When Nascar was founded in the late 1940s, it was small. The tracks were small. The publicity was small. The winnings were even smaller. The sport still thrived, but it needed something unique. Something no one else had. Something to rival the Indianapolis 500. So  Bill France Sr. decided to build his own track. It was a major project, like none before it.

In 1959, drivers rolled into what was called Daytona International Speedway. Richard Petty, Nascar’s future King, described it as giant. The race that was run was called the Daytona 500. For 200 laps, drivers drove around this 2.5 mile beast of a track. At the end of the race, two drivers were battling side-by-side. Lee Petty and Johnny Beuchamp crossed the finish line at almost the same time. For a time everyone thought Johnny was the winner. But four days later, after hours upon hours of studying photographs and videos, Lee Petty was declared the winner of the first Daytona 500.

Since that memorable finish, the Daytona 500 has grown into Nascar’s super bowl. Every driver dreams of winning the 500. When a fan enters the atmosphere of the Daytona 500, there is a feeling that just can’t be described. A feeling of history. A feeling of passion. A feeling heartbreak. A feeling loss. A feeling of accomplishment. I have spent 5 years going to the Daytona 500. Every year, the feeling is amazing. For everyone the feeling can be different.

For Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon, the feeling is accomplishment. Petty won 7 Daytona 500s, and in various ways. Some by wide margins. Others small. Gordon has won 3 500s. All three were memorable. They are the men who always be the masters of Daytona. The men who tamed the beast. The masters of the 500.

Others consider the 500 their toughest accomplishment. Especially Darrel Waltrip. For 16, Waltrip came to Daytona, and 16 times he lost. But then, in his 17th try, he managed to stretch his fuel milage and win the race. In victory he repeatedly yelled, “I won the Daytona 500!”

For David Pearson, it wasn’t how tough Daytona was, it was how hard Richard Petty was to beat. Petty and Pearson are Nascar’s most historic rival’s. The King and the Silver Fox. In 1976 Petty had already won numerous 500s, but Pearson had yet to win one. The two drove like mad to beat each other, and coming off turn 4 on the final lap, it appeared Petty had Pearson beat, but when he tried to block his rival, they collided. Petty was sent spinning toward the finish line, but stopped short. Meanwhile, Pearson managed to keep battered no. 21 running, and he crossed the finish line first, only going about 30 mph.

But neither Pearson nor Waltrip had it worst in the 500. Dale Earnhardt Sr. held that title. Earnhardt was the overall king at Daytona. He won there 36 times over all platforms of racing. But for some reason, he couldn’t win the big one. In 1990, Earnhardt dominated the race, but in the final corner, he blew a right rear tire, letting Derrike Cope, who had never before won a race, pass him for the win.

For 19 years, Earnhardt came to Daytona determined to win, but left with the track laughing at him. But in 1998, in his 20th attempt, he came more determined than ever. And as the checkered flag waved, Dale Earnhardt Sr’s black no. 3 crossed the finish line first.

We have seen the history, passion, accomplishment, and heartbreak. But the saddest part of Daytona’s history is the loss. In 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr. entered Daytona not just as a driver, but team owner as well. As the white flag wave in Daytona, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr., both Earnhardt’s drivers, led the race. Earnhardt Sr. was in third, blocking so his employee and son could finish 1-2. While they did finish 1-2 that day, the joy of victory was short lived. Because in the final corner, Earnhardt Sr. was wrecked, sent hard into the outside wall, and was killed. Suddenly, a cloud was on Daytona’s history.

But Dale Earnhardt Jr. wouldn’t let the sorrow last. When Nascar returned to Daytona that Summer, Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip were once again 1-2, except this time Jr. won the the race. Then, 3 years later, (3. Ironic, considering that was Earnhardt Sr’s number), Dale Jr won the Daytona 500, being pushed across the line by his close friend Tony Stewart.

What a history. I could go on forever about the history of the Daytona 500, but I don’t want to ramble. Even though Daytona’s history had some shadows, it is still a story beyond compare. While time passes, cars change, drivers change, and teams change. But one thing will never change. The feeling. The feeling of Daytona.