When two cars flashed across the finish line together at the Daytona 500 two weeks ago, modern camera technology captured the moment, leaving no doubt that Denny Hamlin had won by a nose.
The race brought back memories of another photo finish: in the first Daytona 500, in 1959. Built to be the largest stock car track in the United States and to rival Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway was a work in progress then, reflecting the primitive nature of Nascar, a Southern-based organization founded 11 years earlier.
The first Daytona 500 may only have appeared to be won by a nose.