-1. Upon seeing Daytona International Speedway for the first time, driver Jimmy Thompson said, "There have been other tracks that separated the men from the boys. This is the track that will separate the brave from the weak after the boys are gone."

- 2. In 1959, Lee Petty was declared the inaugural 500 winner instead of Johnny Beauchamp after officials viewed newsreel footage for three days.

- 3. Paul Bass drove an Edsel convertible in 1959, the only appearance of an Edsel in NASCAR competition.

- 4. The 1959 race was run with no caution flags.

- 5. Daytona International Speedway has a seating capacity of 168,000 but estimated attendance is expected to reach 250,000 this year. The first 500 in 1959 attracted 42,000 fans.

- 6. Tiny Lund won in 1963 on one set of tires.

- 7. Also in 1963, Wendell Scott became the first black driver in the 500.

- 8. Richard Petty won the first of his record seven 500s in 1964.

- 9. "King Richard" will be the honorary starter for Sunday's milestone race.

- 10. Junior Johnson, 76, the one-time moonshine runner who won 50 races in NASCAR's top series, including the 500 in 1960, will drive the pace car.

- 11. The 24 living champions will serve as grand marshals, giving the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines."

- 12. The 1967 race was the only NASCAR win for racing superstar Mario Andretti.

- 13. David Pearson and Richard Petty crashed heading to the checkered flag in 1976, but Pearson crept across the finish line to win.

- 14. Janet Guthrie was the first female driver to qualify in 1977.

- 15. Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough fought in the 1979 race, the first 500 to be broadcast on national television.

- 16. Bobby Allison, at 50, held off his 25-year-old son, Davey, to win the first restrictor-plate race in 1988.

- 17. In 1961, England's Brian Naylor was the first foreign-born driver to compete in the 500.

- 18. Country singer Marty Robbins competed in the 1973 race.

- 19. In 1974, it was the Daytona 450 because NASCAR trimmed the distance of their races by 10 percent because of the energy crisis.

- 20. Buddy Baker, driving an Oldsmobile nicknamed "The Grey Ghost," won in 1980 with a record average speed of 177.602 mph.

- 21. Bill Elliott's 210.364 mph qualifying speed in 1987 set a record that still stands. He won that year and in 1985.

- 22. Darrell Waltrip did a version of the "Ickey Shuffle," a dance made popular by Bengals running back Ickey Woods, after winning in 1989.

- 23. Waltrip won in his 17th attempt, drove car No. 17, his daughter Jessica was 17 months old, it was Feb. 17 and he pitted in Stall 17.

- 24. Derrike Cope collected one of two career wins in 1990 when Dale Earnhardt cut a tire on the final lap.

- 25. TV commentator Ned Jarrett openly rooted for his son, Dale, to hold off Dale Earnhardt to win in 1993.

- 26. In 1998, competing teams and media lined up along pit road to congratulate Dale Earnhardt after he ended 20 years of frustration with his first Daytona 500 win.

- 27. Three years later, in 2001, Earnhardt died in a crash on Turn 4 of the final lap.

- 28. The next year, every driver in the field wore a HANS device, a restraint that could have saved Earnhardt's life.

- 29. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2004 Daytona 500, three years after his father died.

- 30. Leader Sterling Marlin hopped out of his car to work on the front fender during a red flag stop. He was penalized, paving the way for a Ward Burton victory in 2002.

- 31. The Great American Race is considered the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing, making it the only sport that starts with its top event.

- 32. Kevin Harvick started seventh in a green-white-checkered restart and beat sentimental favorite Mark Martin to the finish line by 0.002 seconds in last year's race.

- 33. Jamie McMurray has wrecked the past four seasons and his best finish in five years is 31st.

- 34. This year's champion will receive at least $1,445,250 from a record total purse of $18,689,231.

- 35. Lee Petty collected $19,050 for his win in the first 500 in 1959.

- 36. Team owners want their engineers and crew chiefs to have college degrees. Several universities offer motorsports as a major, paired with a NASCAR-specific curriculum.

- 37. NASCAR is considering raising the minimum age to become a Sprint Cup driver to 21 from 18.

- 38. George W. Bush was the first U.S. president to serve as grand marshal in 2004.

- 39. Movie stars as grand marshals: James Garner (1972), John Travolta (2003), Matthew McConaughey (2005), James Caan (2006) and Nicolas Cage (2007).

- 40. Buddy Baker said, "I only won the Daytona 500 once, but I won the Daytona 475 eleven times."

- 41. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Big Mo candy bars are being sold nationwide. R.M. Palmer makes the candy, which is named as a play on Junior's hometown of Mooresville, N.C.

- 42. Kasey Kahne, not Junior, will wear the Budweiser colors this season, and Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will split time in the No. 8 car.

- 43. Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin will be driving Toyotas at Joe Gibbs Racing, which adds additional power for the Japanese manufacturer.

- 44. Six NFL quarterbacks have been honorary starters: Ken Stabler (1977), Troy Aikman (1994), Jim Kelly (1995), Dan Marino (1998), Brett Favre (1999) and Terry Bradshaw (2001).

- 45. During Speedweeks, Daytona International Speedway sells 3,000 slices of pizza and enough hot dogs to circle the 2.5-mile speedway nearly three times.

- 46. Off-and-on NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett is a Hollywood stuntman and the godson of Paul Newman. He will be trying to qualify for the seventh time this week.

- 47. Four former Indianapolis 500 winners will be driving Sprint Cup cars: Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti.

- 48. Six drivers won their first Cup race in the 500: Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994) and Michael Waltrip (2001).

- 49. The winning driver is presented with a replica of the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane. This year, that trophy will be painted gold.

- 50. Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope said, "When you say you have a Daytona 500 win, that's like a Super Bowl ring."