New Frontiers

IN THE '50s THERE WAS JUST DARLINGTON . THE PAVED, HIGH-BANKED 1.4-mile South Carolina track was the fastest on the Grand National circuit during NASCAR 's first decade, with winning speeds typically topping out at more than 90 miles per hour. But then Daytona International Speedway opened, in 1959, and a year later came kindred tracks in Atlanta , Charlotte and Hanford , Calif. NASCAR 's space age had begun. Like Darlington , all of the new venues allowed cars to run with stability at high speeds, encouraging drivers and manufacturers to push the outside of the envelope with greater horsepower and sleeker aerodynamics. The pursuit of pace was never more exciting, as increases in velocity came in large jumps. As the '60s began, average speeds on dirt tracks were typically around 60 or 70 miles per hour. But on the shiny new speedways, the cars' big V-8 engines began to take them far beyond those limits. By the time Talladega opened, in 1969, the 200-mph barrier was within reach. � With high speed a permanent part of the game, NASCAR initiated one of its first safety revolutions. In the years that followed, several measures were implemented to protect drivers: Fire-retardant suits became mandatory, gas tanks were replaced with impact-resistant fuel cells, and manufacturers strengthened their racing tires to prevent the blowouts that started many accidents. There was very little that was "stock" about the cars racing at the end of the '60s. NASCAR had entered a brave new world, leaving its dirt-track past in the dust.

DECADE AT A GLANCE

1959
THE FIRST Daytona 500 also has the closest finish, as Lee Petty edges Johnny Beauchamp—initially declared the winner before officials took three days to review race film—by a mere two feet. The winner's share of the prize money is $19,050.

1960
JUNIOR JOHNSON wins the second 500 with the slowest average speed in race history (124.74). Five months later Bud Moore and Jack Smith participate in a NASCAR first: They use a two-way radio system to communicate during the Firecracker 250 at Daytona.

1961
AFTER LEADING for 170 laps, Daytona Beach resident Glenn (Fireball) Roberts can't hold off Marvin Panch , whose victory in the 500 is his only win of the season.

1962
THIS YEAR the 144 laps Roberts leads after starting from the pole position are enough for him to hold off second-place finisher Richard Petty and earn the victory.

1963
INJURIES SUSTAINED from a fiery crash 10 days before the 500 sideline '61 winner Panch , so friend Tiny Lund drives in Panch 's place and wins the race—his first Cup victory—amid a crowded field of 50 cars.

1964
TAKING AFTER his father, Lee, a three-time Cup champion and inaugural 500 winner, Richard Petty wins his first Great American Race and first Cup title in the same year.

1965
THE FIRST driver to win more than $100,000 in a season, in '63, Fred (Golden Boy) Lorenzen adds $27,100 to his winnings by taking the checkered flag at the 500 two years later.

1966
DON'T CROWN him yet, but Petty is already turning in performances worthy of his future royal nickname, such as his second win at the 500, just a warmup for his record-setting 27-win spree in '67.