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2nd Daytona 500: Junior Johnson survives a 37 car crash on Turn 4 to win driving a John Masoni owned Chevrolet

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three held in Florida, with the annual spring showdown Straight Talk Wireless 400 being held at Homestead south of Miami. From 1988 to 2019, it was one of the four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. The inaugural Daytona 500 was held in 1959 coinciding with the opening of the speedway and since 1982, it has been the season-opening race of the Cup series.

The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse.

Historical Significance

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Events Before

  1. Johnny Cash performs the first of many free concerts behind bars at San Quentin State Prison in California

    Johnny Cash performs the first of many free concerts behind bars at San Quentin State Prison in California

  2. Chad becomes an autonomous republic in the French Community

    The French Community (French: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in October 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of…

  3. USSR's Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity

    A gravity assist, gravity assist maneuver, swing-by, or generally a gravitational slingshot in orbital mechanics, is a type of spaceflight flyby which makes use of the relative movement (e.g.

  4. TV western "Rawhide," starring Clint Eastwood, premieres on CBS

    TV western "Rawhide," starring Clint Eastwood, premieres on CBS

  5. Plane crash known as "The Day the Music Died" kills musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big

    Plane crash known as "The Day the Music Died" kills musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper), and the pilot near Clear Lake, Iowa

Events After

  1. Gabrielle Carteris is born

    Gabrielle Carteris is born

  2. Longest recorded strike ends as Danish barbers' assistants end their 33-year strike

    Longest recorded strike ends as Danish barbers' assistants end their 33-year strike

  3. Berry Gordy signs The Supremes to Motown Records

    The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes.

  4. First live, nationally televised presidential news conference, held by JFK

    First live, nationally televised presidential news conference, held by JFK

  5. "I Fall to Pieces" single released by Patsy Cline (Billboard Song of the Year 1961)

    "I Fall to Pieces" is a song written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard that was originally recorded by Patsy Cline.

More from the 1960s

Apollo 11 Moon Landing

NASA's Apollo 11 mission successfully lands the first humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first people to walk on the lunar surface.

space exploration

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech

Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, calling for an end to racism in the United States.

civil rightspolitics government
birth

Tommy Morrison is born

Tommy Morrison, American professional boxer, known for american boxer, was born on 1969-01-02.

birth

Gabrielle Carteris is born

Gabrielle Carteris is born

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 14, 1960?
The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three held in Florida, with the annual spring showdown Straight Talk Wireless 400 being held at Homestead south of Miami. From 1988 to 2019, it was one of the four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule.
Why is 2nd Daytona 500: Junior Johnson survives a 37 car crash on Turn 4 to win driv... significant?
The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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February 14 in HistoryYear 1960