May 11, 1988 – Mario Andretti records fastest Indianapolis 500 lap, 221.565 mph

Mario Andretti was the fastest driver (Indianapolis 500) in practice all week, leading the charts at 221.565 mph. On pole day morning, Mario drove a lap of 220.372 mph. On his qualifying attempt, though, he could only get to 214.692 mph. No one knew what happened to the car and why it went so slow. On race day, he had just as bad of luck. After several long pit stops to repair gearbox problems, an oil leak, and electrical gremlins, Andretti finally called it quits. With the leaders at lap 170, Mario was about 50 laps down with a dead engine. Mario was credited with 118 laps in 20th place.

“The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car its the one who refuses to lose.” – Dale Earnhardt

Feb. 16, 1997 – Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver to win Daytona 500

Gordon became the youngest winner in the history of the 200-lap, 500-mile National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) event, dubbed the “Super Bowl of stock car racing.” Driving his No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the Hendrick Motorsports racing team, Gordon recorded an average speed of 148.295 mph and took home prize money of more than $377,000. According to NASCAR.com, Gordon was “a veritable babe in a field that included 27 drivers older than 35, 16 at least 40.” Gordon’s Hendrick teammates Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven finished the race second and third, respectively.

Gordon was born August 4, 1971, in Vallejo, California, and became involved in racing as a child. In 1993, he competed in his first full season of Winston Cup series (now known as the Sprint Cup), NASCAR’s top racing series, and was named Rookie of the Year. He went on to win the Winston series championship in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001. Following his first victory at the Daytona 500 in 1997, Gordon won the prestigious race, which serves as the NASCAR season-opener, again in 1999 and 2005.

At the other end of the Daytona age spectrum from Gordon is 50-year-old Bobby Allison, who on February 14, 1988, became the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500. He had an average speed of 137.531 mph and collected over $202,000 in prize money. Allison’s son Davey came in second place in that race. Bobby Allison, who was born on December 3, 1937, in Florida, drove in his first Daytona 500 in 1961 and went on to win the race in 1978 and 1982, in addition to his 1988 victory.

The first-ever Daytona 500 was held on February 22, 1959, at the then brand-new Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. A crowd of more than 40,000 was on hand to witness the 59 cars that started the event. Lee Petty narrowly defeated Johnny Beauchamp to win the race with an average speed of 135.521 mph. He collected prize money of some $19,000. By comparison, Matt Kenseth won the 2009 Daytona 500 with an average speed of 132.816 mph, and took home prize money of more than $1.5 million.

via history.com

Feb. 15, 1998 – Dale Earnhardt won the NASCAR Daytona 500 for the first time

Earnhardt began his career in 1975 when he drove in the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of the Winston Cup Series.

Considered one of the best NASCAR drivers of all time, Earnhardt won a total of 76 races over the course of his career, including one Daytona 500 victory in 1998. He earned seven championships, which is tied for the most all time with Richard Petty. His aggressive driving style earned him the nickname “The Intimidator”.

While driving in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt died of basilar skull fracture in a last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001. He has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Feb. 14, 1988 – Bobby Allison at age 50 is the oldest driver to win Daytona 500

After some scary moments in 1987 NASCAR introduced the restrictor plate to super speedway racing for the 1988 season. The Daytona 500 was the first race with the new rules. Bobby Allison became the oldest driver to ever win the Daytona 500 when he beat his son Davey to the line for the win. The still-standing age record, warm family moment, and dawn of the modern restrictor plate era combine to make this one of the great Daytona 500s of all time.

“If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.” – Mario Andretti

“You get out in front, you stay out in front.” – A. J. Foyt

“You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” – Dale Earnhardt