Ranking the 10 Most Memorable Daytona 500 Races in NASCAR History

On Feb. 22, 1959, the first Daytona 500 took place in front of what was then a rather large crowd of 41,921. That first race was called the "500-Mile International Sweepstakes," and it paid out just over $67,000 in prize money—which, back then, was a large purse for an auto race. Today, the Great American Race, as it is now known, draws crowds of more than 200,000 and is seen live on television and online around the world by millions of race fans. And the payout, well, it's quite a bit more these days.   For 55 years, the Daytona 500 has stood as NASCAR's premier event, and along the way, the racing has produced some very memorable moments. Some of those moments have been exhilarating. Others have been downright devastating. I'll...

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