Considered one of the best NASCAR drivers of all time, Earnhardt won a total of 76 races over the course of his career, including one Daytona 500 victory in 1998.

While driving in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt died of basilar skull fracture in a last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001.

In 1983, Earnhardt rebounded and won his first of 12 Twin 125 Daytona 500 qualifying races.

Near the end of the Daytona 500, he had a four-second lead when the final caution flag came out with a handful of laps to go.

The No. 3 Goodwrench Chevy team took the flat tire that cost them the win and hung it on the shop wall as a reminder of how close they'd come to winning the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt once again came close to a win at the Daytona 500, and dominated Speedweeks before finishing second to Dale Jarrett on a last-lap pass.

Earnhardt started off the 1995 season by finishing second in the Daytona 500 to Sterling Marlin.

1996 for Earnhardt started just as it had done in 1993 – he dominated Speedweeks only to finish second in the Daytona 500 to Dale Jarrett for a second time.

Once again in the hunt for the Daytona 500 with 10 laps to go, Earnhardt was taken out of contention by a late crash which sent his car upside down on the backstretch.

1998 saw Earnhardt win the Daytona 500 after not winning in the previous 19 attempts.

The Daytona 500 is ours.

In the weeks before the annual Daytona 500, Earnhardt elected not to attend the annual fan and media preview event, drawing vocal criticism from fellow driver Jimmy Spencer.

At the 2001 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001, Earnhardt was involved in a car accident after the final lap, in which Earnhardt's car was pushed into the wall nose-first by Ken Schrader's car at an estimated speed of.

This led to an emotional celebration on the infield with driver Michael Waltrip ( who finished in second place ), whose victory at the Daytona 500 was vastly overshadowed.

Their finishing order was the reverse of the Daytona 500 finish order.

* Earnhardt Jr. later went on to win the 2004 Daytona 500, three years after his father's death and six years to the day after his father won the 1998 Daytona 500.

* Every three years since Earnhardt's death, someone associated with Earnhardt has won the Daytona 500 ( his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 2004, Earnhardt's replacement Cup driver Kevin Harvick in 2007, and Earnhardt Ganassi's Jamie McMurray in 2010.

Category: Daytona 500 winners

* 1959 – Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.

* 2001 – Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt dies in an accident during the Daytona 500.

The only ( non-points ) win came during Speedweeks at Daytona in the Twin 125-mile qualifying race, his record 8th straight win in the event.

In 1987 Bill Elliot's asphalt blistering qualifying time at Talladega brought about a change at superspeedways ( Daytona and Talladega ). Such high speeds and Bobby Allison's car going airborne into the catch-fence and injuring fans forced NASCAR to implement power-reducing measures, one of which was the mandated implement of below carburetor restrictor plates.

The qualifying procedure is unique for the Daytona 500.

Prior to 2005, after the top two cars were set, the top 14 cars in the qualifying races advanced to the field, and then between six ( 1998 – 2003 ), eight ( 1995 – 97, 2004 ), or ten ( until 1994 ) fastest cars which did not advance from the qualifying race were added, and, since 1976, between one and seven cars were added by previous year's points performance and or championship, except for 1985, when no such car was eligible for a provisional starting spot, the only time that happened in the Daytona 500 from when the provisional was added in 1976 through 2004.

This system is a little similar to Daytona 500 qualifying procedure.

Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford once won one of the Daytona 500 qualifying races.

Montoya had earlier posted the fifth fastest time in Daytona 500 qualifying but the unique qualifying system during Speedweeks meant Montoya would start P2 in the 2nd Gatorade Duel on Thursday the 11th to race for starting position in the Daytona 500 on the 14th.

On qualifying day, Davey signalled that he was in Winston Cup to stay when he qualified an unmarked, but Texaco-Havoline painted # 28 Thunderbird second for the 1987 Daytona 500, becoming the first rookie ever to start on the front row for NASCAR's most prestigious event.

