First woman to win a pole in the Daytona 500 and first woman to win a pole in a Cup race. By limiting this list to speeds since 2000, this throws out three of the fastest qualifying track records in NASCAR history. It was the largest field ever in a Daytona premier series race. 1. 46.528. Video: NASCAR fastest of the time, Ford Thunderbird, at Daytona 500, 1987 Clay Greenfield (191.432 mph) was fastest in the first practice session. The 500 mile race had no caution flags and as a result Mark Martin took the checkered flag with the fastest average speed of any NASCAR … The youngest pole-sitter in 500 history at the age of 20. The two drivers with the fastest laps in Q2 start first and second, respectively, in the Daytona 500. Bill Elliott's 210.364 MPH lap at Daytona in 1987. Even with the increased drag from the new aero pack, William Byron was able to score a lap averaging By the time she retired a decade later, in her mid-40s, she had won 48 racing trophies and set the record for the fastest run across the sand in Daytona Beach, Fla., reaching 150.376 mph in 1960. NASCAR drivers travel at extremely high speeds, over 200 miles per hour. Bill Elliott's 212.809 MPH lap at Talladega in 1987. Buddy Baker holds the record for the fastest winning speed at 177.602 mph in 1980. The International Race of Champions, a series that featured the best drivers from a variety of disciplines competing in identically prepared cars, raced at Daytona from 1975 to 2006. The knockout format was used for the first time at the Daytona 500, using the old restrictor plate qualifying format (three five-minute rounds, with the first round split evenly between cars, each having a five-minute round, top 24 advance to the second round, top 12 advancing to the final round). And the driver who won the most Firecracker 400s was Hall of Famer David Pearson (2011), who took the checkered flag on five different occasions: 1961, 1972, ’73, ’74 and ’78. Records are meant to be broken, or so the saying goes. Bill Elliott won the pole for the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega at 212.809 mph (44.998 seconds around a track that is 2.66 miles per lap.) Toyota. Making the story even more remarkable was that Allison’s son and fellow Hall of Famer Davey Allison (2019) finished second that day, making it the only father-son 1-2 in the race’s storied history. Johnson's rookie season, having run only three races in 2001. All Rights Reserved. The current fastest NASCAR Cup Series track is the Daytona Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. If you like fast cars and furious drivers, NASCAR’s Daytona 500 is the event for you. In 2019, William Byron had a lap average of 194.3 miles per hour in Daytona. The home of NASCAR’s biggest event was the last race in 2019 to feature the old restrictor plate. The fastest NASCAR race was the Winston Select 500, now known as the Aaron's 499, on May 10, 1997 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Son Richard Petty (2010) leads all drivers with seven wins in the Great American Race, while Pete Hamilton won the 1970 Daytona 500 in a Petty Enterprises Plymouth Superbird with Maurice Petty (2014) serving as crew chief. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It wasn’t as much about driving fast as it was about familiar territory. Driving for Wood Brothers Racing, the team founded by Hall of Famer Glen Wood (2012) and run with his brothers, including Leonard Wood (2013), Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500 one day after he turned 20 years old. Serious NASCAR fans know that Richard Petty (2010) holds the record for most Daytona 500 victories with seven. Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States.Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. Officials might not be done, either. After Bill Elliott set his lap qualifying record speed of 210.364 in 1987, en route to winning that Daytona 500, NASCAR went with restrictor plates the following year. An engine change between first qualifying practice and the qualifying race means the team must start in the back for that race only. Baker, who drove for Ranier Racing, set … He finished twenty-second. After Trevor Bayne’s upset win in the 2011 Daytona 500, Richard Petty (center) personally walked Leonard Wood to Victory Lane for the Wood Brothers Racing celebration. 1983: On his first of two qualifying laps. From 1959 through 1987, the Firecracker 400 at Daytona was always run on July 4th proper, no matter what day of the week the Independence Day holiday fell on. Second consecutive pole for Elliott and third consecutive for crew chief, This was the final time a restrictor plate was used, it was a 29/32 inch plate. The biggest race in NASCAR is the Daytona 500, which is the first race of the season and takes place in Florida. After the round was completed, the top 12 cars advance to Q2, where the drivers take one more timed lap. A look at the drivers with the best speed over 10 consecutive laps during Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices at Daytona International Speedway. That was the second-fastest average speed for the Great American Race. This was just 3 mph slower than Mario Andretti’s pole winning speed in the Indianapolis 500 that year. Soon after she began driving competitively in 1953, Ms. Wood became one of the first women to compete in NASCAR events. You’re perennially in the last situation, in which the car moves at a constant (a terminal) speed, which is the fastest speed you can get. Not fastest qualifier; Three-round Formula One-style group knockout qualifying used. Daytona now retains the number one spot. 2015: Starting with 2014 The Profit on CNBC 500 the next week at Phoenix, multiple-round knockout qualifying, used in many codes of motorsport, was implemented. Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt (2010) won six of the 26 IROC races at Daytona. Fastest Daytona 500 Ever Run Driving the iconic No. Granted, Bill Elliott had the fastest-ever speed there in qualifying for the 1987 Daytona 500 at 210.364 mph, but that was before the dawning of the age of restrictor plates. Pete Hamilton’s first big NASCAR victory came in the 1970 Daytona 500, where he drove a Petty Enterprises Plymouth Superbird. Tom is the Curatorial Affairs Manager of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a veteran of more than 20 years in the NASCAR media industry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytona_500_pole_position_winners , "Daytona Beach; Daytona International Speedway", "Bobby Allison recalls close call in '87 Talladega crash", "Intimidator no more so than in Duel qualifiers", "Daytona qualifying gets overhauled before Duel", "8: First, They Gotta Qualify: Second-round qualifying", "8: First, They Gotta Qualify: Sidebar: Daytona is different", "8: First, They Gotta Qualify: How the champion's provisionals got started", "There's a new beer sheriff in town -- Coors Brewing", "In 1959, first Daytona 500 changed city, sport forever", "Phantoms of the Wind Tunnel - 1971 Dodge And Plymouth Phantom Wing Cars", "Fireball Roberts: 1961 Season Statistics", "Fireball Roberts: 1962 Season Statistics", "Testing in the rear view, teams' focus: Speedweeks", "Amid the Silence, Rookie Allen Makes a Loud Noise at Daytona", "The Budweisier Shootout for 2004 and 2003 POLES", "Teamwork lifts Biffle to Daytona 500 pole position", "Bad Engine Costs Biffle; Earnhardt Now on Pole", "Fast lap leads Jeff Burton to Daytona 500 pole", "Johnson wins pole for Daytona 500; Waltrip also on front row", "Martin Truex Jr. Lands Daytona 500 Pole", http://www.miamiherald.com/625/story/1438593.html, http://www.nascar.com/news/110213/dearnhardtjr-wins-daytona-500-pole/index.html, http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/NASCAR-Budweiser-Shootout-no-change-to-restrictor-plates-021211, "Chase Elliott wins pole for Daytona 500", "Chase Elliott wins Daytona 500 pole for second straight year", http://the506.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1232064927/0, Mario Andretti becomes the only non American Daytona 500 winner, This One's For You (Hendrick podium sweep), Last lap Mayhem and Mark Martin's Heartbreak, Trevor Bayne becomes the youngest Daytona 500 winner, Monday Night Primetime and Exploding Jet Dryer, Danica Patrick becomes the first woman Cup polesitter and first woman to lead the Daytona 500, "For Dale": Austin Dillon Takes The #3 Back To Daytona Victory Lane, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Daytona_500_pole_position_winners&oldid=1022676718, NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway, Articles with dead external links from December 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Not fastest qualifier (see below); Entire lineup set by, Not fastest qualifier (see below); Won Daytona 500. 3 in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2001. Six drivers were faster than pole speed in Q1, and three drivers (including eventual pole winner. Daytona and Talladega are unique in that engine power is limited to about 450 hp. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing to top practice and then 189.577 in the qualifying session for the Daytona 500. Joey Logano topped the speed chart in the final practice session for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. The record for the highest speed recorded at the track was set by Bill Elliot in 1987 with an impressive speed … Bobby Johns finished second, 23 seconds behind Johnson, with Richard Petty (2010) third, one spot ahead of his father, Lee Petty (2011). 2016: Starting with the 2015 GEICO 500 at Talladega, one-lap single car qualifying was used on plate tracks. With the NASCAR season set to kick off with the Daytona 500 in February 14th, this week’s Top 10 List focuses on records set at Daytona International Speedway, a track that has delivered fantastic finishes, high drama and lots of excitement for more than six decades. 5. In practice, the Daytona, driven by Buddy Baker, became the first car to reach a NASCAR lap speed of 200 mph, a record held for 17 years. It was party time for Cale Yarborough and the crew from Junior Johnson & Associates after winning the 1976 Firecracker 400. Eight of those poles came in the July 4th Firecracker 400. Hall of Famer and family patriarch Lee Petty (2011) won the inaugural 500 in 1959. Record attempts in … Almost 30 years ago, in 1987, it was the car that reached 212.809 MPH (342.483 km/h) on Talladega Superspeedway, and in addition to that, Elliott’s speed of 210.364 MPH from 1987 is still the qualifying record at Daytona International Speedway. Petty Enterprises set the gold standard with nine Daytona 500 race victories. First time the No. Bubba Wallace posted the fastest time in first Daytona 500 practice, pacing the field with a speed of 199.75 MPH after running his 23XI Racing Toyota in a draft with four Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. The Daytona International Raceway is one of the most hallowed racetracks in the U.S. so its top speed record is pretty special in its own right. Photo courtesy of Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR. Daytona International Speedway was where drivers and teams made their marks on history with record-shattering runs. Two-time defending Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Kamui Kobayashi opened the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with the fastest lap Friday during the first day of testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. To purchase tickets, go to nascarhall.com/tickets. