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 10 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.
After a jam-packed month of sports car and stock car testing in January, another 16 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.
The Rolex 24 kicks off three weeks of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series, Crown Royal IROC, iPOWER Dash Series 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. 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 Arai Helmets.
Recently tagged as Summer Speedweek, July brings the Rolex Sports Car Series, the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series together for the Pepsi 400 weekend of racing all under the lights on Independence Day weekend. The latter two events mark the mid-point of the NASCAR Busch and NEXTEL Cup series.
In October, see World Championship motorcycle racing as Buell Lightning, Formula USA, International Lightweight & the GP Final series race on the high banks of Daytona. 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.
November is a busy month at the Speedway as well, when Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) and the Grand American Finale At Daytona visit the track. Vintage sportscars tackle the 3.56-mile road course for HSR, as fans enjoy live entertainment, a wine and cheese reception in the infield and an up-close-and-personal look at the most well-known vehicles of the century. Sportscars make a season-ending visit to the Speedway as the Grand American Road Racing Association presents the Grand American Finale At Daytona. Watch the Speedway host an international field of drivers as they pilot exotic machines around the 3.56-mile road course in events from the Rolex Sports Car series and Grand-Am Cup series.