The 1959 Daytona 500 was the first race held at Daytona International Speedway, built by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. to succeed the old Daytona Beach and Road Course. The speedway was a 2.5-mile tri-oval superspeedway, and the new facility's inaugural showcase was immediately anticipated as a landmark event. A field of 59 cars — including 20 convertibles — started the 200-lap race in front of 41,921 spectators, and the event ran without a single caution period, one of only a handful of Daytona 500s ever to do so.
Qualifying pace-setter Cotton Owens posted a lap at 143.198 mph. Pole sitter Bob Welborn, who had won a 100-mile Grand National qualifying race, led the early laps before retiring on lap 75 with engine failure. Early leaders also included Tom Pistone and Joe Weatherly. Fireball Roberts, a pre-race favorite, took command on lap 23 but dropped out on lap 57 with a broken fuel pump. From roughly lap 43 onward, the front of the field oscillated between Pistone, Jack Smith, and Beauchamp. Both Pistone and Smith fell out of contention by lap 149, at which point Beauchamp assumed the lead.
Lee Petty, who had spent much of the race among the contenders, moved to the front during the final 30 laps. He took the lead with three laps remaining and led at the start of the last lap. Over the closing miles, Petty and Beauchamp ran side by side and crossed the finish line essentially together in a photo finish.
NASCAR officials on the line initially declared Beauchamp the unofficial winner, and he drove to victory lane. Petty immediately protested. "I had Beauchamp by a good two feet," Petty said. "In my own mind, I know I won." Beauchamp maintained the opposite: "I glanced over to Lee Petty's car as I crossed the finish line and I could see his headlight slightly back of my car." Early race leader Fireball Roberts, watching from the finish line, said flatly: "There's no doubt about it, Petty won."
NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. declined to issue an official ruling on the spot. Over the following three days, France and his officials reviewed photographs and newsreel footage submitted from multiple sources. On the Wednesday following the Sunday race, Petty was formally declared the winner. His average speed for the race was 135.521 mph over a race lasting 3 hours, 41 minutes, and 22 seconds.
The three-day wait for an official result, while born of necessity, proved to be a stroke of fortune for the sport. NASCAR and the Daytona 500 remained on the front pages of American newspapers throughout the review period, generating national coverage that the sport had never previously commanded. The finish is widely cited as an early turning point in NASCAR's rise from a regional southeastern curiosity toward a mainstream American sport. The race also marked the debut of Richard Petty, who retired early with engine problems but would go on to become the most decorated driver in NASCAR history; his father Lee's victory here was one of the defining moments of his own championship career.
Gallery · 4 related images
