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The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series engine race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is but one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup program. The very first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, coinciding with the introduction of the speedway, and since 1982, it has been the season-opening race of the Cup series
The Daytona 500 is considered as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest handbag. Championship points granted are equivalent to that of some other Sprint Cup race. It is also the series' first race of this year; this occurrence is virtually unique in sports, which tend to possess championships or other significant events in the end of the year rather than the beginning. Since 1995, U.S. tv ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of this year, surpassing the traditional leader, the Indianapolis 500 which then greatly surpasses the Daytona 500 in in-track attendance and global viewing. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth biggest average live international TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers.
The event serves as the final event of Speedweeks and is sometimes referred to as"The Great American Race" or the"Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing." All of 56 Daytona 500s since the first race in 1959 have been held in the month of February. By 1971-2011, it had been associated with Labour Day weekend, taking place on the Sunday prior to the third Monday in February. For 2012, the race was pushed back a week, to the last Sunday of February. Because of inclement weather states on February 26, the day the 2012 Daytona 500 was supposed to be held, the race has been postponed until the day of Monday, February 27, and it wasn't until the 2013 Daytona 500, which was held on February 24 of that year, the race took place on the last Sunday of February for the first time.
The winner of the Daytona 500 is introduced together with all the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane, and the winning car is displayed, in race-winning condition, for a single year in Daytona 500 Expertise, a museum and gallery adjacent to Daytona International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is your race's defending champion after winning it in 2014.