Daytona International Speedway is the home of "The
Great American Race" -- the Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 is the biggest,
richest and most prestigious race in America and annually kicks off the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
Although the Daytona 500 garners most of the attention, the enormous
480-acre motorsports complex boasts the most diverse schedule of racing
on the globe -- earning it the title of "World Center of Racing."
In addition to nine major weekends of racing activity, featuring
everything from NASCAR to the Rolex Sports Car Series to the American
Motorcyclist Association and the World Karting Association, the Speedway
is also booked for more than two solid months each year for testing and
development of various race vehicles.
Motorized meandering aside, rarely a week goes by that the Speedway
grounds are not used for events that include civic and social
gatherings, car shows, athletic games, photo "shoots," production
vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
"The Speedway is a venue that is known throughout the world as a
top-line race track -- a place where everyone in motorsports wants to
claim a victory," said Speedway President Robin Braig. "However, we're
also committed to being versatile enough and responsive enough to
provide a site where community activities can successfully be held."
DAYTONA USA, which opened July 5 1996, has transformed Daytona
International Speedway into a destination for tourists looking to
acquaint themselves with the history of motorsports activity in the
Daytona Beach area. This is a legacy that includes world land speed
record attempts, stock car and motorcycle racing on the sands of Daytona
Beach along with a complete range of motorized activity at the Speedway,
which opened in 1959.
DAYTONA USA, "The Official Attraction of NASCAR," is a
highly-interactive multi-million-dollar entertainment facility designed
to broaden the entertainment and educational experience for visitors of
all ages -- whether or not they are racing fans -- and strengthen
Daytona's status as a destination. Among the activities inside the
award-winning attraction include the Pepsi IMAX Theatre, which shows
"NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience" and "Daytona 500: The Movie," three
different motion simulators, the Ford 16-Second Pit Stop and the Daytona
500-winning car.
DAYTONA USA is open daily except for Christmas Day. In addition to the
attraction, guests may experience the Speedway Tour or visit the Daytona
Speedway video entertainment center, Pit Shop souvenir and gift shop,
Fourth Turn Grill and the Daytona Beach Area Welcome Center.
Daytona is indeed the site of a diverse mix of activities. Go-karts,
which look deceptively similar to the machines that can be driven by
families on holiday, compete for five days in December. Among the racing
stars that have competed in go-karts at the Speedway include Tony
Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Scott Pruett, Brian Vickers and Jamie McMurray.
After a jam-packed month of race car testing in January, Speedweeks
arrives.
Its diversity includes sports car drivers in the Grand American Rolex 24
At Daytona and stock car drivers competing in five different series.
This amazing variety is only table-dressing for the medley of
personalities and machines that invade Daytona for Daytona 200 Week in
March. Each year, racers and fans from around the world converge on the
Speedway for the best in road racing, supercross and dirt track
competition.
A diverse group of events are held through the balance of the year,
including two other major professional weekends, as well as Sports Car
Club of America amateur sports car races; antique and classic car shows
held in the spring and fall by the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational
Facilities District; the Police Motorcycle Skills Championship; various
charity and community athletic events such as walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons
and dinners; receptions; and picnics.