Which driver won the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959?

Which driver won the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959? Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500.

The race was held on February 22, 1959, at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway. Petty drove the No. 42 Oldsmobile for Petty Enterprises and completed all 200 laps of the 500-mile event, which was part of NASCAR’s Grand National Series.

The finish was extraordinarily close. Petty and Johnny Beauchamp crossed the line side by side, and Beauchamp was initially treated as the unofficial winner. Petty protested, and NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. reviewed photographs and newsreel footage before officially awarding the victory to Petty three days later.

That delayed decision explains why some older accounts mention Beauchamp in connection with the first Daytona 500. Petty’s win was later recognized as the first of his 54 NASCAR premier-series victories. His son, Richard Petty, also competed in the race but retired with an engine problem and finished 57th.