Richard Petty to do.

In his foreword he tells the story of his first interaction with the World Racing Centre. “High Banks and Heroes: 65 Years at Daytona International Speedway.”

The new coffee table book from The Daytona Beach News-Journal and USA TODAY Network chronicles everything from the early years of hot rods in Daytona Beach to the birth of the Speedway in 1959, as the venue became iconic, and from Daytona to the present day. The 500 became the Great American Race.

Petty’s foreword serves as a fitting beginning. He attended the inaugural Daytona 500 and won more NASCAR races at Daytona (10) than anyone else.

But the track and its signature event have yielded many career-defining victories, heartbreaking defeats and, yes, occasional tragedies over more than six decades. It’s a story written by greats of the sport like Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, as well as underdogs like Tiny Lund and Trevor Bayne.