We asked you to tell ESPN.com what you considered the best Daytona 500 and you responded. The results were mixed, but a few 500s obviously stood out as memorable for thrilling finishes, who won the race, or how the race was won. We'll keep the mailbox open all the way up to this year's Daytona 500. So, click here, to tell us what you consider the best Daytona 500.
"My favorite Daytona 500 would have to be the 1998 race. Not only because Dale Earnhardt won it and I am a fan of his, but because of the respect he received after the win. The other teams came on to pit road in numerous amounts along with the media and fans -- not necessarily Earnhardt fans. To me that just shows how much respect is given to those that have truly earned it, and with winning the one race that had eluded Earnhardt throughout his career, that will always stick out in my mind as not only one of the greatest Daytona 500 moments, but as one of NASCAR's greatest moments.
Jeff Storey
Americus, Ga.
"The race I will always remember is 1998 when Earnhardt won for the first time. Even if you weren't an Earnhardt fan, you still had to feel pretty good that he finally got rid of that question of when was he going to win. The last 20 laps were all out and no one held back anything. Bobby Labonte charging to the front then sliding back and coming back to second. Spencer hitting the wall and he still kept going and then Dale using Mast to take the checkered flag. And how about the line of people to congratulate him for winning? No one in the history of racing has ever had a celebration like that. I think everyone that was in pit road came out to shake his hand. To me that will always be the best one, although last year's was pretty good, it will not be remembered as (much) as Dale's trip to victory lane."
James Barajas
Newport News, Va.
"1998, by far, is the best 500 ever. Not just because I am a Dale Earnhardt fan, it's just that it was the start of a damn good 50th Anniversary season. Back to the fact I am an Earnhardt fan, I cried like a baby when the caution came out on lap 198. I yelled to the top of lungs because not only was it the end of a 20-year struggle for him, it was the end of a 13-year struggle for me. 1985 was the first year I began to follow Winston Cup racing. Year in and year out, I agonized when the harsh realization hit that another year goes by without an Earnhardt win in the 500. So I must admit it was the victory, the emotion, and the relief that Dale finally got his Daytona 500 win. Like Mike Joy said, 'It's not how many times he been here, it's how close he's been so many times.' That is why I believe that the 1998 edition of the Great American Race was the best."
Kenneth Price
Granite Falls, N.C.
"I really believe the 1998 Daytona 500 was the best ever. The first race I went to was the Pepsi 400. Earnhardt won it and I've been a fan of him ever since. Every year I would watch the Daytona 500, getting out of my seat and praying that this would be the year for Earnhardt. Every 199th lap, Earnhardt would be there in the top 2 or 3 and my knuckles would be so white. This was the same in 1998, and finally at the end of the 200 lap I wasn't turning away in disgust, but I was jumping up and down in joy that, 'Yes, Earnhardt finally won the one race which had alluded him for so long.' Seeing him role down pit road and every pit crew giving him high fives was an incredible sight. There was a huge smile on my face from the moment Earnhardt got the checked flag to finally going to sleep Sunday night. Definitely, Earnhardt's win in 1998 was the best Daytona 500 EVER!"
Jon Goodman
Palm Coast, Fla.
"My favorite Daytona race was the 1998 500. I am a huge Earnhardt fan and all through the race I was
on the edge of my seat. One of the most heart wrenching moments was the final pit stop and Dale Earnhardt went to
pit as did everyone else. It was so tense that my family turned off the TV because we could not bare to watch, and
then we found he came out first with Skinner right behind. Then after watching Earnhardt as he cruised around the track and watched as he blocked all comers that tried to take his spot of first. The best part was when he first blocked
Labonte using Rick mast and then after he won, he did doughnuts in the infield. That was the greatest Daytona
race off all-time!"
Phil Lindemann
Shelburne
"I've been going to Daytona since 1978, but the 1998 Daytona 500 is one I won't forget. I have never seen people stand as long, cheer or boo as loud, or hang out so long after a race to watch, gather their thoughts, or whatever. It was like we were glued to the grandstand. I also have never seen all the pit crews, officials, media, etc., congratulate the winner like they did. It was so cool and something I will never forget."
Bob Gordon
Morris, Ill.
"My favorite Daytona 500 was in 1989 when Darrell Waltrip finally shook the monkey off his back by winning in his 17th try.
He won it the way he won most of his 82 victories, with patience and fuel economy. After staying near the middle
of the pack most of the race, he slowly moved to the front in the final 50 laps. All of the leaders had to pit
in the last 15 laps. Everyone thought it would come down to a race between Earnhardt and Schrader, who were second
and third at the end. But old DW stretched the gas mileage, didn't have to pit, and ended up in victory lane doing the 'Waltrip Shuffle.' "
Zach Anderson
Greenville, S.C.
"Many 500's stand out in everyone's mind, from Person and Petty to Earnhardt winning his first 500. But the one that stands out in my mind is the 1988 race. Bobby Allison's last win and following him to the checkered flag in second, his son, the late Davey Allison. Father and son, and two of the best drivers ever in Winston Cup. That has to be my favorite Daytona 500."
