Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevy, spoke of what it would mean to him to win the gold Daytona 500 trophy this year, marking the 50th running of this race. His voice became a bit nostalgic and his face showed the emotion that he couldn’t quite get into words as he attempted to share those feelings:

“…I went to Ward’s (Jeff’s brother) house, and his Daytona 500 trophy was in his house there. You know, I don’t know what it was about it…but I saw that trophy and it was like it was the first time I had ever seen it…that’s the biggest race you can possibly win in our sport. That’s something that no one can ever take away from him (Ward), and that’s something that he’ll always cherish and his family will. That’s a special thing. Any win is a big win, but when you can look at – if you look at a trophy like that and have that sitting in your house, that’s a different kind of win. It’s one of those that last forever, and it has so much meaning, the importance of it…The 50th anniversary only enlightens and enhances that. It would be really special.”

This year’s 500 will be a little more hyped up than normal, it’s the 50th running, so the trophy that everyone covets has been touched by King Midas…it’s now gold plated and draws even more ogling looks than it normally does. To have that on your trophy shelf would be more impressive than past years…if that’s even possible.

If you’ve ever been to a Daytona 500 race, you might have just a little bit of an idea of how that race is like no other. Sure, there’s the Brickyard and there’s Martinsville and all the other tracks that people swear are the best…but there is definitely something about Daytona. Maybe it’s the history, maybe it’s because it’s the first race of the season…but whatever it is, it’s a one of a kind.

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