Time Traveling to the 1959 Daytona 500

         Before I put this story down, I want to give a little backstory to it. In my English II class, we read "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. It was an excellent story about dinosaur hunting in the past. If you have not read it, I definitely recommend it. After we finished reading the story, my teacher asked us to write a paper about what we would do if we traveled back in time and why. After sorting through five topics, I decided to write about going back and seeing the 1959 Daytona 500. Here is the story for you guys.

       Many people talk about time travel. Whether it be a great period in history, a gone, but not forgotten time, or somebody they wish they knew, time travel interests everybody. I had the same dreams, but it wasn't for the same thing that most people dreamed about. I wished that I could see and relive one of the greatest NASCAR races ever, the 1959 Daytona 500. Using time travel, I was able to achieve this dream.


I time traveled to February 22, 1959, the day of the race. When I arrived, it was early morning and a cool breeze was blowing across the track. My adventure began in the infield of the track. Instead of being a fan in the stands, I decided to be a fan and a part of the race. My part in the race was working for Lee Petty as a tire changer. Lee Petty, who is the father of Richard Petty, was one of the best drivers at the time. As my job in the infield finished, I moved along to the pit wall to get ready to change tires for the event.

I sat along the pit wall and made two goals for the race. My first goal was to lead Lee Petty to a win in the race. Even though he had won the race in the time I had left from, there was no guarantee that he would win in the time I was in. My second goal was to watch the entire race. While I was not changing tires, I sat and vigorously cheered on my driver. As the race neared the end, I realized that both of my goals might reach fruition.

With 50 laps to go, Lee took the lead for the first time. From there on out, Lee and fellow competitor  Johnny Beauchamp, would battle it out for the win. On the last lap, Petty and Beauchamp raced close and it was a dead heat at the line. No one knew who had won the race, which forced NASCAR to find evidence of the finish. A few days later, NASCAR received a picture of the finish. Because of this picture, NASCAR was able to prove that Lee won the race. All the guys got together and celebrated our win in the first Daytona 500. I traveled back to the present after the celebration and, in retrospect, I wouldn't change anything about one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history.

The idea and use of time travel chases some people away. I used to be chased away by the thought of it, but now I realize that time travel helped me achieve one of my dreams. The 1959 Daytona 500 still lingers in most peoples' thoughts. Now, I can say that I was part of the beginning of a legend that is now known as the Daytona International Speedway.