The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) motor race held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The inaugural Daytona 500 was held in 1959. The race is known as the richest race on the circuit, as it has the largest winner's purse.
The track is 2.5 miles (4 km) long, and therefore a 500-mile race requires 200 laps to complete.
The winner of the Daytona 500 is presented with the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Driver Richard Petty holds the record for the most number of victories, with seven wins between 1964 and 1981.
Interesting Fact: Record winner Richard Petty's father Lee Petty won the race in 1959. The oldest winner was Bobby Allison, who won in 1988 aged 50 years, 73 days.
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