He also won his qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

It consists of two races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

* Coors Light Pole qualifying is currently held one week prior to the Daytona 500.

* All exempt teams ( the previous season's top 35 teams through owner points ), along with the two drivers who qualified for the front row – the top two drivers from qualifying, if they are not exempt teams, are locked into the Daytona 500 starting field, regardless of finishing position in the Duel races.

* In the early years of the Daytona 500, the rules for the qualifying races varied widely.

* In early years, the qualifying races were held on the Friday prior to the Daytona 500, rather than the current Thursday.

* In some early years, pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 was held on Wednesday, the day before the qualifying races.

* Oddly, despite Richard Petty's wins at Daytona in championship competition, none of his official 200 wins included a qualifying race ( 1959 – 71 ).

Pole position qualifying for the Daytona 500 would start Sunday at 10 a. m., followed by the ARCA 200.

* 1980: Heavy winds during Daytona 500 pole qualifying delayed the proceedings and the ARCA 200 began 90 minutes later than scheduled.

* 1981: Morning rain washed out Daytona 500 pole qualifying, which was rescheduled for the following day.

Dillon again returned to a number 3 marked racecar when he started 5th in the 2012 Daytona Nationwide Series opener in an Advocare sponsored black Chevrolet Impala.

Montoya started the 2011 NASCAR season on a high note finishing 6th in the Daytona 500 and 5th in points.

In his first race in the TRG, Labonte finished 21st in the Daytona 500 after he started 42nd with a champions provisional.

Waltrip started in NASCAR Winston Cup, NASCAR's top racing series at age 25, on May 7, 1972, at the 1972 Winston 500, at Talladega, Alabama, the series ' fastest and longest track, with a used Mercury Cyclone which was originally the 1967 Ford driven by Mario Andretti to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500.

Davey again started outside the front row for the Daytona 500, the first modern day race utilizing the NASCAR mandated carburetor restrictor plate.

A year after he and his father's one-two Daytona 500 finish, Davey started a disappointing 16th, then was involved in an early incident with Geoff Bodine that sent his car careening into the sand bar separating the track's backstretch from Lake Lloyd.

Davey started sixth in the 1992 Daytona 500 but was probably not quite as fast as the Junior Johnson teammates of Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin.

Stewart started his Winston Cup career in 1999 with a bang, as he qualified his No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac in second place in his first Cup race, the Daytona 500.

Tony started 2002 even more inauspiciously than in the previous season, as his Daytona 500 lasted just two laps due to a blown engine.

Stewart started off his 2004 season with a second place finish to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the Daytona 500.

Tony started off the Daytona Speedweeks with a win in the 2007 Budweiser Shootout.

Stewart started 3rd in the Daytona 500 and ran well throughout the race, but was caught up in a late race accident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. On March 11, Tony Stewart won the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway beating Jimmie Johnson.

Roosevelt., who also started a school for black students in Daytona Beach, Florida that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University.

He started the season with a 21st place finish in the Daytona 500, his first finish in the big race in six attempts.

In 2010, Martin started the year off strong with his new sponsor GoDaddy. com and won the pole for the 52nd Daytona 500.

Martin started the Daytona 500 well, leading the majority of the first 30 laps, but after being stuck in the middle line of the racing pack, he dropped down as low as 33rd and had to pick his way through the rest of the day, eventually finishing 12th.

Jarrett started the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season on a high note as he drew pole position for the annual exhibition race, the Budweiser Shootout, at the Daytona International Speedway.

He started 43rd in the Daytona 500 and finished 22nd.

Jarrett started off 2008 with a 16th place finish at Daytona.

It was the first time he had started regularly since pitching with the Single-A Daytona Cubs of the Florida State League.

As a result of a 4th place finish in his duel, Kahne started 10th in the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on February 17, 2008.

He appeared via satellite from Daytona USA, and started his segment with Allen Bestwick, mouthing silently, " I'm just so pleased, so happy to have won the race.