The 47th running of the Daytona 500 took place at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19. You probably missed it. But to make sure that you know as much about Daytona when you do get there, we’ve listed a whole bunch of facts about “The Great American Race” that will make you both a more informed spectator and gambler, as well as a pseudo-historian when it’s engine starting time. We invite you to read and remember these Daytona 500 facts so you can dazzle your friends when the opportunity arises.

The Track

• The Daytona International Speedway covers 480 acres. That includes a 180-acre infield with a 19-acre lake in it.
• The Daytona International Speedway is 2.5-miles long and 40 feet wide. The back stretch is 3,800 feet while the front stretch spans 3,000 feet.

Some Daytona 500 Facts

• The most successful manufacturer at DIS - Chevrolet - 18 wins in the 500.
• The largest field – an incredible 68 cars back in 1960.
• Lowest starting position by a winner - 33rd. Bobby Allison won from that slot in 1978.
• Number of fatal crashes - 32 deaths in a half-century of NASCAR racing. The first was Larry Mann in 1954 at Langhorne, PA. There were fatalities at Langhorne in 1954, 1955, and 1956.
• Of the 32 NASCAR drivers that have died behind the wheel, 10 of them have been killed while driving at Daytona.
• Fastest qualifying speed ever recorded at the track - 210.364 miles per hour by Bill Elliot in 1987.
• Widest winning margin ever - two full laps by Richard Petty in 1973.
• Smallest margin of victory - a mere two feet in the inaugural Dayton 500 by Lee Petty in 1959.
• The driver that wins the Daytona 500 has gone on to win the Winston Cup six times in 46 years. Jeff Gordon (1997) was the last to achieve the feat.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the only one of the last five Daytona 500 winners to finish in the top five of the points race.
• DIS holds the record for most cars crashing at one time. An astounding 38-car pile-up occurred on February 13, 1960 during a pre-500 event.
• Fastest average speed - Buddy Baker at 177.6 mph in 1980.
• Slowest average speed - Junior Johnson at 124.7 mph in 1960.
• Youngest ever winner - Jeff Gordon in 1997. He was 25 years, 6 months, and 12 days.
• Oldest winner - Bobby Allison in the 1988 victory when he held off his son Davey over the last few laps. He was 50 years, 2 months, 11 days.
• Most frequent finisher - Dale Earnhardt. Finished all 500 miles of the race more times than anyone in history (14).

The Daytona 500 Most Records

• Most victories - The King, Richard Petty (7)
• Back-to-back winners - three times: Richard Petty (73-74), Cale Yarborough (83-84), and Sterling Marlin (93-94).
• Most career starts - Dave Marcis, 33
• Most consecutive starts - Dave Marcis, 32
• Most poles won, career - 4 (by several different drivers)
• Most wins from the pole position - 2, Yarborough (68, 84) and Bill Elliott (85, 87)
• Most consecutive poles - 3, Fireball Roberts (61-63), Elliott (85-87), and Ken Schrader (88-90).
• Longest break between wins - Richard Petty. He went 17 years between his first (1964) and last (1981) Daytona 500 titles.
• The most different leaders in a single race - 15.
• The fewest different leaders in a single race - 3.
• The most lead changes in a single race - in 1974, when the lead changed hands 60 times.
• Most laps led, career - Richard Petty (780)
• Most miles completed, career - Richard Petty ( 12,150 miles over 4,860 laps).
• Most times leading in a single race - 21, by Bobby Allison in 1981.
• Most dominating performance - Richard Petty. He led 184 of 200 laps on his way to winning the 1964 race.
  On the contrary, Fireball Roberts led 170 laps in 1961, but lost the race to Marvin Panch.
  Benny Parsons was Johnny On The Spot in 1975 when he took the checkered flag after leading just four laps.