The Daytona 500 is a different with the Qualifying Races, see the rules below click here.

2013 Daytona 500 Race Winner: #48-Jimmie Johnson, 159.250mph, started 9th

2012 July Race Winner: #14-Tony Stewart, 157.653mph, started 42nd

Track Race Record: Buddy Baker, Feb 1980, 177.602mph

Oldest Race Winner: Bobby Allison, 50 years, 2 months, 11 days, 2/14/1988

Youngest Daytona 500 Race Winner: Trevor Bayne, 20 years, 0 months, 1 days, 2/20/2011

2nd Youngest Daytona 500 Race Winner: Jeff Gordon, 25 years, 6 months, 12 days, 2/16/1997

Youngest July Race Winner: Jeff Gordon, 23 years, 10 months, 27 days, 7/1/1995

Wosrt Starting Spot to win: #14-Tony Stewart, started 42nd, 7/7/2012

2013 Daytona 500 Pole Sitter: #10-Danica Patrick, 196.434, finished 8th

2012 July Pole Sitter: #17-Matt Kenseth, 192.386, finished 3rd

Track Qualifying Record: Bill Elliott, 210.364mph, February 1987

Track Qualifying Record with Restrictor Plate: Ken Schrader, 196.996, February 1989

Oldest Daytona 500 Pole Winner: Mark Martin, 51 years, 0 months, 27 days, 2/6/2010

Oldest Pole Winner: Mark Martin, 52 years, 5 months, 23 days, Daytona, 7/1/2011

Youngest Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon, 24 years, 11 months, 2 days, 7/6/1996

Most Wins - All-time: 10 - Richard Petty

Most Wins - Active: 6 - Jeff Gordon

Most Wins - 2nd race: 5 - David Pearson

Most Poles - All-time: 13 - Cale Yarborough

Most Poles - Active: 3 - Jeff Gordon

Most Top 5s: 28 - Richard Petty

Most Top 5s Active: 12 - Jeff Gordon

Most Top 10s: 37 - Richard Petty

Most Top 10s Active: 19 - Jeff Gordon

Harley J. Earl trophy for winning the Daytoina 500, who was Earl? If there's one trophy a driver dreams of putting his hands on, it's the Harley J. Earl trophy. Awarded to the winner of the Daytona 500, the Harley J. Earl trophy is one of the most prized possessions in motorsports. Named after Harley J. Earl, a famous General Motors designer and friend of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., the Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy rests year round inside The Daytona 500 Experience , "The Official Motorsports Attraction of NASCAR," and bears the name of every Daytona 500 champion.
Each year, the Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy makes a trip outside the attraction to the hallowed grounds of Gatorade Victory Lane at the "World Center of Racing" for a meeting with the Daytona 500 champion.
While the Daytona 500 champion doesn't take home the Harley J. Earl trophy, the winner of the "Great American Race" is awarded a replica Harley J. Earl trophy, which has a black base with a scaled-down replica of the Firebird One that Earl created in 1954 at the peak of his career with General Motors.
For the 50th running of the Daytona 500, the trophy was painted gold. The Harley J. Earl trophy is just one of three trophies awarded on the day of the Daytona 500.
The winning crew chief of the Daytona 500 champion is awarded the Cannonball Baker trophy, which is named after the famous coast-to-coast racer who was elected the first national commissioner of NASCAR in 1948 while the owner of the winning Daytona 500 champion is awarded the Governor's Cup.(DIS PR)
Richard Earl, a former Wall Street broker and youngest grandson of Earl, makes his living selling Harley Earl-designed cars. " 'Motoramic masterpieces' is how I like to refer to them," he said. He maintains the official Harley Earl Web site, carofthecentury.com, and is working on a biography of his grandfather.(3-24-2009)

55 races, 4 rain outs, one postponed: four Daytona 500's out of the 53 run have been shortened by rain:
1965 won by Fred Lorenzen, ran 129 laps for 322.5 miles
1966 won by Richard Petty, ran 198 laps for 495 miles
2003 won by Michael Waltrip, ran 109 laps for 272.5 miles
2009 won by Matt Kenseth, ran 152 laps for 380 miles.
2012 won by Matt Kenseth, postponsed from Sunday, Feb 27 to Monday, Feb 28.(2-24-2013)

Rain Disruptions In The Daytona 500:
Season: Notes
1963 First 10 laps run under yellow due to rain.
1965 Rain-shortened -- 133 laps (332.5 miles).
1966 Rain-shortened -- 198 laps (495 miles).
1979 First 16 laps run under yellow due to rain.
1992 Laps 84-89 run under yellow due to rain on backstretch.
1995 Red flag on lap 71 due to rain. Red flag lasted 1:44.
2003 Two red flags for rain. 1st: lap 63; 1:08. Rain-shortened -- 109 laps (272.5 miles).
2009 Rain-shortened -- 152 laps (380 miles).
2012 Race postponed from 2/26 to 2/27 because of rain.

