Jim McElreath ... Born ... USAC/CART driver. He raced in the 1961-1983 seasons, with 178 combined career starts, including 15 in the Indianapolis 500 in 1962-1970, 1973-1974, and 1977-1980. He finished in the top ten 101 times, with five victories. In 1962, he was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, a result of his 6th place finish.
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1962
Fireball Roberts finished his domination of SpeedWeek by winning the Daytona 500. Roberts had earlier won the pole and a 100 mile qualifying race. Roberts drove his Smokey Yunick prepared Pontiac across the finish line 27 seconds ahead of Richard Petty's Plymouth. The race ran caution free, allowing Roberts to average 152.529 mph. The Petty crew protested that the Yunick crew had used too many men on pit stops, but the protest was denied.
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1979
Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough took each other out in a last lap wreck that allowed Richard Petty to win the Daytona 500 for the sixth time. Yarborough tried to slingshot past Allison on the backstretch, but Allison moved two lanes down, forcing Yarborough onto the grass and dirt. Yarborough never lifted and cranked his Olds into Allison's, locking the cars together, where they slid into the turn 3 wall before stopping in the infield. Petty's Olds was 15 seconds behind the lead duo when the collision occurred, and beat Darrell Waltrip to the yellow/checkered by a car length. Bobby Allison stopped at the wreck site on the cool down lap and shortly the Allison brothers and Yarborough were brawling.
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2001
Dale Earnhardt, Sr.... Died ...Earnhardt is known for his success in the Winston Cup Series, now known as the Sprint Cup Series. He won seventy-six races (including his only Daytona 500 victory in 1998), and his seven championships are tied for most all-time with Richard Petty. His highly aggressive driving style made him a fan favorite and earned him the nicknames "Ironhead", "Mr. Restrictor Plate", "The Man in Black" and most famously, "The Intimidator." Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. (Click here for the Official Accident Report.)