In what year was the first Daytona 500 held?

The first Daytona 500 was held in 1959. The inaugural race took place on February 22 at the newly built Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, replacing the older beach-and-road course used for major stock-car races.

NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. developed the 2.5-mile superspeedway to provide a permanent, safer venue for high-speed competition. The race was officially titled the First 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes and covered 200 laps. It was not commonly called the Daytona 500 until later; the name became standard by 1961.

Lee Petty won the inaugural event after a dramatic photo finish with Johnny Beauchamp. Beauchamp was initially announced as the winner, but NASCAR reviewed photographs and newsreel footage before awarding Petty the victory three days later. The Daytona 500 has since become NASCAR's traditional season-opening event and one of its most prestigious races.