USAC Daytona 100

USAC officials visited the Daytona International Speedway while it was still under construction.[10] The officials were impressed by the facility, and expected very high speeds.[12] Immediately, comparisons were being made to the Race of Two Worlds which was held at Monza in 1957 and 1958. The one-lap record in a Championship Car was set on the Monza oval by Tony Bettenhausen at a speed of 177.045 mph. Speeds at Daytona were expected to rival those seen at Monza.[10] The qualifying track record at the Indianapolis 500 was held by Dick Rathmann (145.974 mph) from 1958, meaning speeds at Daytona were predicted to be over 30 mph faster than Indy.

Henry Banks was named the new competition director at USAC for 1959.[12] Banks toured Daytona with Tom Binford and others, inspecting the safety features and named Harlan Fengler as the chief steward for the race.[12]

Upon completion of the Daytona International Speedway, Bill France wanted some USAC Championship Car teams to conduct exhibition speed runs during Speedweeks as a way to promote the new facility.[13] USAC declined to conduct a full-field exhibition,[12] but permitted teams the option to participate in a series of unofficial "familiarization runs" during Speedweeks.[14] Car owner Chapman S. Root of nearby Ormond Beach was the first to express interest in participating.[9][15] Three other teams were expected to test as well.[16]

Root arrived at the track with the Sumar Streamliner, a modified Indy roadster with streamlined body and a canopy top.[17] The driver was to be Marshall Teague, a former NASCAR and AAA/USAC Stock Car driver turned Champ Car driver.[18] On Monday February 9, Teague made his first practice laps, turning a total of nine laps.[19] His best lap was 171.821 mph. It was the fastest single lap ever run on a closed circuit in the United States.[20][21]

On Tuesday February 10, the crew changed the gearing in the transmission,[22] and dropped the car's ride height to lower its center of gravity and prepared to make another speed run.[23] Teague ran about 10 to 15 laps in the 170 mph range, before being called in by the crew due to gusty winds. His fastest lap had been 170.06 mph, slightly below his mark set the day before. In addition, tire technicians observed something wrong with the left rear tire, and wanted him to return to the pits immediately.[24] The crew discovered a cut tire, presumably from running over a piece of debris, and a protruding innertube, and called off practice for the day.[25]

On Wednesday February 11, Marshall Teague returned to the track in the Sumar Streamliner to make another speed record attempt. Shortly after 12:00 p.m., Teague completed three laps around the track, and was gradually working his car up to speed. After laps timed at 128.42 mph, and 160.25 mph, Teague entered turns one and two on his fifth lap. The rear end of the car drifted out, and the nose of the car dipped and dug down into the pavement. The car started flipping wildly down the track, gouging chunks of asphalt, and littering debris. The plastic canopy top was broken off, and the seat was thrown from the car with Teague still buckled in the harness. Teague was killed instantly of a fractured skull.[26][27][28] Less than two weeks after the track opened, Teague became the first driver to be killed in a crash at Daytona.

Despite the fatal crash of Marshall Teague, USAC officials decided it was not necessary to call off the April Championship Car races.[29] The test session resumed on Thursday February 12. Two cars were at the track being prepared, but neither took any laps on Thursday. Car owner Art Lathrope had a Smokey Yunick-prepared Kuzma/Offenhauser roadster with driver Jim Rathmann. The other car was a Nisonger/Chevrolet sports car owned by Bill Sadler, with driver Bob Said. USAC did not permit Said to drive on Thursday, pending a safety inspection.[30]

On Friday February 13, Jim Rathmann took to the track, turning a lap of 170.06 mph. Rathmann compared the track to Monza, where he had been victorious in the Race of Two Worlds. Champ Car testing was put on hold for a week, in order to allow NASCAR exclusive use of the track for the next several days. Rathmann planned to return for one last attempt at a record.[31] Meanwhile, Lee Petty would go on to win the Inaugural Daytona 500.

