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The Daytona 24 Hours usually attracts some big names from Formula 1 or IndyCar, but back in 1969, NASA banned an astronaut and their Head of Security from the race!
In 1957, the Soviet Union initiated the space race with the launch of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin’s first manned space flight, spurring the United States to respond.
President Kennedy set the ambitious goal in 1961 for the US to land a man on the Moon and return him safely before the decade ended.
NASA developed the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs in pursuit of Kennedy’s challenge, with astronauts often seen racing Chevrolet Corvettes near the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Air Force Captain Gordon Cooper, part of the Mercury and Gemini programs, was selected as part of the ‘Mercury 7’ group and played a key role in the Apollo missions.
Despite his crucial role in space exploration, Cooper unexpectedly entered the Daytona 24 Hours race in the midst of training for the Apollo missions, adding an unexpected twist to his story.
