On February 10, 1952, the NASCAR Grand National Series held its second event of the season on the historic Daytona Beach and Road Course, a 4.1-mile combination of highway and hard-packed beach used before Daytona International Speedway was built. Marshall Teague won the race driving a 1952 Hudson Hornet, taking the lead on the second lap and holding it through the finish, while Herb Thomas finished second and Pat Kirkwood ended up third. The race, originally scheduled for 49 laps (about 200 miles), was shortened to 37 laps (approximately 152 miles) because an incoming tide threatened the beachfront section of the course, forcing officials to end the event early. An estimated 20,000 spectators watched as 61 drivers started the race but only a fraction were running at the finish, underscoring the grueling nature of the beach-to-road course format that defined early NASCAR competition.