Daytona 500 and Championship in same year: only eight times by five drivers has the Daytona 500 and the Sprint Cup Championship been won in the same season:
1959: Lee Petty
1964, 1971, 1974, 1979: Richard Petty
1977: Cale Yarborough
1997: Jeff Gordon
2006: Jimmie Johnson

First Career Sprint Cup win in the Daytona 500:
Seven drivers have gotten their first career Sprint Cup win in the Daytona 500:
Tiny Lund, 1963 [5 career wins]
Mario Andretti, 1967 [1]
Pete Hamilton, 1970 [4]
Derrike Cope, 1990 [2]
Sterling Marlin, 1994 [10], won the Daytona 500 twice, also in 1995
Michael Waltrip, 2001 [4], won the Daytona 500 twice, also in 2003
Trevor Bayne, 2011 [1]

Winners of both Sprint Unlimited & Budweiser Duel - never won Daytona 500 same year:
Thirteen drivers have won both the Sprint Unlimited [started in 1979] and a Budweiser Duel [or Twin] in the same season / speedweeks, but none have also won the Daytona 500:
year, driver, Daytona finish, Daytona 500 winner
2013: Kevin Harvick, finished 42nd, won by Jimmie Johnson
2011: Kurt Busch, 5th, won by Trevor Bayne
2008: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 9th, Ryan Newman
2007: Tony Stewart, 43rd, Kevin Harvick
2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 36th, Michael Waltrip
1995: Dale Earnhardt, 2nd, Sterling Marlin
1993: Dale Earnhardt, 2nd, Dale Jarrett
1991: Dale Earnhardt, 5th, Ernie Irvan
1989: Ken Schrader, 2nd, Darrell Waltrip
1986: Dale Earnhardt, 14th, Geoff Bodine
1983: Neil Bonnett, 22nd, Cale Yarborough
1981: Darrell Waltrip, 36th, Richard Petty
1979: Buddy Baker, 40th, Richard Petty

Top Finishes For Daytona 500 Champs In next race since 1982: Daytona 500 winners... how the success doesn't carry over to the second race.
Won the following race: - Twice (Jeff Gordon 1997 & Matt Kenseth 2009)
2nd Place - Five times (Davey Allison 1992, Sterling Marlin 1994, Dale Jarrett 1996, Jimmie Johnson 2006 & 2013)
3rd Place - None
4th Place - Once (Bill Elliott 1987) 5th Place - Twice (Dale Jarrett 2000 & Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2004) Only two drivers who won the Daytona 500 since 1982 have gone on to win the Sprint Cup Seires Championship, Jeff Gordon in 1997 and Jimmie Johnson in 2006.(Frontstretch)(3-3-2013)

Front row starters don't win Daytona 500 often: In the 54 previous runnings of the Daytona 500, only seven drivers have won from the pole position. Only two of these drivers accomplished the feat more than once -- Cale Yarborough (1968, 1984) and Bill Elliott (1985, 1987). Dale Jarrett was the most recent polesitter to capture the Harley J. Earl Trophy when he won the event in 2000. The other drivers to win the Daytona 500 from the pole were Fireball Roberts (1962), Richard Petty (1966), Buddy Baker (1980) and Gordon (1999).
Winning the Daytona 500 from the outside of the front row is even rarer. Only six drivers have accomplished this feat, with Richard Petty the only one with more than one victory in the race from the second starting position. The most recent driver to win from this spot was once again Jarrett, in 1993, Gordon's first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A.J. Foyt (1962), Geoffrey Bodine (1986), Darrell Waltrip (1989) and Ernie Irvan (1991) are the four other drivers.(NASCAR Wire Service)(2-22-2013)

Engine Rule at Daytona: the engine rule is a little different at Daytona 500 [just like qualifying] then the other 35 races, teams must run the same engine from Saturday's first practice session through the Budweiser Duel 150 mile qualifying races. If a team makes a change before the Duel, then it must start at the rear of the Duel 150 field. After the Duel 150 races, teams can make an engine change before the Happy Hour practice session. After that, if an engine change is made, the driver will start at the rear of the Daytona 500.

