Motorsports

Gold standard

By Brant James, Times Staff Writer
Published February 14, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH

It's a great enigma, this so-called "Great American Race."

It's not so much won, as outlasted, said Junior Johnson, who conquered its second installment in 1960. And luck plays a major part, says most everyone who has ever nudged a car onto the high banks of the vast, 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

But the fraternity of winners is exclusive. Most of NASCAR's legends eventually won (some, like Dale Earnhardt, wore it down before he died there in 2001), but relative unknowns also have claimed a prize their more accomplished peers were denied.

Here are some stories from the first 49 Daytona 500s, in the drivers' own words:

A.J. Foyt 1972

The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and one of the greatest racers ever led 167 of 200 laps to win for the Wood Brothers.

"It was probably one of the easiest races I ever won in my career, to be truthful. We were very, very fast from the word 'go' and we ran fast all day. All the pit stops were great, so you couldn't have had a better day. Usually those kind of races you never win, because something happens. Four or five times at Indy I was that way and didn't win the damned race. A couple of times I won it when I shouldn't have won it. Look at (Dale) Earnhardt, how many years he was so strong here, great, great, great and the one year (1990) he led every lap but went down in Turn 3 and had a damned flat."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2004

The famous son of the famous father claimed NASCAR's biggest prize for the only time three years after Dale Earnhardt Sr. died on the race's last lap.

"The week after, the trip to New York, all the things you do, the shows and the people that you meet and see, it sort of adds to not only the hype but the pressure of winning that race. The Daytona USA (car induction) the next day, albeit, in Daytona, it's kind of weird because all the teams and everybody's gone home, but you're sort of celebrating the win half removed from everybody you know, all your peers and everything. But that's when it really set in for me, when we were over to do Daytona USA the next day. We still hadn't raced the Busch race because it rained out Saturday, but that's when it really set in. I got excited there, initially crossing the finish line and all that, but that whole night I really didn't come to terms with it until the next day and I was just relieved. You think about being excited. ... But the main thing I got was relief. Relief to have won it."

Junior Johnson 1960

The former bootlegger discovered the draft and used that slipstream of air to tag behind the faster Pontiacs before wheeling his underpowered Chevrolet to victory in the second Daytona 500.

"I didn't know what it was, but I knew I had an advantage when I found it. I could stay with them all day long."

David Pearson 1976 & Richard Petty seven times

The legends dueled furiously on the final lap of the 1976 race, making contact in the final turn and sending both cars careening into the wall off the track. Pearson refired his car and chugged off the infield grass to the finish line as Petty's car languished a few hundred feet from the flag stand.

Pearson: "He hit me coming off (Turn) 4 down there and we both wrecked. I thought I was going to win coming off 3 over there, but he thought he was coming off 4."

Petty: "You're right."

Pete Hamilton 1970

A former Grand American driver, Hamilton was signed to drive as a teammate of legendary seven-time winner Richard Petty and stole the show, winning by three car lengths after leading just 13 laps.

"Winning that race for me in 1970 was just another race. I was driving the p--- out of the car, as hard as I could, and when the show was over, I was in front. The race became much more important as the years went by. Being young - I was 27 when I won the race - I didn't come into it with a lot of baggage - 'Oh, God, this is my 19th, 20th try and I really need to try and win this thing.' I was very lucky in that regard I didn't have to carry that, like a Darrell Waltrip. He carried that a long time. For me, I guess I kind of looked at it as, well, we were supposed to win. We got to load up next week, and in those days we went to Rockingham."

Kevin Harvick 2007

The field wrecked behind him and NASCAR allowed a drag race to the finish instead of issuing a caution with Mark Martin apparently slightly ahead, allowing Harvick to win by a miniscule 0.02 seconds over the long-suffering veteran.

"I knew when I got out of the car I wasn't going to be the good guy. But that's just the way it works. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. And unfortunately today - fortunately today was our day to win."

Marvin Panch 1961

Two years after his vicytory, Panch qualified the Wood Brothers car into the 1963 installment. The car won the race, but it was driven by Tiny Lund. Panch was nearly killed days before the race trying to set a closed-course speed record in a sports car.

"Bill Wimble, from Tampa, and Ernie Gahan were coming through the tunnel and they jumped the fence. Tiny Lund and a bunch of other fellows came running from the garage area. I airborned down the backstretch before I got into (Turn) 3 and it slid all the way through and landed by the tunnel. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. Glen Wood gave Tiny the ride, and he ended up winning the Daytona 500." Lund was killed racing at Talladega in 1975.

[Last modified February 13, 2008, 21:41:00]