The Daytona Beach Area's official visitor info website:
Local HistoryVacationers have been flocking to the Daytona Beach area for more than a century. During the late 1800s, the area caught the attention and imagination of many wealthy northern tycoons who found the land favorable for investment. One such mogul, Matthias Day, was the founding father of what was then called Daytona. He had built the first hotel, the Palmetto House, in 1874.
The trend continued with other entrepreneurs endeavoring to build a city of commerce and vision. Commodore Charles Burgoyne began by building a community center in Daytona Beach in the early 1900s. Burgoyne organized concerts along the riverfront actively promoting the town's events to travelers. Later, John D. Rockefeller discovered Ormond Beach's immaculate golf courses and made his winter home at The Casements.
Automobile racing became a regular pastime along the hard-packed beaches at the turn of the 20th Century. Ormond Beach became known as the "birthplace of speed" due to the various land speed records set there. In 1947, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing was founded in Daytona Beach. Motorsports gained new ground in 1959 with the opening of the Daytona International Speedway, which continues to satisfy hundreds of thousands of speed-hungry fans each year. Today, the Daytona Beach area entertains approximately 8 million visitors each year. Visitors come from around the world to relax and recreate on one of the most beautiful, family-friendly beaches in Florida.
For more information about the history of the Daytona Beach area, be sure to visit the Halifax Historical Museum located in downtown Daytona Beach.
Communities
Beachside & Mainland - North
Ormond-by-the-Sea and Ormond Beach are located at the north end of the Daytona Beach area. The Ormond Beach area was once home to the Rockefellers and the Flaglers, as well as the early automotive pioneers who tested their inventions on the hard-packed beach.Today Ormond Beach features attractions like the Casements and Tomoka State Park. Visitors seeking a quieter part of the beach can find it in the Ormond Beach area. In fact, beach driving is not allowed at the northern end of Ormond Beach or in Ormond-by-the-Sea.
Central
Daytona Beach, made famous as the "World Center of Racing" and home of NASCAR, is the best known of the seven area communities. Although the wide stretch of white sandy beach is still the biggest attraction here, the Ocean Center convention complex, the new Daytona Beach International Airport, the new Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golf course, and the Halifax Harbor Marina hail the renaissance which has been taking place in Daytona Beach over the last several years. Historical sites like the Main Street Pier, the Oceanfront Boardwalk and the Clocktower in Oceanfront Park add to the appeal of this exciting city.
South
Daytona Beach Shores was formed in 1960 by a group of moteliers who called themselves "2,000 Cottages." This relatively new city was incorporated in 1967, and stretches for 5 1/2-miles along the Atlantic Ocean. At the southern tip of the peninsula is the scenic fishing village of Ponce Inlet. Local charter fishing boats are located here, along with several of the area's best seafood restaurants.
Mainland - North
Ormond Beach extends across the Halifax River from the Beachside and is the very first Daytona Beach area community reached when traveling south on Interstate 95.
South
Holly Hill is bordered by the Halifax River on the east side, Ormond Beach on the north side, and Daytona Beach to the south. According to the Halifax Historical Society, Holly Hill was given its name by William Fleming, a farmer whose land had many holly trees on the west bank of the Halifax River. Also located in the central part of the area are parts of Daytona Beach and South Daytona. Each of these communities has giant oaks and other foliage traditional to Southern river landscapes.
Daytona International Speedway.com:
Track Facts - A Versatile Venue for Motorsports
Daytona International Speedway is the home of "The Great American Race" - the Daytona 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event garners most of the attention - as well as the largest audience in motorsports - the enormous 480-acre motorsports complex boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe, thus earning it the title of "World Center of Racing." In addition to eight major weekends of racing activity, rarely a week goes by that the Speedway grounds are not used for events that include civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo "shoots," production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
"The Speedway is a venue that is known throughout the world as a place where everyone in motorsports wants to claim a victory," said Speedway President Robin Braig. "However, we're also committed to being versatile enough and responsive enough to provide a site where community activities can successfully be held."