Double Yellow Line at Daytona = do not pass: In order to emphasize the yellow-line rule at Daytona International Speedway where passes are not permitted, NASCAR has made the single yellow line into a double-yellow line. The second yellow line was painted on the inside of the existing yellow line.(SceneDaily)(2-8-2009)

Daytona offers #88 package for July race: Daytona International Speedway will offer a special ticket package for the upcoming Sprint Cup Series event on Saturday night, July 6 at the "World Center of Racing" that includes a question and answer session with #88 National Guard driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. The #88 Package, available starting at $88 per ticket for adults and $35 for children 12 and under, includes:
" A grandstand ticket to the 160-lap, 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona International Speedway
" 15-minute question-and-answer session with Dale Earnhardt Jr. inside an air-conditioned tent in the frontstretch hospitality village
" $10 in Daytona Dollars that can be used for food and non-alcoholic beverages at any Daytona International Speedway concession stand
" Special Daytona International Speedway giveaways
Tickets for No. 88 Package are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/88 or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(5-13-2013)

Daytona launches mobile ticketing site: Daytona International Speedway, which will next showcase the stars of NASCAR on July 5-6 for the Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola, launched a new, mobile-friendly option that makes it even easier for race fans to purchase tickets to a wide variety of events directly from their smartphones. The new mobile ticketing site gives race fans the ability to easily purchase event tickets at the "World Center of Racing," Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access and much more. Fans can simply visit daytonainternationalspeedway.com on a mobile device and select the "Tickets" link next to an event. Moovweb helped launched the new mobile ticketing site at Daytona International Speedway as well as the other 12 International Speedway Corporation facilities.(DIS)(5-11-2013)

Sheryl Crow to perform pre-race concert for Coke Zero 400: Nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow, whose long list of hits include "All I Wanna Do," "Soak Up The Sun" and her latest single "Easy," will perform a hour-long pre-race concert prior to the 55th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona International Speedway. Through a special VIP Ticket Package, race fans can get unprecedented access to the 60-minute pre-race concert that will be staged on pit road in the tri-oval area of the "World Center of Racing." With packages starting at $115, the VIP Ticket Package includes: A reserved grandstand ticket for the Coke Zero 400, Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access, Admission to the VIP viewing area in front of the stage for the pre-race concert by Crow. VIP Ticket Packages can be purchased online.(DIS)(5-10-2013)

Daytona upgrades in doubt after bill's failure: The Florida Legislature has ended its 2013 session, passing the largest budget in state history. But the legislature did not deliver tax subsidies that would have benefited Daytona International Speedway's ambitious development plans. Indeed, Speedway President Joie Chitwood said that the failure to pass the legislation is sending the flagship track for the International Speedway Corporation back to the drawing board to decide the feasibility of the track's plans. "We are clearly disappointed by the outcome last week in the Florida Legislature," Chitwood said in a statement released on Tuesday. " We made a very compelling case for what could have been a successful public/private partnership with the State of Florida to create jobs and generate real economic growth. We also had substantial local, regional and statewide support. However, given this setback to our project, we are forced to reassess the proposed redevelopment and closely examine a number of factors such as its timing, size and scope, before we decide on next steps." Last October, Chitwood announced plans that would develop the area around the Speedway as a business and entertainment complex. And last January, he unveiled additional plans for the Speedway itself, adding a new tower, additional entrances and a fourth tier of seats along the front straight.(Autoweek)(5-8-2013)

Talladega, Daytona to reinforce crossover gates: Two NASCAR tracks will reinforce their crossover gates with extra cables following the February Nationwide Series crash at Daytona International Speedway that injured at least 28 fans. Talladega Superspeedway, which hosts a pair of NASCAR races next weekend, has implemented the changes to all of their gates after an engineering firm hired by Daytona made the recommendations after reviewing data from the Feb. 23 crash. Kyle Larson's car made contact with a gate opening on the last lap, sending an engine, tire and debris flying into the stands and injuring several fans. Daytona track president Joie Chitwood III said the additional cables will be added for redundancy in the system. The track will also put tethers between the gate frame and the posts. That work will be completed in time for the July 5-6 races there. Chitwood said the removal of the gates was not considered, nor was it an option to move seats back further from the fence area. Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president of operations, said Larson's car is still being evaluated and there will be no immediate changes made in regard to safety. In addition, O'Donnell said no changes are expected with the restrictor plate at Talladega next week  including a smaller plate that would slow the cars down.(USA Today)(4-25-2013)

