NASCAR\nhas long done it backward in the minds of sports fans by putting its most\nprestigious and well-known race at the front of the schedule rather than at the\nend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\ntradition continues this weekend with the 62nd<\/sup> running of the\nDaytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, and helps launch the stock-car circuit\ninto visibility following the conclusion of the NFL season and before MLB opens\nits exhibition schedule or the NBA heads into the stretch drive of its regular\nseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Racing stars like Richard Petty<\/a> and Cale Yarborough made their reputations there by winning Daytona seven and four times, respectively. More recently, Jimmie Johnson<\/a>, Dale Earnhardt Jr.<\/a>, and Denny Hamlin have won there twice apiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n None\nof those greats, however, can lay claim to the title of surviving the most epic\none-car wreck in Daytona 500 history. That \u201chonor\u201d belongs to a much-respected\ndriver from the small-track circuit who became an acclaimed car builder in his\nlater years.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat makes the Daytona 500 so significant?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n