Events on February 22nd
Interesting and notable events from the history of motor sport.
1911
Bert Dingley drove a Pope-Hartford to victory in a 163.84 mile road race on the streets of Oakland, California.
Bert Dingley drove a Pope-Hartford to victory in the featured 163.84 mile AAA road race on streets and roads in Oakland. Charles Merz won a 152.9 mile race in a National and Charles Bigelow drove a Mercer to the win in a 98 mile race.
1926
Pete DePaolo won the inaugural race on the 1.25 mile board Miami-Fulford Speedway.
DePaolo's Duesenberg averaged 129.29 mph in the 300 mile AAA Championship race on the track, which had 50 degree banking. Tommy Milton turned a lap of 142.93 mph in qualifying. The track was designed by Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indy 500, and financed by Carl Fisher, who was involved in building the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It would be the only race on the speedway as it was destroyed by a hurricane in September.
1959
the inaugural Daytona 500 won by Lee Petty's in a photo finish with Johnny Beauchamp.
The inaugural Daytona 500 ended in a photo finish. Lee Petty's Olds and Johnny Beauchamp's T-Bird split the lapped Chevy of Joe Weatherly as all three crossed the finish line. Beauchamp, the Harlan, Iowa IMCA star, was declared the unofficial winner and went to victory lane. It took newsreel footage viewed 61 hours later for Bill France to declare Petty the victor. The race was also open to Convertibles with Joe Lee Johnson's Chevy the highest placed ragtop in 16th. 7 drivers swapped the lead 33 times in the caution free event at an average speed of 135.521 mph.
1959
Alec Mildren won the 50 mile Victorian Trophy race at Fishermen's Bend in a Cooper-Climax.
LOST THIS YEAR
