On February 22, 1959, Daytona International Speedway hosted the first Daytona 500. Fifty nine cars took place in the first race of the 200 mile contest, with a contest payment of 67,760 for the winner. Fifty years later, the Daytona 500 is NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race. Every year, the Daytona 500 is the start of the Nascar season. “The Great American Race” always has a sellout crowd has the highest total payout in motorsports surpassing the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. In 2007, over 18 million dollars was given out to all the drivers, and the winner Kevin Harvick, won 1.5 million of that money. http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/News/DAYTONA-500-History.aspx

2010 marks the beginning of new racing for Nascar. For the first time in history, Danica Patrick, a woman, will be racing in Nascar. She will begin her career in Nascar by racing at the Daytona 500 that takes place February 14th, 2010 in Daytona, Florida. http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/News/DAYTONA-500-History.aspx

For those of you who are unable to watch it on TV, or do not have a television, there are still options for you to watch the race. Nascar.com allows fans to sign up on their website and get full streaming of the entire race on their computers. There is a fee with the sign up but it gives you the full year of Nascar coverage on your computer. http://espn.go.com/broadband/espn360/index Also, ESPN 360 allows you to sign up to watch a variety of sports live on your computer. It covers the big four sports along with tennis, Nascar, golf and many more. Again, There is a small fee involved but it will allow you to watch the race in its entirety. This may be better for sports fans who want to watch more than just Nascar. www.nascar.com