1959 Daytona 500

Motor racing had been taking place on Daytona beach for decades prior to the construction of the massive 2.5 mile Daytona super speedway. American and world land speed record attempts had taken place on the beach since 1902, with the first fatality occurring just three years later. The Daytona beach was long and the sand reasonably smooth, while the Florida air offered gobs of horsepower producing oxygen.

But it was also a dangerous place at speed, with just a narrow strip of sand to funnel down, and unpredictable winds. When the British began arriving to attempt their record runs, they brought with them enormous aero engined monsters that were a little less susceptible to the winds. Record attempts at Daytona came to a head by 1928, when Sir Malcolm Campbell, Ray Keech, and Frank Lockhart all attempted to oust each other on the sands, the outcome being a new world record for Lockhart (beating the just days old record set by Campbell), who then suffered a blown tyre as he sped across the measured mile. His car steered hard left, flipped, and disintegrated around him, killing him instantly. From there, the flat expanse of the Bonneville salt flats in Utah became the place of choice for most record attempts.

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