Iowan Almost Wins Daytona 500: Iowa Time Machine February 22, 1959

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 22, 1959, Harlan’s Johnny Beauchamp stood in victory lane at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway, accepting congratulations as the winner of the inaugural Daytona 500. The crowd celebrated what appeared to be a fairytale triumph for the undercover driver from southwestern Iowa. Still, three days later, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. announced that Lee Petty had actually won the race.

The late 1950s marked a pivotal moment for American motorsports. Stock car racing had grown from its bootlegger roots into an organized sport, yet it still operated with a makeshift quality that reflected its working-class origins. Bill France Sr., a mechanic and former race driver, had founded NASCAR in 1948 to bring structure to the chaotic world of Southern racing. By 1959, he envisioned something grander than the dirt tracks and beach courses that had defined the sport. The Daytona International Speedway, with its steeply banked 2.5-mile tri-oval, represented France's audacious bet that stock car racing could compete with the glamour of Indianapolis. The track cost $3 million to build, an astronomical sum that put France deep in debt. Everything hinged on the inaugural Daytona 500 establishing his superspeedway as the premier venue in American racing.

The race itself delivered drama worthy of the occasion. Sixty-three cars began the 500-mile contest, and the lead changed hands repeatedly as drivers learned to navigate the high speeds the banked track permitted. In the final laps, Johnny Beauchamp in a 1959 Thunderbird and Lee Petty in an Oldsmobile 88 battled side-by-side, crossing the finish line in what appeared to be a dead heat. Track announcer Jack Le Grand declared Beauchamp the winner. France himself initially concurred, directing officials to present the trophy to the Iowa driver. But doubts emerged immediately. Petty insisted he had won. Journalists who had photographed the finish disagreed about which car had crossed first. France, recognizing that crowning the wrong winner would humiliate his new track and his sport, impounded both cars and began reviewing all available evidence.

For three agonizing days, he studied photographs and newsreel footage. Finally, a photograph shot by an Associated Press photographer from the infield showed Petty's Oldsmobile approximately two feet ahead of Beauchamp's Ford at the stripe. France reversed its decision. Petty was declared the rightful winner of the first Daytona 500. #Iowa #OTD #History #Racing #NASCAR