Daytona serves as the annual kickoff to the season, and the 10-day event leading up to the Feb. 14 race has a party-like atmosphere. There are eight separate races during the Daytona 500 schedule, as well as numerous practice sessions and qualifying events, all of which combine to attract an estimated 1 million fans.
This epic event, also known as The Great American Race, will attract auto racing fans from across the country to Daytona International Speedway. By the time the race starts, 160,000 racing fans will be packed into the track and probably another 20 million fans will be glued to their sets, awaiting the race itself and, of course, the checkered flag.
Daytona 500 Hotels Welcome Fans of the Race, and Daytona Beach
Do you want to be part of the next Daytona 500? Then book your reservations now from a variety of Daytona 500 hotels. These Daytona Beach Hotels all located within 10 miles of Daytona International Speedway include the Hawaiian Inn Daytona Beach Florida, Plaza Ocean Club Daytona Beach and LaPlaya Resort Suites Daytona Beach.
And, if you travel to the 2010 Daytona 500, what will you see? For starters, how about Tim McGraw performing in the Daytona 500 Pre-Race. McGraw, one of the biggest selling country music artists of all time, will play a trio of songs for fans. Then it's time for the drivers get down to business and start their engines.
The only driver to win four consecutive championship titles on NASCAR's top level, Jimmie Johnson, aims to get a quick start on another crown in the season-opening race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But he will not be alone. Besides featuring such racing greats as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, among others, the Daytona 500 also will host a camera crew documenting every thrilling moment as part of HBO's new reality series 2-4/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona.
History Lives at Daytona 500
In addition, there is the undeniable presence of history at the Daytona 500. In the early days of the Daytona 500, the race was dominated by some now-legendary drivers, like Junior Johnson, Mario Andretti, Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty (who won an incredible seven times).
Then in 1998, Dale Earnhardt finally earned his elusive Daytona 500 victory, the first and only of his brilliant career. The 2004 running is perhaps the most memorable race of all, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in a stirring tribute to his father, who was tragically killed in a crash on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. In the 2010 Daytona 500, the history continues as veteran driver Michael Waltrip will take his last lap, culminating a career that spanned 25 years.
Daytona 500 Travel and Hotels
Such is the pride and the pageantry of The Great American Race, past and present. From victory lane to the World's
