The 1966 Daytona 500, the eighth running of NASCAR’s prestigious “Great American Race,” took place on February 27 at the high-banked 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and produced a dramatic, weather-shortened victory for Richard Petty. A massive crowd of 90,000 fans packed the stands as Petty, driving his famous #43 Plymouth for Petty Enterprises, smashed the qualifying record with a pole speed of 175.163 mph. The Twin 100 qualifiers earlier in the week were won by Paul Goldsmith and Earl Balmer, setting the stage for a competitive Speedweeks.
The main event saw four cautions fly for 22 laps amid intense battles, but Petty overcame tire troubles to take the lead from Cale Yarborough on lap 113 and never looked back. He ultimately won by a full lap over Yarborough in second, with David Pearson finishing third, Fred Lorenzen fourth, and Sam McQuagg fifth. The race was called after 198 of the scheduled 200 laps due to a thunderstorm, with Petty posting an impressive average speed of 160.927 mph and earning $28,150 for the victory.
This triumph marked Petty’s second Daytona 500 win, making him the first driver in history to claim the event twice.
