The winner of the Daytona 500 has gone on to win the Winston Cup championship in the same season just once since 1979, when Jeff Gordon did it in 1997. Three others who won both in the same year are Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (1964, ’71, ’74 and ’79) and Cale Yarborough (1977).( St Petersburg Times )(2-18-2003)
