Reeves Dutton... Born ... AAA driver from 1919 & 1920
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1939
Jack LeCain... Died ... AAA driver from 1912 to 1917
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1948
Jim Crawford... Born ... USAC/CART driver 1984 to 1995. Ran the Indy 500 eight times with a best finish of 6th in 1988.
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1955
Lee Petty won the 100 mile NASCAR Grand National race on the 1/2 mile dirt Speedway Park oval in Jacksonville Florida. Petty's Chrysler took the lead when leader Dick Rathmann pitted his Hudson for fuel with 10 laps to go. Until then it appeared Rathmann was headed for his first win of the season. Rathmann still finished second with fellow Hudson pilot Herb Thomas third and the Olds 88s of Buck Baker and Junior Johnson rounding out the top five. It was Petty's second win in three 1955 season races.
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1960
Bernie Wilhelmi won the Midget race over Bill Chennault and Mel Kenyon at the Memorial Stadium, Daytona Beach, FL.
( Click here for the race report. )
Buzz Barton won the final IMCA Sprint Car race of the Florida State Fair series, and Pete Folsewas crowned the Florida State Champion at the Florida State Fair, Tampa, FL.
( Click here for the race report. )
Danny Fry won the Midget feature over Willie Wilson, Dean Mast, Howard House and Larry Sinclair at the Memorial Stadium , Daytona Beach, FL.
Marvin Panch won the 250 mile NASCAR Modified Sportsman race at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL. Tiny Lund finished second followed by Larry Frank, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Sonny Hutchins, Cala Yarborough, Red Farmer, Bobby Allison, Will Cagle and Randy Tissot.
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1966
Jim Clark, defending series champion, drove his Lotus-Climax to his first win of the season in the Tasman Cup series race held on the Warwick Farm circuit in Sydney, Australia.
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1969
Ronnie Johncox... Born ... A former driver in the Indy Racing League. He raced in the 1999-2000 seasons with 8 career starts.
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1972
Louis Durant... Died ... AAA driver 1939 to 1948
Andy Hampton won the ARCA America's Royal Triton 300 at the Daytona International Speedway. Iggy Katona was second followed by Red Farmer, Dave Sisco and Charles McWilliams.
Leroy Van Connett won the 50-lap West Coast Sprint Car Championship race at the All American Speedway, Roseville, CA. Dick Zimmerman was second followed by Gary Koster, Rich Govan and Lem Tolliver.
Wayne Shugart won the 40-lap NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race at the Jacksonville Speedway, Jacksonville, FL. Eddie MacDonald Jr. finished second followed by David Ezell, Tiny Lund and Eddie MacDonald Sr.
Billy Cassella won the 30-lap Winternational Sprint Car race at the Florida State, Tampa, FL. Jan Opperman finished second followed by Ray Lee Goodwin, Jerry Blundy and Chuck Amati.
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1975
Bobby Allison and David Pearson won the twin 125 mile NASCAR GN qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway. Driving the Penske AMC Matador, Allison pulled away from Dick Brooks' Ford on a restart to win the first race by 1.6 seconds. Buddy Baker led the first 27 laps before blowing a tire and spinning to set up the restart. In the second race, Pearson squeezed the Wood Brothers' Mercury by Richard Petty on the last lap to win by a car length.
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1976
Benny Parsons won the IROC race at Daytona, Florida.
Paul Russo... Died ... AAA / USAC driver from 1934 to 1965. He started racing midget cars in 1934. He went with a contigent of midget car drivers to Hawaii in the winter of 1934-35. He was the 1938 AAA Eastern Midget Champion. Russo won the first race held at the Nutley Velodrome in New Jersey in 1938. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1940-1941, 1946-1954, 1956-1959 and 1962 seasons with 85 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in each year but 1951 and 1952. He finished in the top ten 49 times, with 3 victories, at Springfield (1950), Detroit (1951), and Williams Grove (1952). His best finish at Indy was fourth in 1957, although he co-drove with Tony Bettenhausen to a second place finish in 1955. His brother Joe and nephew Eddie have also raced at the Indianapolis 500. Russo was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.
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1977
Lance Blevins... Born ... World of Outlaws racer.
Jerry Nuckles won the 100-lap USAC Midget race at Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY.
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1979
Richie Evans won the fifth night Modified feature of the World Series Of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at the New Smyrna Speedway, New Smyrna Beach, FL. Anthony Ferraiuolo IV was second followed by Ronnie Bouchard, Charlie Jarzombek and Jay Hedgecock.
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1982
Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona Sportsman 300 race at the Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL. ( Click here for the race report. )
Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt won the twin 125 mile Daytona 500 qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.
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1987
Kenny Brightbill won the DIRT Modified race and Tuck Trentham won the first ever Winston Invitational NASCAR dirt Late Model race at the Volusia County Speedway, Barberville, FL. ( Click here for the race report. )
Reggie Ruggiero won the Modified race and Dick Trickle won the Late Model race at the New Smyrna Speedway, New Smyrna Beach, FL. ( Click here for the race report. )
Geoff Bodine won the IROC race at the Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL. Dale Earnhardt finished second followed by Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Al Unser Jr., Wally Dallenbach and Mario Andretti.
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1988
Bobby Allison won the 30th annual Goody's 300 Busch Grand National Series race at the Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL. Geoff Bodine was second followed by Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett and Davey Allison.
Paul Lotier won the 50-lap 12th Annual East Bay All Star Sprint Nationals at the Florida National Speedway, Tampa, FL. Johnny Mackison Jr. was second followed by Mark Keegan, Keith Kauffman, Jack Hewitt and Kenny Jacobs.
Danny Johnson won the 50-lap Modified Stock Car race at the Volusia County Speedway, Barberville, FL. Jack Johnson was second followed by Alan Johnson, Kenny Brightbill, Doug Hoffman, Elvin Felty and Billy Pauch.
Steve Kinser won the World of Outlaws Sprint Car race at the Manzanita Speedway, Phoenix, AZ. Mark Kinser was second followed by Bobby Davis Jr., Dave Blaney and Brad Doty.
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2021
Austin Cindric won the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 Xfinity opener at Daytona International Speedway. Brett Moffitt finished second followed by Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton and AJ Allmendinger. Cindric's victory came as he held off Moffitt and Harrison Burton in a two-lap overtime dash.
ONE DAY
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