The final day of Champ Car testing was held on Thursday February 19. Brothers Jim and Dick Rathmann were on hand, planning to take turns in the Kuzma//Offenhauser. Both were aiming at Marshall Teague's track record from the previous week, and likewise hoping to set a closed-course speed record.[32] Both drivers took hot laps, but neither were fast enough to eclipse Teague's lap time, hampered largely due to strong, gusty winds. Car owner Art Lathrope, in fact, instructed his drivers not to go all out, not wanting anyone to risk getting injured. He was confident that when they returned in March, with more preparation, speeds would be up another 10 mph. Dick Rathmann was the fastest of the day at 170.65 mph, and Jim Rathmann had a best lap of 166.11 mph.[33]

In early March, two-time National Champion Tony Bettenhausen headlined the list of entries received for the race. As many as thirty entries were expected.[34]

Practice and testing for the Championship Cars began on Wednesday March 25. A total of 27 cars were officially entered and many were already arriving in the garage area. In order to allow drivers to familiarize themselves to the course, USAC chief steward Harlan Fengler imposed a 150 mph speed limit for each driver during their first ten laps. The next ten laps could be run at 160 mph. The speed limit was put in place as a safety precaution.

Elmer George was one of the drivers who took laps in Wednesday, turning a fast lap of 155.17 mph. Jim Rathmann took to the track in a specially-modified Kurtis-Kraft roadster prepared by Ray Nichels. The car had a 370 in³ Pontiac V8 engine. The test run was arranged by Firestone in order to test high speed tires. Rathmann clocked a fast lap of 172.80 mph, setting a new unofficial track record, eclipsing the lap turned in by Marshall Teague back in February.[38]

Dick Rathmann completed a practice lap at 170.26 mph in the Sumar Special owned by Chapman Root. Jim Rathmann took laps in the Simoniz Special owned by Lindsey Hopkins. Elmer George (167.22 mph) also was out on the track.[39]

High winds kept the speeds down until late in the afternoon. Dick Rathmann turned the fastest lap at 173.01 mph, the fastest lap of the week thus far. Coming into the pits, Rathmann spun around three times, but did not make any contact. A total of five cars took the track, the others included Rodger Ward, Eddie Sachs, Don Branson, and Bill Cheesbourg.[40][41]

The first day of qualifying was held on Saturday March 28. A total of eight cars completed qualifying attempts, with Dick Rathmann (173.210 mph) winning the pole position with a new track record. His brother Jim Rathmann (172.018 mph) qualified second and would sit alongside on the front row.[42] Of the eight cars, six were roadsters, while two (Branson and Sachs) were converted dirt cars.

Three other cars took to the track for practice, but did not attempt to qualify. The only reported incident of the day involved Tony Bettenhausen. During a practice run, a radiator hose blew, enveloping the car in steam.[43]

At the beginning of qualifying, the entry list was finalized at 26 Champ Cars (one car was withdrawn). No additional cars were entered for the Formula Libre race, therefore the same qualifying results and starting lineup for the Champ Car race would be used for the Formula Libre race.[42] Carroll Shelby had intended to enter a 4.5-liter Maserati sports car in the Formula Libre race, but after a lack of adequate practice time, he decided to race in the endurance race on Sunday only.[44]

The second day of qualifying was scheduled for Sunday March 29, which was Easter Sunday. Rain prompted officials to cancel qualifying for the day, but the track dried sufficiently in the afternoon to allow for practice runs. Going down the backstretch, Bob Veith lost control from what he believed to be a wind gust. The car spun and skidded for about 300 yards, then hit and ran up the outside guardrail. The car flipped over, slid 200 yards upside-down, then spun to the grassy infield where it righted itself. Veith suffered shoulder abrasions, and head lacerations, and his helmet was worn from where it scraped along the asphalt pavement. Though not critically injured, Veith would spend the night in the hospital, and his wrecked car was withdrawn.[45] Veith credited the roll bar with saving his life, a new safety requirement introduced by USAC for 1959.[46] It was later determined that a mechanic neglected to remove the starter shaft from the nose of the car. The shaft went against the steering linkage, and made the car uncontrollable, resulting in the crash.[47]

After losing track time on Sunday due to rain, officials announced that the second day of qualifying would be held on Monday March 30. Rain once again kept the track closed in the morning, but the track dried and was opened for qualifying by 2:00 p.m. Officials noticed the ideal conditions, and decided to take advantage of the cool temperatures and calm winds. A record-setting day saw five more cars added to the starting field. George Amick became the fastest qualifier in the field, with a new track record of 176.887 mph. As a second day qualifier, Amick would line up on the inside of the fifth row. Amick's lap was just short of breaking the all-time one lap record for a Championship Car (177 mph) set at Monza during time trials for the Race of Two Worlds.[48][49] In addition, Amick's Daytona International Speedway competition track record would stand until 1967.

