Daytona: A Personal Invitation

by MattWeaver on Feb 18, 2012 10:39 AM EST

At the risk of sounding like a total shill for NASCAR, I'm going to propose that everyone join me at some point during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.

It's no secret that this is my first visit to the famed World Center of Racing and I'm absolutely in a state of awe. To echo my gonzo piece on Talladega Superspeedway in April, this place is absolutely massive. So much so that photographs, video and your wildest dreams can't do this place justice.

Everyone's familiar with the phase, "If you build it they will come." That's an indirect quote from Kevin Costner's Field of Dreams where farmer Ray Kinsella is persuaded by something to build a baseball field for legends of yesteryear.

Much like the Field of Dreams, Bill France created his own stadium a few blocks away from their old stomping grounds near Daytona Beach and boy did they come.

The race attracts roughly 250,000 fans each year, drawing from all 50 states and over a dozen countries.

More impressively, the facility attracted a massive city over the past several decades, growing from a niche beach community to perhaps the second-largest racing-related city in the country (second to Indianapolis).

This is in stark contrast to most other tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, which were built primarily on endless acres of farmland and remain isolated from the metropolitans they are associated with. Directly across from the facility sits a K-Mart and Burger King. Adjacent with the track is a Pier-1 imports. Every major consumer brand has staked a claim near NASCAR's most impressive property. The end result was the perfect fusion of city and speedway.

My point is that there's no reason not to come out as everything is within walking distance and tickets are reasonably priced.

Grandstand tickets for tonight's Bud Shootout can be had from $50-$100 with Daytona 500 tickets starting at $65. The track is built on such massive property that parking is never an issue and a steady stream of trams can take you wherever you need to go.

So come out to Daytona - you won't regret it.

We'll be back in a couple of hours with an ARCA Series race thread. Follow us on Twitter @MattWeaverSBN and @NASCARRnR.

Today's schedule:

10 - 10:45 a.m. -- Final ARCA practice
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. -- CUP PRACTICE (for all cars)
2 - 3:45 p.m. -- CUP PRACTICE
4 p.m. -- ARCA driver introductions
4:30 p.m. ARCA RACE (80 laps, 200 miles)
6:30 p.m. -- BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT DRIVERS MEETING
7:50 p.m. -- BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT DRIVER INTROS
8:10 p.m. -- BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT (75 laps, 187.5 miles)
11:30 p.m. -- CUP garage closes

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I was there in 2008...

…and I felt exactly the same way when I first laid eyes on the massive facility and the area surrounding it. A friend of mine’s dad won tickets to the Nationwide race and the Daytona 500 through some sweepstakes and didn’t want them, so another friend and I certainly took advantage of that when he sold us the tickets for an extremely low price.

Although I certainly believe that everyone should go for some portion of Speedweeks at least once, I do have to admit that it gets a bit pricey despite the affordable cost of tickets. Travel and accommodations costs as well as the time away from work have unfortunately prohibited me from going back so far, but I would certainly love to travel down there one of these years and take in the whole Speedweeks experience throughout the entire second half of February!

One other thing, if you have a night free make sure you make the short trip to New Smyrna Speedway to see some short track racing. I did this on Friday night when I was down there for their Richie Evans Memorial Modified headliner and had a blast! With the recent announcement of the temporary short track on the backstretch of DIS, there will not be a single day or night spent wondering what to do in the future between the big track, the small track, New Smyrna, the dirt tracks at Volusia and others somewhat nearby as well as much more that goes on down there!

by ajcrdstr24 on Feb 18, 2012 11:25 AM EST reply actions

In regard to prices, you're absolutely right.

A bottle of water costs $4. Not okay. That’s not even including the price of lodging. It’s a lot more feasible if you’re going by yourself or with a friend. Camping out is a lot more cost-effective than hotel rooms.

You have to find ways to cut costs when you work or attend Speedweeks. For example, sleeping at rest stops and showering at truck stops.

Like the old adage says, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”

New Smyrna is tempting me. I’m staying ten minutes away from the track. I might ride my bike up there.

Follow me on Twitter @MattWeaverSBN

Senior Writer and Editor for SBNation's NASCAR Ranting and Raving

Correspondent for SBNation's IndyCar Pop Off Valve Blog (http://www.popoffvalve.com/)

by MattWeaver on Feb 18, 2012 1:15 PM EST up reply actions