing. Roberts always ran into bad luck in the until 1962, when he dominated the race in the No. 22 Pontiac leading 144 laps and winning by a margin of 27 seconds over Richard Petty. GATORADE VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW I just didn t know if I would make it. I really sweated out those last 10 laps. It s like a dream come true. I m just so happy I can t really believe it s happened. 1 02/22/59 Pontiac # $ /14/60 Pontiac # $ /26/61 Pontiac # $4, /18/62 Pontiac # $24, /24/63 Dodge # $ /23/64 Ford # $725 Totals/Avg $31,365 Darrell Waltrip 1989 champion The numbers finally aligned for Darrell Waltrip when he won his first and only in His car number was 17, his daughter Jessica was 17 months old and it was his 17th attempt at winning the. Waltrip and his crew chief Jeff Hammond played fuel strategy and squeezed out enough gas for a seven-second victory over Ken Schrader. GATORADE VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW I won the, I won the. Wait, wait, this is the isn t it? Don t tell me this isn t. 500