Daytona 500 Tickets

Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile, 200-lap NASCAR race held yearly in Daytona Beach, FL at the Daytona International Speedway. It is the most important race of the year in the world of stock car racing. It is not only Daytona NASCAR’s biggest race; it’s also the circuit’s first race of the year. This event is virtually exclusive in sports. It is known as “The Super Bowl of NASCAR” and “The Great American Race.” Television ratings for this event have surpassed the Indy 500 since 1995. They have been the highest of any car race of the year.

This race is the direct successor of Daytona 500, which was held on Daytona Beach itself. However, the Daytona 500 has been held at the Daytona International Speedway since its initial run. Lee Petty, the originator of a renowned racing family whose most well-known member was his son Richard, won the very first Daytona 500 in 1959. Richard went on the win the race seven times.

The Daytona International Speedway opened on February 22, 1959 to host the first Daytona 500. The advertised awards for the “500-mile International Sweepstakes” came to $67,760. 59 cars competed before more than 41,000 fans and it took 3 days to ascertain Lee Petty was the winner of the “close-call” finish over Johnny Beauchamp.

Automotive competition can be seen as far back as 1903, when two gentlemen placed a friendly wager on who had the quickest horseless carriage. Until 1935, Land Speed Record Runs (speed tests) were done on the wide, hard-packed sands of Daytona Beach. Stock car racing replaced the Land Speed Record Runs in 1936.The original course had a north turn situated just south of town, which meant half the course was on the beach and the other half was on public roadway. Bill France, a local mechanic, entered the first race and finished in 5th place. Stock car racing stopped during WWII and started up again in 1946 when France started putting on stock car and motorcycle races on the beach. He started organizational meetings in late 1947for NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Racing, which was formed in early 1948.

The races, which were attracting larger audiences moved to the southern part of the beach as the area developed and the population grew. It became too big for that area and France built the Daytona International Speedway, which has been in constant use since 1959. Currently, the Speedway offers ten different racing weekends throughout the year, which include stock cars, sports cars, motorcycles, go-karts and trucks. Its schedule including two months of testing is more diverse than any other racing venue, which is why it is known as the “World Center of Racing.” If you’re into speed and want to get your heart racing, get your tickets for this February 17th event!