Car racing is a favorite activity for many people around the world. Regardless of if you’re a racer or if you happen to be a fan, this is a sport that truly causes people to display their passions. One of the most important aspects of racing is the track. A bad track can ruin a race whereas a great one could even enhance it for fans and drivers alike. One of the most famous race car tracks in the world is the Daytona International Speedway.
The Daytona International Speedway is one of the most well-known race tracks in America. It is located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and has been open since 1959. The track is home to many races, but the most prestigious is the Daytona 500, which started the same year the track opened. It also has the distinction of being the third-largest single-lit outdoor sports facility due to later upgrades to include lights around the track.
This iconic track has a max capacity of 101,500. While that is pretty far from hosting the largest audience for races, the Daytona International Speedway has been able to attract more well-known races than many of the bigger tracks around the world.
We took a look at the Daytona International Speedway to uncover a bit of its history, some of the major events that have been hosted there, as well as the many changes made through the years.
A Brief History of the Track
The planning process for the Daytona International Speedway began in 1953 with William France Sr. leading the way. He was the founder of NASCAR and he felt that a new track would be a great way to promote the series.
At that time, NASCAR used the Daytona Beach Road Course. One of his main goals for the track was for it to have the highest banking possible for cars to reach high speeds. The high banking also gave spectators a much better view of the race. They took notes from the engineering design of the Ford Proving Grounds in Detroit because they had already implemented banked corners. From here, they gained support from the Dayton Beach City Commission and then formed the Daytona Beach Speedway Authority.
In terms of funding the project, France received funds from a Texas oil millionaire who lent him $600,000 as well as the needed construction equipment. In addition to this, William France received financial help from both Pepsi-Cola and General Motors. He also took out a second mortgage on his home and sold 300,000 shares of stock to local residents.
Finally, they broke ground on the future speedway on November 25th, 1957. The project took 15 months to complete.
Important People and Events at the Speedway
As previously mentioned, the most famous race that happens at the Daytona International Speedway is the Daytona 500. In addition to that, there are 10 major weekends of racing activity. These feature everything from 190-mile per hour NASCAR stock cars to 170mph AMA Superbikes. There are also go-cart races. Also, the Daytona International Speedway is rented for more than two months a year for testing and development for racing vehicles. All of this has gained the speedway the title of “world center of racing”.
The Daytona International Speedway is also used for civic and social gatherings, car shows, athletic games, and police motorcycle training
There have been many important people who have raced at this massive track. For example, Dale Earnhardt Sr won the most races there. He has a stellar 34 wins under his belt at Daytona. Also, three drivers have won both the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24 at the track. They are Jamie McMurray, Mario Andretti, and AJ Foyt.
What many people don’t realize is that camping is available, and even encouraged, at the track. Vehicles must be less than 8 feet high and 20 feet long. You can even bring pets if you are camping at either the GEICO Park West or the GEICO Infield RV spaces.
Summing up the Daytona International Speedway
The Daytona International Speedway, which measures close to a mile, is one of the most innovative and popular race tracks in the world. When people, particularly in America, think about racing, this is the track they think of. Similarly, they also think of the Daytona 500 in terms of well-known races.
This speedway has been able to retain its reputation for excellence due to several upgrades throughout the years. As mentioned earlier, they upgraded the lights to make racing safer for drivers, but they have also done things such as add more seating, build up the area around the spectator sections, and many other important things. Overall, they have made the Daytona International Speedway more of an experience for the guests instead of simply a place to come and watch races.
The vision of William France came to tuition in more ways than he could have ever imagined. NASCAR is more visible because of it and he also helped put Daytona on the map to compete with other cities in Florida like Miami.