Ward Burton, who attended Elon from 1981 to 1983, held off a late charge from Elliott Sadler to win his first Daytona 500 Sunday, Feb. 17. Details...
A native of South Boston, Va., Burton became the first Virginian to win the race, considered the biggest event of the year on the NASCAR schedule. Burton managed to avoid several crashes, including one just five laps before the finish. His victory in the No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge was the first win in the Daytona 500 by a Dodge since Richard Petty in 1974.
Burton hosted a gathering of almost 100 Elon alumni, students and friends in April 2001 at the South Boston Speedway. He signed autographs and answered questions from the group before a race at the speedway later in the evening.
In a spring 2001 Magazine of Elon article, Burton said his days as a student at Elon have been important to his successful racing career. “A lot of what I do, whether it’s public speaking, letter writing or anything dealing with the business side of racing, I relate to what I learned at Elon.”