The 1960 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 produced one of the most dramatic finishes in the young history of NASCAR’s biggest race. The Grand National division was on the track two days earlier with the traditional Twin 100-mile qualifying races on February 12. The first, featuring 37 cars, was won by Fireball Roberts, while the second, with 40 starters, went to Jack Smith. Those events helped set the lineup for a massive 68-car starting field in the 500, where Cotton Owens claimed the pole position at 149.892 mph. A crowd of 38,775 fans packed the new superspeedway for the sport’s premier event.
The race became a battle of speed, endurance, and aerodynamics on the high banks. Bobby Johns took the lead on lap 170 and appeared headed for victory, building a seven-second advantage late in the event. But with the high speeds, air pressure created a wind pocket that ripped the rear window from his car, sending him into a spin on lap 192, and destroying his commanding lead.
The sudden twist handed the opportunity to Junior Johnson, who swept past and drove away to score a stunning victory by 23 seconds. Johnson earned $19,600, one of the richest prizes in stock car racing at the time.
Johns recovered to finish second, followed by Richard Petty in third, Lee Petty in fourth, and Johnny Allen in fifth. Several heavy crashes during Speedweeks left many teams short of usable cars, prompting NASCAR to cancel the next two scheduled South Florida races out of concern over equipment shortages. The 1960 Daytona 500 was remembered as a race where speed alone was not enough, and fortune turned in an instant.