Daytona Beach Half Marathon Returns To Speedweeks: The Daytona Beach Half Marathon returns to the Budweiser Speedweeks lineup in 2014. Scheduled for Sunday, February 16, the sixth annual Daytona Beach Half Marathon, hosted by Volusia County, Daytona International Speedway and the Central Florida Sports Commission will take place one week before the 56th annual "The Great American Race"  the Daytona 500. Registration will open on Wednesday, April 17, with the advanced entry fee for the Daytona Beach Half Marathon set at $85 per person. The half marathon will start at 6:30am/et, just hours after The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona finishes up under the lights on Saturday night, and lead into DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger on Sunday afternoon. The Daytona Beach Half Marathon's route, named one of the seven most scenic half marathons in America by Active.com, features one of the most unique courses in the running world. With the legendary pavement and historic grandstands of Daytona International Speedway serving as the backdrop, runners will start on pit road and run the first two miles on the track. The course then winds through the streets of Daytona Beach, finally reaching "The World's Most Famous Beach" at approximately the 7.1 mile mark. Runners will then run on the beach for approximately two-tenths of a mile, getting an unobstructed view of the ocean as the sun rises on the beautiful horizon. Returning to the roads of Daytona Beach, runners then head back to the Speedway for the finish and a trip to Gatorade Victory Lane.(DIS)(4-12-2013)

ISC pays insurance deductible on Nationwide crash: Daytona International Speedway parent company International Speedway Corporation has paid a $1.1 million deductible in insurance costs related to the treatment of injuries for more than 30 fans hurt by debris Feb 23. On the final lap of the Nationwide Series race, the car driven by Kyle Larson got airborne and hit the catch fence in the area that can be unattached to allow fans and officials to go to and from the stands before and after a race. Fourteen people were admitted to the hospital following the accident. All have been released, ISC President John Saunders told financial analysts Thursday. In discussing its financial results for the first quarter of 2013 (December-February), ISC chief financial officer Dan Houser said the company had paid $1.1 million for the insurance deductible because of the Larson accident. The actual amounts expected to be paid out by insurance were not disclosed. According to the standard NASCAR sanctioning agreement filed by Dover International Speedway with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, tracks are required to carry $50 million in insurance to cover costs of injuries and lawsuits arising from NASCAR races.(Sporting News)(4-5-2013)

Daytona crash investigation continues: The investigation into a last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway that resulted in injuries to at least 28 fans has yet to be completed, according to NASCAR officials and those affiliated with the 2.5-mile facility. The car of development driver Kyle Larson was launched into the catchfence along the frontstretch on the final lap of the Drive4COPD 300, and debris from Larson's car was thrown into the grandstands. "As far as the accident at Daytona, we're still in the middle of it and trying to see how everything falls together," Wayne Auton, NASCAR Nationwide Series director, said March 26. Thus far, he said, a determination has not been made as to whether changes will be required before the series returns to the facility later this year. "As we do at any venue that we go to, if we see that any changes need to be made, then we'll check into it," he said. Lenny Santiago, Senior Director of Public Relations for Daytona International Speedway, said the track's examination of the fencing and whether modifications might be necessary was also yet to be completed. "We are working with an outside engineering firm," Santiago said via e-mail, "to help us determine what, if any changes we should implement going forward." A representative with Turner Scott Motorsports said it is also the organization's understanding that the investigation has not been completed at this time.(NASCAR.com)(3-28-2013)

NASCAR promoter lobbies for tens of millions in tax breaks: International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR promoter just won an extension of a lucrative tax break from the federal government. The company says interest among its most avid fans is at a five-year high. And it has signed a new television deal with Fox Sports valued at more than $2.4 billion over eight years  a 36% jump over its current TV-rights deal. ISC is lobbying the state Legislature for a package of tax breaks that could save it close to $100 million during the next 30 years. ISC says the tax breaks would help persuade it to go forward with a sweeping renovation and expansion of Daytona International Speedway, home of the storied Daytona 500 and other racing events. The company's tentative plans call for everything from the installation of escalators, concourses and wider seats in the grandstand itself to a mixed-use commercial development just across the street. Adding pressure to get a deal done, ISC executives say the amount of money they ultimately decide to invest in the project is directly tied to whether the Legislature gives the company its tax breaks. "It's definitely going to affect whether or not it [the project] gets approved or at what size or scope," said Joie Chitwood III, an ISC vice president and the president of Daytona International Speedway. The legislation (HB 1049, SB 1394) was initially written by ISC lobbyists. It is being sponsored in the Legislature by a pair of Volusia County Republicans: Sen. Dorothy Hukill of Port Orange and Rep. David Santiago of Deltona.(Orlando Sentinel)(3-20-2013)

