Daytona 500

If racing on a 3km road running parallel to the ocean and then veering off on to the beach sounds like your cup of tea, you should have raced in the Daytona Beach Road Course from 1903 in Daytona, Florida.

The city, famous for its hard-packed beach sand, became home to racing fans and motorsport with no less than eight consecutive land speed records set between 1927 and 1935. Then the action switched to the smoother surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats, and Daytona Beach officials weren't happy to miss out. They asked local racer Sig Haugdahl to design a track and organise a race.

He penned a 5.1km long oval layout that hosted its first race in 1936, attracting thousands of spectators. Milt Marion won, while mechanic William France finished fifth. France saw the potential of racing stock cars and helped stage another event the following year. He also took over running the course from Haugdahl in 1938, but the Second World War put paid to proceedings.

The action returned in 1946 and its popularity saw the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (Nascar), a motor racing sanctioning body founded by France. Its first Stock Car event, a 32km race, was held at Charlotte Speedway in 1949 with Jim Roper driving a Lincoln taking the honours. Over the next few years, Stock Car Racing laws began allowing cars to be modified in a bid to improve safety and performance.

Then, in 1957, France started work on the Daytona International Speedway — a 4km long purpose-built race track with 31-degree banking in the turns that allowed for high speeds and gave fans a better view of the action from the stands. The track opened in 1959 and became home to the ‘Great American Race', the Daytona 500. One of Nascar's most popular events, it was the first 500-mile (805km) race to be screened live on network TV from beginning to end in 1979. The gruelling 200-lap race saw the emergence of some brilliant drivers, but the greatest name associated with it is Richard Petty. Racing was in his blood; his father Lee won the inaugural event in 1959 while Richard sealed his first victory in 1964.

Nicknamed ‘The King', he dominated the Daytona 500, winning no less than seven times. He won 200 races during his career, and collected a record number of 127 poles.

He retired in 1992 after 712 top ten finishes from 1,184 races, including an astonishing 513 consecutive starts between 1971 and 1989.

He helped to put the Daytona 500 on the map. Today, it's Nascar's biggest, richest and most prestigious event.