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The most memorable Daytona 500s

The Daytona 500 is American stock car racing's biggest event the jewel in NASCAR's crown. AUTOSPORT's Charles Bradley guides you through his 10 most memorable Daytonas

Charles Bradley Feb 11, 2010, 5:05 PM

10. The legend of 'Tiny' Lund (1963)

In a real-life Hollywood script scenario, DeWayne 'Tiny' Lund won the 1963 Daytona 500 in truly remarkable circumstances. Just 10 days before the race, he didn't have a drive and was working the paddock when top driver Marvin Panch crashed his Birdcage Maserati while tyre testing for the 24-hour race.

His car crashed on the banking, rolled over and burst into flames. Lund, a gentle giant of a man who stood six-feet, six-inches and had served in the Korean war, was one of five people who disregarded their own safety to rescue Panch from the inferno. He was subsequently awarded the Carnegie Medal of Honour.

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Author Charles Bradley

Charles Bradley is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor in Chief. After spending five years in the aerospace industry in his native North Wales, while working weekends as a freelance writer at racetracks around the UK, Charles joined the staff of Motoring News in the heart of London. He transferred to the nascent Autosport.com team in 2000 before transitioning to the magazine, becoming its Editor between 2011 and 2014. Charles then upped sticks to work in America, as Motorsport.com’s Editor in Chief, where he created the multi-national and multi-lingual editorial team that quickly became the world’s most-read motorsport website. He was instrumental in delivering three of the biggest Global F1 Fan Surveys in sports history and is also a multiple award-winning scriptwriter. Charles is an overseas member of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife Helen – and a cat that’s named after Serbia’s top football club.