Daytona International Speedway

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. began planning for the track in 1953 as a way to promote the series, which at the time was racing on the Daytona Beach Road Course. France wanted the track to have the highest banking possible to allow the cars to reach high speeds and to give fans a better view of the cars on track. Ground broke on construction of the 2.500 mi (4.023 km) speedway on November 25, 1957. To build the high banking, crews had to excavate over a million square yards of soil from the track's infield. Because of the high water table in the area, the excavated hole filled with water to form what is now known as Lake Lloyd, named after Joseph "Sax" Lloyd, one of the original five members of the Daytona Beach Speedway Authority. The lake was stocked with 65,000 fish, and France arranged speedboat races on it. The first practice run on the new track was on February 6, 1959. On February 22, 1959, 42,000 people attended the inaugural Daytona 500. Its finish was as startling as the track itself: Lee Petty beat Johnny Beauchamp in a photo finish that took three days to adjudicate. When the track opened it was the fastest race track to host a stock car race, until Talladega Superspeedway opened 10 years later. On April 4, it hosted a 100 mi (160.9 km) Champ Car event which saw Jim Rathmann beat Dick Rathmann and Rodger Ward, at an average speed of 170.26 mph (274.01 km/h), at the time the fastest closed-course race ever. It was the occasion of Daytona's first fatality: George Amick, attempting to overtake for third late in the race, hit a wall and was killed. Lights were installed around the track in 1998 to run NASCAR's July race, the Coke Zero 400 at night. The track was the world's largest single lighted outdoor sports facility until being surpassed by Losail International Circuit in 2008. The speedway has been renovated four times, with the infield renovated in 2004 and the track repaved in 1978 and 2010. On January 22, 2013, the fourth speedway renovation was unveiled. On July 5, 2013, ground was broken on "Daytona Rising" to remove backstretch seating and completely redevelop the frontstretch seating. The project was completed in January 2016, and cost US $400 million. After the renovations were complete, the track's grandstands had 101,500 permanent seats with the ability to increase permanent seating to 125,000.

In Their Own Story

The checkered flag is inches away, but the engine screams in protest against the heat. You lean into Turn 1, feeling the G-force press you deep into the seat as the grandstands blur past on your left. There is no room for error here; one slip on the banking sends you spinning toward the wall while competitors draft behind you like sharks. The night sky above Daytona reflects off the polished hoods of the field, a sea of headlights racing against time and each other in this timeless battle for glory.

Reader's Guide

Daytona's tri-oval is 2.500 mi (4.023 km) long with 31° banking in the turns and 18° banking at the start/finish line. The front straight is 3,800 ft (1,200 m) long and the back straight (or "superstretch") is 3,000 ft (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 three tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit that are considered "drafting tracks", the others being Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. On July 15, 2010, repaving of the track began. This 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 1.4×10^6 sq ft (130,000 m2) including the racing surface, apron, skid pads and pit road. On October 9, 2013, Colin Braun drove a Daytona Prototype car prepared by Michael Shank Racing to set a single-lap record on the tri-oval configuration of 222.971 mph (358.837 km/h). During NASCAR events, it takes less than a minute for the cars to complete a lap around the 2.500 mi (4.023 km) tri-oval course. The 3.810 mi (6.132 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. 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 2.950 mi (4.748 km).

Did You Know?

• The track was built in 1959 by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. to host racing that was held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course.
• The track's 180 acres (73 ha) infield includes the 29 acres (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing.
• Lights were installed around the track in 1998, and today it is the third-largest single-lit outdoor sports facility.
• On April 4, 1959, the track hosted a 100 mi (160.9 km) Champ Car event which saw Jim Rathmann win at an average speed of 170.26 mph (274.01 km/h), at the time the fastest motor race ever.
• The project 'Daytona Rising' was completed in January 2016, and cost US $400 million, giving the track 101,500 permanent seats.