Daytona Beach is still the center of the racing universe twice a year, but for 60 years, there was a third time of year on or around the Fourth of July. For many of those years, the race was known ...

The Daytona race ran July 4 every year from 1959 until 1987. After that, the race was scheduled mostly on the first Saturday in July, so it still had an Independence Day flavor.

Reagan landed and watched as Petty drove to his 200th victory, a record that remains unmatched in NASCAR history. They dined on Kentucky Fried Chicken in the garage area, where they were ...