The 1959 Daytona 500 was a Grand National (now Sprint Cup) event held at Daytona International Speedway on February 22, 1959. Johnny Beauchamp was given credit for the victory in the inaugural Daytona 500 in a thrilling photo finish. But three days later, NASCAR gave eventual season Lee Petty the victory after an infamous photograph of the finish was published, showing Petty clearly out front. Stats