NASCAR Gold: 1998 Daytona 500

AUTOSPORT relives the great races of the past. On February 19, 1998, 46-year-old Dale Earnhardt ended a 59-race losing streak with his first Daytona 500 victory, at the 20th attempt

This year there were no 11th-hour problems or dramas for Dale Earnhardt. At his 20th attempt, the seven-time Winston Cup champion finally won NASCAR's blue riband, the Daytona 500.

As well as breaking his duck, the victory terminated a 59-race winless streak, so you can imagine the 46-year-old North Carolina native was a very happy and fulfilled man on Sunday evening.