Pat Flaherty took his first laps around the track on Tuesday March 31, driving for John Zink. Flaherty was quickly up to speed, turning in laps of over 160 mph. Pole position winner Dick Rathmann took his Sumar Special out for a practice ran, and turned a lap at almost 171 mph before deciding to come in. Rathmann had been instructed by chief mechanic Johnny Blouch to "take it easy."[37]

Tony Bettenhausen, who qualified the Racing Associates Special on Monday, announced that he did so with a "sick" engine. Smokey Yunick announced that the engine was being torn down and rebuilt in time for Saturday's race.[37]

Rain washed out a significant amount of the track activity on Wednesday April 1. Some Championship Car drivers took practice laps, including Pat Flaherty, who ran at over 156 mph. Johnny Thomson's car was expected to arrive from the west coast, and he was expected to make a qualifying attempt on Thursday.[50]

All time trials for the sports car race were postponed until Thursday due to rain.[50]

The third day of qualifying was scheduled for Thursday April 2. Rain in the morning and most of the afternoon, however, washed out time trials for the Championship Cars. The remainder of qualifying was postponed until Friday. Late in the afternoon, the track dried sufficiently enough to allow a one-hour practice session for the sports car race.[51] A total of fifteen cars took to the track, led by Carroll Shelby. Dick Rathmann, driving a Pontiac-Maserati brushed the guardrail coming out of turns one & two. The car suffered only minor damage, and Rathmann was uninjured.[52]

The final day of practice and time trials was scheduled for Friday April 3.[53] After several days of rain and windy conditions, the weather on Friday was ideal for track activity. A total of seven drivers qualified, filling the field to twenty cars, but the attention of the day focused on two crashes involving Jerry Unser and Al Keller, respectively.[54]

During a practice run, Jerry Unser lost control in turns three–four. At a speed of about 155 mph, the car hit a bump in the pavement, and the back end came around, sending the car down to the apron. The car hit the apron, got airborne briefly, then shot upwards across the track tail-first.[54][55] The car slid and hit the outside guardrail with the left side. The car came to rest in the infield grass losing the hood in the process. Unser was taken to the hospital with minor back injures. The car was badly damaged and withdrawn. Earlier in the day, Al Keller spun in the tri-oval segment of the track, near the start/finish line. After completing a lap at over 165 mph, Keller claims to have hit a rise in the pavement, and lost control. Observers say the car was running a very high line on the track. The car slid for 1,250 feet, and looped around at least four times in the infield grass, splashing puddles of water and mud.[55] The car remained upright, and Keller was not injured.[54]

The final round of time trials saw A. J. Foyt as the fastest qualifier of the day. Foyt ran two identical laps of 168.919 mph, which placed him in the inside of row seven. Pat Flaherty ran a purported first lap of over 172 mph, but the electric eye was not turned on properly. His second lap was cut short by a broken fuel line. Later in the day Flaherty made a second attempt, but with the engine running on only three cylinders, could only manage a lap of 145.773 mph. Only 19 cars completed attempts, with Jimmy Davies unable to go out due to mechanical problems. Officials announced that Davies would be permitted to start the race in the 20th starting position provided the crew was able to make repairs.[54]

Despite the good weather, due to the two crashes and other minor delays, time ran out to hold time trials for the sports car endurance race. Instead, officials decided to line the cars up in order of engine size, with the largest machines at the front.[55][56]

• Jerry Unser (#52) — Practice crash; injured
• Bob Veith (#52) — Practice crash; injured
• Mike Magill (#77) — Did not qualify
• Chuck Arnold (#71) — Did not qualify
• Paul Russo (#75) — Car driven by Tony Bettenhausen
• Bob Said (#95) — Car driven by Bill Randall
• Tony Bettenhausen (#1) — Did not appear; withdrawn

At the start, Jim Rathmann took the lead from the outside of the front row and led the first six laps. On lap 5, Tony Bettenhausen brushed the outside guardrail at the exit of turn two. Bettenhausen continued for one additional lap, then pulled into the pits with leaking fluid from the radiator. He dropped out of the race with an oil leak, and vowed never to drive another lap at Daytona, declaring "one mistake here and you're done." Also dropping out early were Len Sutton and Eddie Sachs, both with engine problems.

