The Daytona 500 -- NASCAR's greatest and most memorable race -- is held every February down at the Daytona international Speedway, a 2.5 mile long goal where some of the greatest racing in stock our history has taken place, and some of the most memorable tragedies (including the death of legendary racer Dale Earnhardt on the race's last lap). Known as the Super Bowl of stock car racing, every team and driver on the NASCAR circuit flights extremely hard to be in the Daytona 500. With last year's winner taking home a prize of over $1.5 million, it's easy to see why. All of these reasons are why sales of Daytona 500 tickets are astronomical.

The race has a proud history in NASCAR, with the first event being run in 1959. Additionally, the Daytona 500 is the series’ first race of the year, a situation which some might consider unusual but which is in perfect keeping with the sometimes valiant and sometimes quirky nature of NASCAR racing, which every single one of its fans appreciates, though. Stock car racing enthusiasts, in fact, line up eagerly to buy as many Daytona 500 tickets as they can.

What's also known by people who follow NASCAR is that this race, since 1995, has earned the highest television ratings of any motorsports event shown, exceeding even that of the Indianapolis 500. The track itself can hold nearly 170,000 fans in its stand, and innumerable people on the infield whenever it allows such a gathering to take place. The infield is generally where all the fun is at for the fans in NASCAR racing, by the way, which is yet another fact for why Daytona 500 tickets sell so well.

Another unusual feature of the race is that the complete weeklong event -- which is known as Speed Week -- attracts crowds which have been among some of the largest in auto racing history, with the 2006 race attracting not only large in person crowds but also this sixth largest global television audience of any sporting event held that year. Over 20 million viewers tuned in for the running of the Daytona 500. It's a certainty that -- had they been allowed -- 20 million fans would have lined up to buy Daytona 500 tickets, because that's how popular this race has been over the years.

Interestingly, the car belonging to the winner of the race is displayed in the racecourse’s museum -- known as the Daytona 500 Experience -- in race ready condition for a full year until the next Daytona 500 is ran. That museum is yet another selling point for fans of what is also known as “The Great American Race," propelling sales of Daytona 500 tickets ever higher with each passing year.

For 2010, the Daytona 500 is expected to draw all of NASCAR's greatest teams and drivers, with a prize purse for the winter expected to exceed $1.6 million. Drivers like Jeff Gordon and defending champ Matt Kenseth will be returning to tool for top honors at the inaugural event of the NASCAR season. Usually, the winner of the Daytona 500 takes a great deal of momentum into the remainder of the season.