Lee Petty No. 42 and Johnny Beauchamp No. 73 battle on the last lap
of the 1959 Daytona 500.
The 1959 First 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at
Daytona (now known as the 1959 Inaugural Daytona 500) was
the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series
season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921
spectators. It was the first race held at the 2.5-mile Daytona
International Speedway.
Lee Petty’s 1959 Oldsmobile 88 hardtop at the Richard Petty
Museum in Randleman North Carolina.