Two more Daytona fans get lawyer: Two more fans injured in the Feb. 23 Nationwide Series crash at Daytona have retained an Orlando, Fla.-based attorney to seek personal injury claims. Attorney Matt Morgan now represents six of the people who were injured when Kyle Larson's car went airborne into the catch fence, sending debris flying into the front-stretch stands on the last lap of the race. At least 28 fans were injured in the wreck. NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation have retained a Miami-based law firm to handle the claims. Morgan said he is working "diligently'' with NASCAR and ISC legal representation -- Cole, Scott & Kissane, Pa. -- to settle the issue without going to trial. Meanwhile, one of the two who had remained at Daytona Beach's Halifax Health in stable condition has been released. According to a hospital spokesman and Twitter, the 14-year-old brother of Becket McGinn was released and had headed home.(ESPN)(3-9-2013)

NASCAR retains law firm for Daytona crash: NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation have retained a Miami-based law firm to handle claims from fans injured in a Feb. 23 Nationwide Series crash. At least 28 fans were injured when Kyle Larson's car went airborne into the catch fence, sending debris flying into the front stretch stands on the last lap of the race. NASCAR is conducting an investigation to see if the catch fence did its job, focusing on the area around a crossover gate where the engine of Larson's car ripped through. Orlando, Fla., based attorney Matt Morgan told ESPN.com a fourth client recently retained him to seek compensation for burns suffered as a result of the crash. Morgan said he is working "diligently" with NASCAR and ISC legal representation -- Cole, Scott & Kissane, Pa. -- to settle the issue without going to trial. Meanwhile, the two most seriously injured fans remain at Halifax Health in stable condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.(ESPN)(3-6-2013)

Gate area a concern after crash: The Daytona crash investigation will focus on the gate area of the fencing and how improvements can be made before the next superspeedway race at Talladega, Ala., in May, NASCAR senior vice president Steve O'Donnell said Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway. A terrifying last-lap crash one week ago in the Nationwide race at Daytona caused parts of a car to break through the frontstretch catch fence, injuring 28 spectators, including two critically. O'Donnell said those two individuals are the only people who remain hospitalized, but added, "We are optimistic of their release, as well." O'Donnell said Dr. Dean Sicking, designer of the SAFER barrier, along with engineers from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, have been brought in as part of the investigation. "We've had multiple meetings this week," O'Donnell said. "Superspeedway racing at Daytona and Talladega is the first concentration for us. We have a race coming up in May at Talladega, so anything we can learn to apply at Talladega, we will do that."(ESPN.com)(3-3-2013)

Racing officials huddle on safety fencing: The engineer behind the most significant safety initiative of this motor sports era  the energy-absorbing SAFER barrier that covers the concrete walls of major race tracks  said Thursday that an alternative to steel debris fencing will eventually be designed. But it will take time and money, highway safety expert Dean Sicking stressed. "None of it is trivial," he said. "But this problem will be solved." Attention to racetrack fencing started after SAFER barriers were first installed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002. A group of industry experts have been meeting regularly, most recently last week at the IndyCar office. Coincidentally, that meeting was held two days prior to Saturday's crash in NASCAR's Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. At least 28 spectators were struck by debris from Kyle Larson's car that smashed into the fence. Fences are charged with many tasks, led by keeping a race car from flying into grandstands. They also must collect as much debris as possible while not forcing the car into a sudden stop  known as pocketing  that subjects the driver to extra forces. Then there is the issue of fence posts, which were the contributing factor in Dan Wheldon's fatal crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. Sicking has said the next generation of fences should hang from cables that cars can't reach. Complicating matters is visibility for spectators. A Plexiglas material is used in hockey arenas, but Kevin Forbes, director of engineering at IMS, said there are distortion issues when placing the material over a large area. "Plexiglas is just going to completely and totally ruin the sight lines," he said. "When you start looking left and right a half of a mile, the distortion in Plexiglas is unacceptable. Then you're introducing something else that can break (when struck) and become flyable, and the cost is enormous." Sicking said there's a similar material that has been used along highway bridges for noise reduction and visibility, but that's expensive, too. A more likely option, he said, is using a combination of materials in the current fences to make the system flex better.(in part from the Indianapolis Star)(3-2-2013)