Bustling With Activity Year-Round
After a jam-packed month of sports car and stock car testing in January, no less than 15 days of on-track activity mark the track's annual Speedweeks events. Its diversity includes sports car drivers from more than 20 foreign countries and the United States in the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex 24 At Daytona. In recent years, the Rolex 24 has garnered more attention from stock car drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Kyle Petty and Tony Stewart who have tested their skills against the sport's best. The Rolex 24 kicks off three weeks of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series, Crown Royal IROC, and ARCA RE/MAX Series racing that culminates with the Daytona 500.Coinciding with the Daytona Beach community's "Bike Week," every March Daytona International Speedway hosts two weeks of intense motorcycle racing with Daytona 200 Week By Honda. Racers and fans from around the world converge on the Speedway for the best in road racing, supercross and dirt track competition.
Nine days of two-wheeled action concludes with the American Motorcyclist Association-sanctioned Daytona Supercross By Honda and the Daytona 200 By Honda.
During Independence Day Weekend in July, the Rolex Sports Car Series, the Crown Royal IROC, the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series join forces for the Pepsi 400 Weekend all under the lights.
In October, American Sportbike Racing Association and the Championship Cup Series return to Daytona International Speedway to cap off their seasons in Fall Cycle Scene. Along with fast action in motorcycle racing on the track, cycle enthusiasts can enjoy all that the major motorcycle manufacturers have to offer in the vendor, display and demo rides at Daytona for Biketoberfest.
Daytona KartWeek presented by Cometic Gasket will showcase the World Karting Association Finals in a holiday visit to Daytona International Speedway on Dec. 26-30. See go-kart racers of all ages tackle the high banks of Daytona and the dirt track of the nearby Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium.
Home of the Official Attraction of NASCAR
DAYTONA USA, which opened July 5, 1996, has transformed Daytona International Speedway into a destination for tourists looking to acquaint themselves with the history of motorsports activity in the Daytona Beach area.
DAYTONA USA, "The Ultimate Motorsports Attraction," is a highly interactive multi-million-dollar entertainment facility designed to broaden the entertainment and educational experience for visitors of all ages -- whether or not they are racing fans.
Guests of DAYTONA USA don't want to miss a chance to experience ACCELERATION ALLEY to compete against each other in 80-percent scale stock cars. DAYTONA DREAM LAPS is a motion simulator ride that places guests behind the wheel in a virtual Daytona 500 race and Toyota Tundra's Thunder Road motion simulator takes guests on a fantasy lap with a 360-degree loop. Inside the Pepsi IMAX Theatre, "NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience" and "Daytona 500: The Movie" give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the Daytona 500 and NASCAR. The 16-Second Pit Stop Challenge allows visitors the opportunity to be a pit-crew member in a timed pit stop.
In addition, guests can hop aboard a Speedway Tour, visit the Daytona Speedplay game center, Pit Shop souvenir and gift shop, 4th Turn Grill snack bar, and the Daytona Beach Area Welcome Center.
DAYTONA USA is open daily except for Christmas Day, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. with extended hours during racing events. Track tours are available daily, weather and track conditions permitting. Learn more about DAYTONA USA online at DAYTONAUSA.com.
Daytona International Speedway Specifications
Superspeedway - 2.5-mile trioval - 40 feet wide with 12- to 30-foot apron
Turns - Banking: 31 degrees - Length: 3,000 feet - Radius: 1,000 feet
Tri-oval - Banking: 18 degrees (at start/finish line)
Frontstretch - Chute length: 1,900 feet (from turn to middle of trioval) - Total length: 3,800 feet - Banking: Minimal for drainage only
Backstretch - Length: 3,000 feet - Banking: Minimal for drainage only
Pit Road - Length: 1,600 feet - Width: 50 feet
Garage Area - NEXTEL CUP Garages (spaces for 74 cars) - Busch Series Garages (spaces for 74 cars) - Alternate garage pad (spaces for 54 18-wheelers)
Road Course - 3.56 miles and 2.95 miles (incorporates tri-oval superspeedway and non-banked infield section) Infield course and chicane range from 30 to 50 feet wide
Speedway Facility - Total acreage: 480 acres - Infield: 180 acres (includes 29-acre Lake Lloyd)