Rodger Ward took the lead from laps 7–11. Jim Rathmann reassumed the lead on lap 12, setting a blistering, record-setting pace. Rathmann claimed the slipstream slingshot his car ahead of Ward, despite believing that Ward's car might have been running better. Ward stated that he lacked the practice time that Rathmann had on the course, and was reluctant to open up his car to its full potential. Even Rathmann claimed he was trying to take things easy, and despite leading and setting such a fast pace, he was not going as fast as he believed he could have. Rathmann and Ward ran 1st-2nd through the remainder of the race, pulling away from the rest of the field.

On lap 28, Dempsey Wilson crashed in turn two. He went too low in the turn, and the back end slid out. He tagged the guardrail, skidded and looped around. Wilson was not injured, but his car was damaged and would have to be withdrawn from the Formula Libre race afterwards.

On the final lap, Jim Rathmann led Rodger Ward. Over a half-lap behind was Bob Christie in third and George Amick in fourth. Further behind was Dick Rathmann in fifth. As Jim Rathmann and Ward were approaching the checkered flag, the spectacular and breathtaking race appeared to be completed without serious incident. However, at the same instant, a horrific crash occurred on the backstretch, taking the life of George Amick.

Coming out of turn two, Bob Christie and George Amick were battling for 3rd-4th on their 40th and final lap. Amick's car was caught by a gust of wind, and begin to slide, striking the outside guardrail at the start of the backstretch. The car ripped out a 50-foot section of guardrail, shearing eight of the wooden support posts, and flipped airborne. The car sailed in the air for 75 feet, hit the ground, flipped again, and sailed another 60 feet. The car then barrel-rolled about ten times down the backstretch, coming to rest upright in the grass over 500 feet down the track. The magnesium wheels scraping along the pavement showered sparks and flames of "rainbow colors," and debris rained all over the course. The fuel tank, however, remained intact.

Dick Rathmann was trailing about 50 feet behind Amick when the crash occurred. Rathmann veered low and avoided the crashing car, and escaped unscathed. Jim Packard also skirted by the scene. Bill Cheesbourg was running behind Amick, and spun his car to the infield grass to avoid the crash. Cheesbourg slid about 700 feet, but did not make contact. He ran to Amick's aid, but when he arrived at the mangled car, he walked away, realizing that Amick had been killed instantly.

Amick's mangled car came to rest upright, with Amick still strapped in the seat. The front end of the machine was wadded and twisted, and part of it was severed off. Both front wheels were sheared off, and debris littered the course. Amick suffered multiple fractures of the spine column, internal injuries, and the entire left side of his body was torn due to the multiple flips and scraping along the asphalt. The attending physician concluded that Amick was killed instantly.

The red flag was put out immediately, with Jim Rathmann the race winner and Rodger Ward finishing second. Those were the only two cars credited with completing the 40 laps. Rathmann's margin of victory was just over six seconds. All other cars were flagged off the track, and scoring reverted to the previous lap for the rest of the field. Bob Christie was credited with third, and Amick was scored fourth. Rathmann's blistering average speed of 170.261 mph was a new record for a Championship Car race, and also set a world closed-course record for 100 miles.

• Sources: The Indianapolis Star,[57][58][59] Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal,[60] The Talk of Gasoline Alley[61][62]

• Time of race — 35:14.40
• Average speed — 170.261 mph
• Lead changes — 2 between two drivers

• George Amick (#2) — Car withdrawn; fatally injured in crash in Champ Car race
• Eddie Sachs (#44) — Car withdrawn; engine suffered ignition failure in Champ Car race
• Len Sutton (#8) — Car withdrawn; engine suffered broken piston in Champ Car race
• Tony Bettenhausen (#75) — Driver withdrew; replaced in the car by Dempsey Wilson
• A. J. Foyt (#10) — Withdrew after first race
• Jud Larson (#4) — Withdrew after first race

• Time of race — 18:40.14
• Average speed — 160.694 mph
• Lead changes — 2 between two drivers

In January 1984, a secret Formula One Goodyear tire test was held on the Daytona International Speedway combined road course. Lotus and Williams were on hand to test out new F1 radial tires.[85][86][87][88] Nigel Mansell was one of the drivers that participated.