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images. 28 “Gray Ghost” Oldsmobile prepared by fellow Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductee Waddell Wilson, Buddy Baker won the 1980 Daytona 500 at an average speed of 177.602 mph. The Hall will host a Daytona 500 Race Viewing Party February 14. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is open Wednesday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wallace hit 199.747 mph in the No. 5. © 2021 Nascar Hall Of Fame. I know my setup isn't the best, but I decided to share it with all of you guys! Given that the Wood Brothers hadn’t won a race in nearly a decade and Bayne was making just his second premier series start, this was a huge upset. Daytona Beach, Fla., has been one of the world's great centers of speed for more than a century. For the Daytona 500, a team must race their qualifying race with the same engine they used to qualify. 0.100. According to ESPN, Talladega was “the fastest enclosed racetrack in the world” at the time. 2003: Starting with the 2002 Subway 400 at Rockingham (the race after the 2002 Daytona 500), teams were not permitted to change engines during the race week. Old guys rule: Hall of Famer Bobby Allison (2011) was 50 years old when he won the 1988 Daytona 500. NASCAR's Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series have used restrictor plates at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Super-speedway since then. Allen was the first rookie pole winner. Oldest Daytona 500 pole-sitter at age of 51. Baker, who drove for Ranier Racing, set the record despite five caution flags. This page was last edited on 11 May 2021, at 21:16. Baker’s iconic Gray Ghost is now on display in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Hall of Honor. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images. As is the case for a backup car after a crash, the respective column of cars moves up when the offending car is moved to the back. 9 Ford Thunderbird to a pole speed of 210.364 mph. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images. The engine is doing all it can. In the second running of the Daytona 500 in 1960, Hall of Famer Junior Johnson (2010) defeated a field of 68 drivers, including a dozen other Hall of Famers. That’s just the start of the records set at Daytona by “The King,” who also holds the marks for most points races won (10); most starts (74); top fives (28); top 10s (37) and top 20s (48). They accelerate so quickly that it takes them only around 3 to 3.5 seconds to go from zero to 60 mph. One of the most impressive Daytona records belongs to Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough (2012), who was the No. The pedals on the floor the whole way around. Malcolm Campbell, who had set a new record in his “Bluebird” of 272.46 at Daytona, broke the 300 mph barrier at Bonneville in September 1935. Denny Hamlin. Indianapolis 500 style two-round qualifying system used (all cars take one round, then top 12 cars take a second round for pole). In 1987, Bill Elliott set the mark for the fastest speed ever recorded in the history of NASCAR when he flew around Talladega Superspeedway and topped out at an impressive 212.808 mph during qualifying for the Winston 500. Buddy Baker and his Gray Ghost Oldsmobile set a Daytona 500 speed record that has stood for 41 years. NASCAR waved a yellow caution flag Sunday, taking steps to slow cars down a day after speeds topped 206 mph at Daytona International Speedway. 11. One of Dale Earnhardt’s six IROC victories at Daytona came in 1999, when he beat Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin to take the checkered flag. Driving the iconic No. This year’s pole therefore wasn’t that far off compared to 2018. 0.166. Yarborough won four Daytona races from the pole, including the 1968 Daytona 500 when he drove for Wood Brothers Racing. Geoffrey Bodine's 197.478 MPH lap at Atlanta in 1997. Hall of Famer Bill Elliott (2015) set the qualifying mark at Daytona in 1987, when he wheeled Harry Melling’s Coors-sponsored No. NASCAR has completed a two-day test at Daytona International Speedway with its Next Gen car earlier this week, focusing on hitting speed targets. Here's a look back at ten of the greatest stock cars ever to … IndyCar was once more popular than NASCAR, but NASCAR is now the most popular form of racing in America. 193.432. 3 car has gone to the pole in Daytona since 1996, and the first appearance for the No. Elliott went on to win the race, his second Daytona 500, at an average speed of 176.263 mph. The engine in the car for the Saturday practices before the Daytona 500 is the declared engine, with any engine change after the first Daytona 500 practice that occurs after the qualifying race will be penalized with the team being sent to the rear of the field. Join NASCAR.com's Backseat Drivers as they break down the bubble picture heading into the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. 28 “Gray Ghost” Oldsmobile prepared by fellow Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductee Waddell Wilson, Buddy Baker won the 1980 Daytona 500 at an average speed of 177.602 mph. This is the first Daytona 500 with the new engine rule. After the qualifying races, teams will be allowed one engine change before the start of the final Daytona 500 practices on the Saturday before the race. 1 qualifier in 13 points races at the 2.5-mile track. Founded in 1948 by Bill France, Sr., the series started on humble dirt tracks, but it now races in huge stadiums across the country.