1961 Daytona 500

Marvin Panch wins the third running of the Daytona 500 held on February 26, 1961. Noticeably absent from the race was both Lee Petty and his son Richard who were injured in their respective qualifying races. Lee suffers life threatening injuries in his wreck and the inaugural winner of the Daytona 500 would never race the high banks of Daytona again. Fireball Roberts is the fastest qualifier and is leading the field by a full lap when his engine lets go with just 13 laps to go. Marvin Panch inherits the lead and goes on to his only Daytona 500 victory.

Time of race: 3:20:32
Average Speed: 149.601 mph
Pole Speed: 155.709 mph
Cautions: none
Margin of Victory: 16 sec
Attendance: 51,287
Purse: $21,050