Legends promoting next year's 50th Great American Race
By Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, David Pearson and Junior Johnson in one room ...
The legendary stories and memories exchanged between those names alone is enough to fill hundreds of pages in racing's history books.
And at least a few chapters were filled Thursday when the elite group of NASCAR's past Daytona 500 champions converged at Daytona International Speedway to celebrate next season's 50th running of the Great American Race.
"This is like one very special class reunion," said Andretti, who won the Daytona 500 in 1967. "You cherish moments like these to visit with a lot of your buddies that you've shared some time with over the years and that you looked up to and respected. I don't think we've ever really assembled together like this before. It's a special opportunity."
Longtime rivals on the track and now competing team owners in the Indy Racing League, Andretti and Foyt, sat at the same table and fielded questions about records they broke and marks they made in racing series worldwide.
Darrell Waltrip answered questions relative to past and present as the driver has gone from winning championships in the 1980s to weighing in on NASCAR news as a television commentator today.
The event was an opportunity for new-school NASCAR to meet old-school NASCAR as past Daytona 500 champions Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and most recently Kevin Harvick were also in attendance swapping stories with some of the greats.
Harvick, who in February edged Mark Martin by .020 seconds to mark the closest finish in Daytona 500 history since the advent of computer scoring, said he was overwhelmed to see so many iconic drivers in one room that span so many different eras.
"You walk up and you see Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt ... just knowing the history that you get to be around when you've won the Daytona 500 is something pretty special," he said. "And to know it is pretty special to them still is something neat."
Earnhardt, who won his Daytona 500 in 2004 in only his fifth start, said the event was an opportunity to see his favorite: Junior Johnson, a moonshine runner turned racer who ultimately became a successful car owner. He won the 1960 Daytona 500 by a margin of 23 seconds.
Johnson's mystique is a trait Earnhardt said he is drawn to.
"You just want to know more and more about him, because he don't always tell everyone the whole story, so there's a little bit of mystery about him," Earnhardt said. "But really all of them impress me, but I just like to look at them. I'm not much on walking up and talking to them. I just like shaking everyone's hands."
Though the drivers today are separated and spread out across the country and have moved on to different racing ventures, they share a common bond held only by a select group who have raced to victory off the high banks of Daytona and stood in Victory Lane of NASCAR's most famed race.
The pomp and circumstance for the past champions will continue Friday when Harvick, 1960 winner Johnson, 1970 winner Pete Hamilton, 1980 winner Buddy Baker and 1990 winner Derrike Cope participate in an honorary ceremony at Daytona USA.
Harvick will have his hands, right foot and signature immortalized in cement for the Daytona 500 Champion's Walk of Fame while former Daytona 500 champions Baker, Johnson, Cope and Hamilton will have their right foot immortalized in cement for the Goodyear Heritage of Daytona exhibit.
On Saturday, seven-time 500 winner Petty, three-time winner Allison, 1989 winner Waltrip, along with Johnson and Hamilton, will all participate in question-and-answer sessions with race fans.
"We hope our race fans enjoy these 50th Daytona 500 special activities during the Pepsi 400 weekend and make their plans to return next February for the most anticipated racing event in history," said Robin Braig, Daytona International Speedway president "These unique opportunities with these legendary drivers will give race fans a chance to look back on many of the great moments in the Great American Race."
By Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, David Pearson and Junior Johnson in one room ...
The legendary stories and memories exchanged between those names alone is enough to fill hundreds of pages in racing's history books.
And at least a few chapters were filled Thursday when the elite group of NASCAR's past Daytona 500 champions converged at Daytona International Speedway to celebrate next season's 50th running of the Great American Race.
"This is like one very special class reunion," said Andretti, who won the Daytona 500 in 1967. "You cherish moments like these to visit with a lot of your buddies that you've shared some time with over the years and that you looked up to and respected. I don't think we've ever really assembled together like this before. It's a special opportunity."
Longtime rivals on the track and now competing team owners in the Indy Racing League, Andretti and Foyt, sat at the same table and fielded questions about records they broke and marks they made in racing series worldwide.
Darrell Waltrip answered questions relative to past and present as the driver has gone from winning championships in the 1980s to weighing in on NASCAR news as a television commentator today.
The event was an opportunity for new-school NASCAR to meet old-school NASCAR as past Daytona 500 champions Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and most recently Kevin Harvick were also in attendance swapping stories with some of the greats.
Harvick, who in February edged Mark Martin by .020 seconds to mark the closest finish in Daytona 500 history since the advent of computer scoring, said he was overwhelmed to see so many iconic drivers in one room that span so many different eras.
"You walk up and you see Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt ... just knowing the history that you get to be around when you've won the Daytona 500 is something pretty special," he said. "And to know it is pretty special to them still is something neat."
Earnhardt, who won his Daytona 500 in 2004 in only his fifth start, said the event was an opportunity to see his favorite: Junior Johnson, a moonshine runner turned racer who ultimately became a successful car owner. He won the 1960 Daytona 500 by a margin of 23 seconds.
Johnson's mystique is a trait Earnhardt said he is drawn to.
"You just want to know more and more about him, because he don't always tell everyone the whole story, so there's a little bit of mystery about him," Earnhardt said. "But really all of them impress me, but I just like to look at them. I'm not much on walking up and talking to them. I just like shaking everyone's hands."
Though the drivers today are separated and spread out across the country and have moved on to different racing ventures, they share a common bond held only by a select group who have raced to victory off the high banks of Daytona and stood in Victory Lane of NASCAR's most famed race.
The pomp and circumstance for the past champions will continue Friday when Harvick, 1960 winner Johnson, 1970 winner Pete Hamilton, 1980 winner Buddy Baker and 1990 winner Derrike Cope participate in an honorary ceremony at Daytona USA.
Harvick will have his hands, right foot and signature immortalized in cement for the Daytona 500 Champion's Walk of Fame while former Daytona 500 champions Baker, Johnson, Cope and Hamilton will have their right foot immortalized in cement for the Goodyear Heritage of Daytona exhibit.
On Saturday, seven-time 500 winner Petty, three-time winner Allison, 1989 winner Waltrip, along with Johnson and Hamilton, will all participate in question-and-answer sessions with race fans.
"We hope our race fans enjoy these 50th Daytona 500 special activities during the Pepsi 400 weekend and make their plans to return next February for the most anticipated racing event in history," said Robin Braig, Daytona International Speedway president "These unique opportunities with these legendary drivers will give race fans a chance to look back on many of the great moments in the Great American Race."