The IndyCar Series test utilized a modified version of the motorcycle short course.

On September 26–27, 2006, the IRL IndyCar Series held a compatibility test on the Daytona International Speedway combined road course. It was the first time Indy cars had driven at the track since 1959. The test was used to evaluate the track as a possible warm-weather testing venue (and perhaps a future racing venue), and also to test new engines for 2007.[89] The test utilized a 10-turn, 2.73-mile (4.39 km) road course layout, which was a modified version of the motorcycle short course. The series avoided the full 3.56-mile 24 Hours course due to concerns about speeds, and the abrupt transition out of turn two onto the backstretch.

Vítor Meira was the first driver on the track.[90] The other drivers that participated were Sam Hornish Jr., Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, and Dan Wheldon.[91]

No incidents were reported on the first day. On the second day, Sam Hornish Jr. spun in the chicane and backed into a tire barrier. Later in the day, Vítor Meira hit the SAFER Barrier at the exit of the chicane. Both drivers were uninjured.[92]

On the second day of the test, the drivers briefly experimented with a 12-turn 2.95-mile (4.75 km) layout, which slightly reworked part of the infield segment.[92] The teams, drivers, and officials were pleased with the successful results of the test, and were openly considering adding the track as a venue for open testing, and possibly a race in the future.[93]

On January 31-February 1, 2007, the IRL IndyCar Series returned for a second off-season compatibility test on the Daytona International Speedway combined road course. This test was held on the 10-turn, 2.73-mile (4.39 km) road course layout used the previous September, and featured seventeen drivers from nine different teams.[94]

On the first day, Scott Sharp was the first driver on the track. Hélio Castroneves led the practice speeds during the morning session (1:13.3254). Tony Kanaan set the fastest lap of the day, and of the test, during the afternoon session. Several drivers had off-track skids, but no major incidents were reported.[95]

On the second day, Hélio Castroneves set the fastest lap (1:12.6128) but did not eclipse the best lap from the day before. Scott Sharp was involved in the lone incident of the day. Exiting the chicane at the end of the backstretch, Sharp spun into a tire barrier, damaging the rear wing. Rain started falling at about 3:00 p.m., and all teams decided to park their machines for the rest of the day.[96]

The 17 drivers completed nearly 1,700 laps without major incident.[97] Tony Kanaan topped the session with the fastest single lap.[98] After the test, speculation began to grow about a possible IndyCar race in the future.[99] However, no official announcements were made.

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Speed
1	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green	1:12.239	135.549
2	3	Hélio Castroneves	Team Penske	1:12.354	135.335
3	10	Dan Wheldon	Target Chip Ganassi	1:12.412	135.226
4	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green	1:12.461	135.134
5	6	Sam Hornish Jr.	Team Penske	1:12.503	135.056
6	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	1:12.837	134.438
7	4	Vítor Meira	Panther Racing	1:12.993	134.149
8	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green	1:13.136	133.887
9	8	Scott Sharp	Rahal Letterman	1:13.373	133.456
10	17	Jeff Simmons	Rahal Letterman	1:13.481	133.260
11	55	Kosuke Matsuura	Panther Racing	1:13.621	133.006
12	22	A. J. Foyt IV	Vision Racing	1:13.723	132.821
13	2	Tomas Scheckter	Vision Racing	1:13.811	132.663
14	14	Darren Manning	A. J. Foyt Racing	1:14.112	132.124
15	15	Buddy Rice	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	1:14.314	131.766
16	7	Danica Patrick	Andretti Green	1:14.382	131.645
17	20	Ed Carpenter	Vision Racing	1:14.838	130.843

Since the 2007 test, the IndyCar Series to-date has not returned for another test at Daytona. Though the track was completely resurfaced in 2010, and numerous other safety improvements have been made in the years since, the series has not publicly expressed interest in returning.

• 1959 USAC Championship Car season
• 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship season

• 1959 Daytona 100 at ChampCarStats.com
• 1959 Daytona 100 at RacingReference.info
• 1959 Daytona Championship Car race at Ultimate Racing History
• 1959 Daytona Formula Libre race at Ultimate Racing History
• 1959 1000km Daytona Endurance race at Ultimate Racing History