Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross. The track features multiple layouts including the primary 2.5 miles (4.0 km) high speed tri-oval, a 3.56 miles (5.73 km) sports car course, a 2.95 miles (4.75 km) motorcycle course, and a .25 miles (0.40 km) karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The track was built in 1958 by NASCAR founder William France Sr. to host racing that was being held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course. His banked design permitted higher speeds and gave fans a better view of the cars. Lights were installed around the track in 1998, and today it is the third largest single lit outdoor sports facility. The speedway has been renovated three times, with the infield renovated in 2004, and the track repaved in 1978 and 2010.
Layouts:
Tri-Oval:
Daytona's tri-oval is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long with 31° banking in the turns and 18° banking at the start/finish line. The front straight is 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long and the back straight (or "superstretch") is 3,000 feet (910 m) long. The tri-oval shape, was revolutionary at the time as it greatly improved sight lines for fans. It is one of the two tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit that uses restrictor plates to slow the cars down due to the high speeds, the other being Talladega Superspeedway.
On July 15, 2010 repaving of the track began. The repaving came almost a year earlier than planned due to the track coming apart during the 2010 Daytona 500.The project used an estimated 50,000 tons of asphalt to repave 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) including the racing surface, apron, skid pads and pit road. Because of good weather, the project was completed ahead of schedule.
Road Courses:
The 3.81 miles (6.13 km) road course was built in 1959 and first hosted a three-hour sports car race called the Daytona Continental in 1962.The race length became 2,000 km (1,200 mi) in 1964, and in 1966 was extended to a 24-hour endurance race known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It was shortened again, to six hours, in 1972, and cancelled entirely in 1974.In 2005, a second infield road course configuration was constructed, primarily for motorcycles. Due to fears of tire wear on the banked oval sections, oval turns 1 and 2 were bypassed giving the new course a length of 2.95 miles (4.75 km). The Daytona SportBike that runs the Daytona 200 presented by Honda, however, uses the main road course except for the motorcycle Pedro Rodríguez Hairpin (tighter than the one used for cars; the car version is used as an acceleration lane for motorcycles).
Supercross:
During Daytona Beach Bike Week, a supercross track is built between pit road and the tri-oval section of the track. Historically the track has used more sand than dirt, providing unique challenges to riders.The 2008, 2009 and 2010 track configurations were designed by former champion, Ricky Carmichael.
Daytona Flat Track:
Popular dirt-track races in karting and flat-track motorcycle racing had been held at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium, but in 2009, the city announced the stadium was replacing its entire surface with FieldTurf, and thereby eliminating the flat-track racing at the stadium. To continue racing, speedway officials built the Daytona Flat Track, a new quarter-mile dirt track outside of Turns 1 and 2 of the main superspeedway. It seats 5,000 in temporary grandstands and opened in December 2009 for WKA KartWeek.
Short Track:
In February 2012, it was announced that a 0.4 miles (0.64 km) short track would be constructed along the backstretch of the Speedway's main course, for NASCAR's lower-tier series to compete at during Speedweeks in events similar to the Toyota All-Star Showdown, formerly held at Irwindale Speedway.
Fan Amenities:
Sprint Fanzone:
The Sprint Fanzone is an access package similar to pit passes for fans to get closer to drivers and race teams. The fanzone was built in 2004 as part of a renovation of the track's infield.Fans are able to walk on top of the garages, known as the "fandeck", and view track and garage activity. Fans can also view race teams working in the garage, including NASCAR technical inspection, through windows. The garage windows also include slots for fans to hand merchandise to drivers for autographs. The fanzone also includes a live entertainment stage, additional food and drink areas and various other activities and displays.
Budweiser Party Porch:
The Budweiser Party Porch is a 46 feet (14 m) high porch located along the backstretch of the track. It is built on top of a portion of the backstretch grandstands and includes a 277 feet (84 m) wide, 33 feet (10 m) tall sign, the largest sign in motorsports.The porch features tables, food and drinks, offering fans a "fun-filled" atmosphere that breaks fans away from the confines of grandstand seating without sacrificing on the view. Below the porch is an interactive fan zone featuring amusement rides, a go-kart track, show cars and merchandise trailers.
Sports Car Course (1985-Present):
- Surface: Asphalt
- Length: 3.56 mi (5.73 km)
- Turns: 12
- Banking: 32° in oval turns,18° in tri-oval
- Lap record: 1:39.195 (Yannick Dalmas, Ferrari 333SP, 1998, USRRC Can-Am)
Motorcycle Course:
- Surface: Asphalt
- Length: 2.95 mi (4.75 km)
- Turns: 12
- Banking: 32° in oval turns,18° in tri-oval
- Lap record: 1:37.546 (Ben Spies, Suzuki, 2007, AMA Superbike)
Dirt Flat Track:
- Surface: Dirt
- Length: .25 mi (.40 km)
- Turns: 4
- Banking: Flat
