Memorable and notable NASCAR firsts before Daytona Road Course races

Jimmy Florian won the first premier series race run on pavement in 1950, besting the field at Dayton Speedway in Ohio. The victory also was the first for a Ford in NASCAR's top series, and Florian scored another "first" that day by driving the race shirtless due to the hot, muggy weather. NASCAR would implement a rule against driving sans shirt in the future, and Florian was nicknamed "Shirtless" for the rest of his career.

Perhaps the most famous and impactful "first" was the inaugural running of the Daytona 500 in 1959. Lee Petty (No. 42) nudged his Oldsmobile past the No. 73 of Johnny Beauchamp at the line to win the event. The news was announced three days later after every angle of every available photograph was studied.

Darlington Raceway founder and builder Harold Brasington puts his arm around a clearly exhausted race winner Johnny Mantz after the first running of the Southern 500 in 1950. More than 80 cars showed up to qualify, and 75 cars made the field. The race took more than six-and-a-half hours, but it ushered in a brand-new era of NASCAR.

NASCAR returned to Watkins Glen International in 1986 after a 21-year absence from the road course, much to the delight of driver Tim Richmond. In the first race back at the famed road course, Richmond passed Darrell Waltrip late, then pulled away for one of his seven victories that year. NASCAR hasn't left since.

When Riverside International Raceway closed after the 1988 season, NASCAR tabbed Sonoma Raceway as its California road course. The first race in 1989 saw Ricky Rudd claim one of his 23 career NASCAR Cup Series wins and receive a couple of smooches in the process.

Yes, you can race stock cars at the Brickyard. NASCAR's first visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 saw Jeff Gordon win the inaugural race in a star-studded field, etching his name in the history books.

The first race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 1999 wasn't the final race of the year as it was from 2002-19, but it still crowned a champion. Tony Stewart won the race in what was his rookie year, but Dale Jarrett clinched the title in Atlanta the week before the season ended.

Ryan Blaney may have won the first race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in 2018, but the self-inflicted spin that took Jimmie Johnson out of the playoffs while fighting for the win with Martin Truex Jr. is a moment still talked about as Johnson's winless streak has now lasted more than three seasons.