Daytona 24 Hours - The Definitive History of America's Great Endurance Race (2nd Edition)

By: J. J. O' Malley . Published in 2009 , 2nd edition, hardcover

This newly updated edition adds five more chapters and scores of photographs to the book. Additional race results tables and an expanded index of drivers are also included.

When Daytona International Speedway was built in 1959, Bill France Sr. had much more than stock car racing in mind To give his sparkling facility international recognition, he tucked a unique road circuit inside the speedway and included sports car racing on the schedule.

The first event, the 1962 Daytona Continental, was only a three-hour race, but the circuit's staggering 31- degree banking intimidated visiting European drivers. Encouraged by the enthusiastic reception of the event, and spurred by the popularity of sports car racing through the Ford vs. Ferrari battle, France held the first Daytona 24 Hours in 1966.

Since then the annual February event has taken its place at the head of the international racing calendar. Virtually every major manufacturer has been involved at some point with full factory teams or through the efforts of enthusiastic privateers. Over the years, the event has attracted the great cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Jaguar, and many more, including a host of specialized chassis builders. Drivers who have competed in the event read as a who's who of international talent, including Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Mark Donohue, A. J. Foyt, Peter Gregg, Dan Gurney, Hurley Haywood, Phil Hill, Al Holbert, Gianpiero Moretti, Brian Redman, Pedro Rodriguez, the Unsers, and Bob Wollek.

With a foreword by five-time winner Hurley Haywood, 328 color and 94 black-and-white photos selected by Buz McKim, chief archivist for International Speedway Corporation, and a comprehensive drivers index with year-by-year race results compiled by noted motorsports historian Dr. Janos Wimpffen, longtime and new fans alike will savor the action in this ultimate guide to the Daytona 24.