Anyone ever do a day at Daytona?

[dobtia]

We are thinking going to the Daytona Speedway on one of our days off on our next trip.

Anyone ever toured the track?

What about travel time from the Disney area? (most likely a Tuesday or Friday)

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We are planning a trip next week but not to the track. The distance is about 1hr 15 minutes

 

[Disney-&-Baseball]

We spent the day at Daytona on our last visit in June 2010. We got there early in the day because we wanted to tour the track and then hit the beach. Tour was really cool, especially the winning car from that years Daytona 500 (Jamie McMurray) and the actual tour of the track itself. DH and I are huge Nascar fans. DH says to make sure to drink plenty of water. It was just baking hot out on the actual track with all the blacktop. We were problably at the Speedway for a total of 2-3 hours much to the dismay of DD11 as she is NOT a huge Nascar fan,. It was probably about 1pm when we finally headed to the beach. We had brought lunch fixins with us. I was so excited, I was going to finally be able to say I had seen and stuck my toes in the Atlantic Ocean. This is a big deal for an Oregon girl. The weather that day had been especially humid and increasingly overcast. We had been there a few days and just figured this was Florida in June. We found a beach, paid for parking and drove down to the beach and parked the car. Just as we got out and started to remove our shoes it started to rain. The lifeguards started clearing the beach because of threat of lightening. I was so close!! The kids in the car next to us told me to just go for it, the lifeguards would never catch me. But I'm just not a rebel rule breaker. We got back in the car and headed back to the resort. The up side to this was that I was so upset that DH agreed to take us to Cocoa Beach a couple of days later. It was wonderful!!! DD11 and I agreed the next trip we would spend a couple of days at the beach!

 

[sasquatch]

About ten years ago, I spent a day touring Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 Experience museum (known as Daytona USA when I visited).

I have two awesome memories of the track tour.
1) Being on the apron of the track and being amazed at how tall the banking is.
2) Being outside of the track in between turn 3 and turn 4, and the tour guide saying that it was one mile across to turn 1 and turn 2.

I would do it all again.

 

[sasquatch]

According to the Daytona 500 Experience wikipedia page, the museum is no longer open to regular visitors. Probably in direct competition to the fledgling NASCAR Hall of Fame some 475 miles away.

 

[kimmyann]

According to the Daytona 500 Experience wikipedia page, the museum is no longer open to regular visitors. Probably in direct competition to the fledgling NASCAR Hall of Fame some 475 miles away.

That is what I thought. I was thinking of taking a half day out to go visit the speedway, but there really isn't any info about it on their website except if you want to pay to take a tour. We are a family of five, It's just not in the budget to pay for a tour of the speedway when DH is really the only one super interested. (and he could take it or leave it since there would be no race anyway)

Does anyone know if you can just go there and look around yourself?

 

[sasquatch]

I don't have a recollection of what there really is outside of the track. I'll assume you could see the Dale Earnhardt statue, but don't quote me on that. I have to imagine that it's not worth the trip to stand outside the track, unless you like big parking lots.

 

[JMB123]

You can go there and not do the tour. There are 2 gift shops and a fast food area. You won't be able to see too much without doing the tour, but I do think you can walk up near the track (we even went into the grandstands.)

It's a huge bummer that they got rid of the "Daytona 500 Experience", but it was due to budget cuts so you never know, it could come back.

If you're not going to do the tour and no one but your husband is really interested, I wouldn't drive all the way there (unless you were also going to make a beach day out of it.)

Have you been to the speedway at Disney World? It's small, but pretty neat and you can watch people do the Richard Petty Driving Experience (maybe DH could even do it?) There's a gift shop there as well and there are several cars to look at.

 

[JMB123]

I should add that the tour is fabulous. It even kept my 3yo and 5yo entertained (they were free, by the way!) - it was over an hour long.