The origins of the Daytona 200 began in 1932 when the Southeastern Motorcycle Dealers Association organized a 200-mile dirt track race held on the old Vanderbilt Cup course in Savannah, Georgia. Following a second Savannah race held in 1933, the 1934 event was moved to the Camp Foster Work Camp located on the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida. After the 1935 race, the event returned to Savannah in 1936.
Daytona Beach had been used by land speed record competitors since 1902. In an effort to boost the local economy, race promoter Bill France Sr. arranged for the Savannah 200 to be moved to the 3.2-mile (5.1 km) Daytona Beach Road Course in 1937. There were no races held between 1942 and 1946 due to wartime restrictions during the Second World War. In 1948, a new beach course was used because of urban developments along the beach forced the race organizers to move the event further south, towards Ponce Inlet. The new course length was increased from the previous 3.2 miles to 4.1-mile (6.6 km). By the mid-1950s, it became increasingly complicated to run the race on the beach course due to the rapid urban growth of the Daytona Beach area.
France looked for alternatives and negotiated with the city of Daytona Beach to purchase a site near the Daytona airport. He arranged financing and in 1957, construction began on the Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) paved, oval-shaped circuit with steep bankings. The track opened in 1959 and France convinced AMA officials to move the beach race to the Speedway in 1961. Competitors adapted to the new, paved track surface by switching from dirt track motorcycles to road racing motorcycles similar to those used in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
By the early 1970s, the Daytona 200 attracted the largest crowds of any AMA race and the event took on international prominence. The race became the centerpiece of what became known as Daytona Beach Bike Week, featuring motorcycle competitions besides road racing such as motocross and dirt track racing. In 1969 Yvon Duhamel riding a Yamaha TD3 became the first rider to lap the oval on a motorcycle in under one minute. Don Emde became the first competitor to win the Daytona 200 on a two stroke motorcycle when he won the 1972 event riding a Yamaha TR3. His victory marked the beginning of thirteen consecutive Yamaha victories at the Daytona 200 including nine consecutive victories by the dominant Yamaha TZ750. Emde's 1972 victory marked the first father and son winners of the Daytona 200 as his father, Floyd Emde won the 1948 Daytona 200 beach race on an Indian. In 1973, Jarno Saarinen became the first European rider to win the Daytona 200. The 1974 victory by Giacomo Agostini helped cement the Daytona 200's reputation as one of the world's most prestigious motorcycle races. In 1975, Johnny Cecotto rode from last place on the starting grid to finish the race in third place. The success of the Daytona 200 spawned imitations in Europe such as the Imola 200 and the Paul Ricard 200.
As motorcycle engine technology transitioned, a chicane was added in 1973 at the end of the Daytona back straight in an effort to slow the fastest bikes down. The dangers that motorcycle racers were exposed to was highlighted in 1975 when Barry Sheene crashed on the banked track at over 170 mph. Organizers eventually replaced the high powered two stroke Grand Prix motorcycles with the Superbike Production class in 1985. The loss of Grand Prix machinery meant that fewer international competitors were interested in entering the race. By the late 1990s, even the production based Superbikes were overheating the tires on the banking. To keep Superbikes in the Daytona 200, the West Banking was eliminated. A compromise was reached after the 2004 season reducing the size and power of the bikes by going to a Supersport-based class (known as "AMA Formula Xtreme"), and putting both bankings back into the race course. In 2009, the Supersport class for this was renamed AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike Championship.
The race was cancelled in 2020 for the first time since World War II because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 race saw a thrilling finish line victory by American Brandon Paasch. For the 2022 edition, MotoAmerica replaced ASRA as the sanctioning body. The race will become a full championship round in 2026 with Supersport as the featured class that weekend. Scott Russell and Miguel Duhamel are tied for most Daytona 200 wins at five each. Russell, known by the nickname "Mr. Daytona," won all his Daytona races in the Superbike class. Duhamel's fifth victory came in the Supersport-based classes beginning in 2005.
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