Q: I've read once that Junior Johnson discovered it during the Daytona 500 in 1960. Did he really "discover" drafting? I didn't know that could happen, Maggie. It'll give me something to watch for out on the highway lol
A: During the first race in 1959, all the drivers learned a lot about aerodynamics, mostly because they have never driven that fast before. They discovered the draft that year, they noticed that there was a "void" of air right behind another car, and that they could hold the throttle half open and keep up with the car in front. However Jr Johnson was the first person to figure out that using that draft could be an advantage, and he turned it into a strategy. When he won the second Daytona 500, he did so in a car that was far less superior to other cars in the field.