The Daytona 500: The Thrill and Thunder of the Great American Race

The Daytona 500: The Thrill and Thunder of the Great American Race — page 7
Clearly high speeds and the beach's sandy surface were a dangerous combination Campbell's attempt was the last such recorded speed run at Daytona Thunder on the Beach The city of Daytona was determined to keep race fans coming back each year The city connected the beach course to the narrow two lane blacktop of Highway A1A creating a 3 2 mile oval racetrack Cars could race side by side on this beast of a track half sand half asphalt The first National Championship Beach and Road Race was held on March 6 1936 The racers faced unique challenges in the 250 mile race Changing from sand to asphalt and back again caused cars to spin and fishtail lose grip with the rear tires Windshields were coated with wet sand Highway A1A barely wide enough for two cars made passing an adventure Then the tide came in and the race was stopped The auto race had been a disaster Daytona turned to motorcycles which were better suited for the sandy course About 20 000 fans turned out for the first motorcycle race Big Bill's Vision Automobile racing at Daytona might have ended if it hadn't been for the fifth place finisher of the National Championship Beach and Road Race Big Bill France France convinced a local club to support another auto race in 1937 Auto racing at an improved beach course resumed until 1941 It stopped during World War II 1941 1945 then resumed in 1947 Drivers came for the Grand National races which were held on a newly lengthened 4 1 mile course Big Bill France moved to Daytona Beach Florida from Washington D C in 1935 As a teenager Bill used to skip school to race at a track in Maryland 10 THE DAYTONA 500