DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In the first Daytona 500 in 1959, Lee Petty collected $19,050 in prize money for taking the checkered flag. Second-place finisher Johnny Beauchamp earned $7,650. The purse for the race totaled $67,760.

	Big Money
	The total posted awards in this year's Daytona 500 is $12,314,505. Here's a top-5 breakdown: 1st -- $1,327,030 2nd -- $928,100 3rd -- $631,500 4th -- $479,075 5th -- $353,175 43rd (last) -- $114,236

How things have changed through the years.

This year's Daytona 500 on Feb. 17 will award the winner a minimum $1,327,030 with the race's entire purse exceeding $12 million, an increase of more than a $1 million from last year.

The runner-up finisher in the Daytona 500 will receive a minimum $928,100, while the driver that finishes 43rd will collect a minimum $114,236.

"The Daytona 500 is the crown jewel of motorsports," Speedway President John Graham said. "Every driver in the NASCAR garage wants to hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy in Victory Lane at the circuit's premier track. There should be no doubt that the winner of this race should be rewarded handsomely."

The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m.