Juanita “Lightnin'” Epton, who competed in every Daytona 500, died Thursday at the age of 103.
Epton, whose name is emblazoned on the ticket booth at Daytona International Speedway, stood at the ticket booth for the first-ever iconic NASCAR race in 1959.
“Lightnin’ Epton and her husband Joe have been part of my father and mother’s Bill and Anne France team since the early days of NASCAR,” said NASCAR CEO Jim France. said in a statement. “They graded the races, sold tickets, and did all the other jobs that needed to be done.
“She worked with our family from the first Daytona 500 to this year’s 66th race, bringing her incredible passion for the track to the box office every day. Loved by her drivers as well. Lightnin will be greatly missed by our family and our thoughts are with her family and friends as we celebrate her life.”
NASCAR said Epton was hired by his French grandfather the year before the first race, while the circuit was still under construction.
She joined her husband Joe, who served as the sport’s head of timekeeping and scoring from 1947 to 1985 and gave Epton her nickname.
“He always said you never know when or where I’m going to strike,” Lightnin said in a 2008 interview. orlando sentinel.
“I’m full of mischief.”
NASCAR said Epton’s career spanned all seven generations of Cup Series stock cars and competed in races worth more than 150 points on 2.5-mile courses in NASCAR’s top division.
Her record-breaking tenure also spanned numerous historical events, including the civil rights movement.
Epton reportedly used his car racing company’s power to simply ask for ethnicity when ordering tickets to fend off racist customers who demanded tickets to non-existent whites-only sections. He said he asked if he had done so. Do you want to sit next to me? ”
Shockingly, Epton didn’t watch the Daytona 500 race until 2007. Almost 50 years have passed since her tenure.
Daytona International Speedway will honor its longest-serving employee in 2022 by opening the Lightnin’ Epton ticket office in her honor.
“This place and these people mean so much to me and I cannot express my feelings in words for this honor. Seeing my name become a part of this speedway is amazing. , I’m so grateful to be standing here today. It feels so surreal,” Epton said at the time.