Travis Reynolds
Roanoke, Va.
"I must say one of the best Daytona 500 was last year. I am only 16, but have been going since before I was born and I think last year was one of the best. I had goose bumps the last 50 laps. Other great Daytona 500 include 1997 when Jeff Gordon came back from almost going a lap down to win the race with less then 100 laps left. And who can forget 1989 when DW won."
Kyle Dealaman
Warren
"The 1976 Daytona 500 was my first trip to Daytona and my favorite race. The final laps of the race will always be remembered.
When Pearson and Petty were on their last lap and coming out of Turn 4. The first impact occurred slightly to my left. They touched the wall directly in front of my seats. As the cars went sideways and smoked their tires, you could only hear the metal and hardly see through the smoke that Petty was spinning onto the grass and Pearson was limping across the finish line. This year will be my 16th Daytona 500."
Bob
Cape May Courthouse, N.J.
"I don't think last year's Daytona 500 will be forgotten too soon. Jeff Gordon took a HUGE chance when he passed Rusty Wallace on the apron of the track with Ricky Rudd down there. Then, arguably two of the best restrictor-plate racers, Gordon and Earnhardt, went at it until the end, with Gordon holding off a charging Earnhardt. What a finish."
Dawn Petraitis
Bath, Pa.
"It would be tough to pick, but the one moment that stands out in Daytona history for me would be 1991. Ernie Irvan's pass of pre-race favorites Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison to win capped off an incredible race (pre-race tribute to the Gulf War fighters, incredibly insane pit rules -- no tire changes under yellow, and odd-even pit stops -- a long stretch of green, followed by rapid yellows), in which Earnhardt and Allison crashed at the end."
Johnnie Kacsala
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
"My favorite Daytona 500 has to be 1997 when Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven finished 1-2-3 in the Great American Race for car owner Rick Hendrick, who was recovering from cancer. That's why I think the 1997 Daytona 500 is the Greatest American Race."
Aaron Gardipee
Milwaukee, Wis.
"My favorite 500 was in 1989, because I never thought that Darrell Waltrip would actually do it. There had been so much press about him not being able to win the 'big one' that I started to believe it. I remember him deciding to stretch the mileage and drafting off of anyone near him. Those last few laps seemed to drag on forever. But he finally made it to the checkers, and I can still see him in Victory Lane doing the 'Icky Shuffle,' and asking if 'this is real.' I think it had the most drama of any 500 I have watched. No one knew how he had made the fuel last so long. I think the statement that sums it all up was one made by a WC official, that sounded something like this: 'I'd drink what's left in the tank for a nickel.'"
Andrew Coates
Carrboro, N.C.
"There are two. The first one is obvious: 1979, Donnie and Cale crashing each other out, Petty winning the race and the resulting 'fight in the infield' shown on national TV. The most vivid memory for me however is the Pearson-Petty duel and crash to the finish line of 1976."
Randy Murphy
Asheboro, N.C.
"I have been a NASCAR fan for about 10 years. I attended both the '95 and '99 Daytona 500s, with the latter one of the most exciting races period, let alone Daytona 500s! Three of us made the 18-hour drive from New Jersey to Florida and witnessed the greatest race I think I will ever see. Of course, my fiancee and I are Jeff Gordon fans, so we had a ball. Unfortunately for my future brother-in-law, Jeff Burton wrecked in that huge pile-up early in the race, so he didn't have as good a time. But we all agreed it was a trip we'll never forget, and probably do again!"
Anthony Bailey
Lincoln Park, N.J.
"Last year's Daytona 500. I am a relatively new NASCAR fan. When Jeff Gordon went down on the apron of the track in the last 10 laps of the race and almost took out Ricky Rudd trying to get around Rusty Wallace, I remember Ned Jarrett saying, 'Boy, it doesn't get any better than this!' And Jeff Gordon racing Dale Earnhardt to the finish just topped it all off. I was jumping up and down on my couch the entire last 10 laps of the race. Not just for Jeff Gordon, but for what I believe was the most exciting race I have ever seen. I recorded it on my VCR and have watched those last 10 laps several times since then."
Melissa Kinnaman
Denver, Colo.
"It was the 1979 race, not just for the great finish and fistfight, but for the fact that it was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 that my father and I watched and talked about for days. My friends at school and myself fell in love with NASCAR that day and I still love it today 21 years later."
Jim Hendrickson
Kirklin, Ind.
"Even though I'm from upstate N.Y. (Syracuse) and only 25, I'm a huge NASCAR fan since being very young and a big Bobby Labonte fan. My favorite Daytona 500 has to be Bill Elliott's dominating victory in 1985, (my then-favorite driver), and then again, actually, in 1987. However, the best may be in 1998, both for Dale Earnhardt's first and the fact Bobby Labonte was a horse hair from beating him had there been another 1/4 mile (which even Earnhardt knew!). The close finish was so exciting, even with my dislike for Earnhardt over the years, that it eclipsed the 1980 finish and all the great Yarborough, Petty, Parsons and Allison Daytonas!"
Thom Pierce
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