Two fans injured in Daytona crash released from hospital UPDATE: Two fans injured in the crash at Daytona International Speedway Saturday were released from Halifax Health on Tuesday, leaving five remaining from the more than 30 fans that were injured from flying debris in the Nationwide Series crash. Hospital spokesman Byron Cogdell said five patients injured in the crash remain in the hospital and are still being treated for injuries related to the incident. The patients have been stable since Monday.(Sporting News)
UPDATE: Five of the seven injured fans taken to Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Fla. following Saturday's horrific Nationwide Series crash have been released from the hospital. The two that remain are in stable condition, a hospital spokesperson told ESPN.com on Thursday. At least 28 fans were injured by debris when Kyle Larson's car went airborne into the catch fence on the last lap of the Nationwide opener at Daytona International Speedway. Fourteen were treated and released at the track. The most serious were transported to Halifax Health. Two were listed in critical condition, one life-threatening with head trauma, upon arrival. They remain hospitalized (ESPN)(2-28-2013)

NASCAR, Speedway to oversee Daytona NNS crash probe: An investigation into the crash that injured 28 fans when debris flew into the grandstands at Daytona International Speedway will be conducted by the track and NASCAR, and not by any outside agency. NASCAR and Speedway officials said Monday they would dedicate significant time and resources into investigating what could be done to prevent a repeat of the crash and determine if any safety improvements are needed to protect fans -- their "number one priority." The Speedway and NASCAR, which governs and sanctions stock car racing, said they have no timetable for completing the investigation. But they said no government agency would be called in nor would they be required to file reports with any public agency. NASCAR will dedicate "significant time and resources into getting the right answer," said David Higdon, NASCAR's managing director, integrated marketing communications, adding it may take days, weeks or even months to complete the review.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-26-2013)

Injured planning to sue DIS: Three spectators injured by the wreck at Daytona International Speedway have contracted with the personal injury law firm of Morgan and Morgan, and four more have made appointments, firm founder John Morgan said Monday. Morgan said of the three under contract, one has a broken leg and another has a head injury. He was checking with his firm on the third person's injuries. None of the injuries of those seeking legal help with the firm were life-threatening, he said. A Speedway attorney said he would not comment on possible litigation. The potential legal fight to come will involve the "assumption of risk" when someone attends a sporting event, whether it's a race at the Speedway or a basketball game with players driving toward the hoop, said Morgan of Ponce Inlet, whose firm has offices in four states. "When you go to a sporting event, if you are underneath the basket that's where your seat is and Shaquille O'Neal comes after a loose ball and dislocates your shoulder, you sat there knowing that was a risk," Morgan said. But Morgan said in the case of the Speedway fans, they expected the fence to keep them safe when Kyle Larson's car slammed into the wall near the finish line of the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 on Saturday. The car broke apart, spraying a car tire and debris through a 22-foot grandstand fence into the crowd. At least 28 fans were injured.(in part from the Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-26-2013)

Hendrick willing to help delvelop better fence tech: Winning Daytona 500 team owner Rick Hendrick wants to find out what allowed the front clip of Kyle Larson's car to be sheared off in Saturday's Nationwide Series race. He is willing to work with NASCAR to develop technology that will help prevent another such incident that left 28 fans injured when debris flew into the stands. Larson's car went airborne into the catch fence on a horrific last-lap crash. The engine, built by Hendrick Motorsports, was separated from the car and landed on the concrete in front of the Campbell grandstands between sections H and I. One of the tires with the hub attached sailed over the fence and hit two fans, sending both to nearby Halifax Heath with critical injuries, one life-threatening. Both, according to a hospital representative on Monday, are stable and no longer critical. "I think the fence did its job,'' Hendrick said during Monday's Daytona 500 champion's breakfast for driver Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team. "I've never seen the clip come off before. They say they haven't found parts of the transmission. "What happened to the clip, there might be something else we can do. I've never seen that happen.''(ESPN)(2-25-2013)

Updates on the Nationswide Series Wreck at Daytona: posted many updates and retweets of the news on the Jayski twitter page;
Some news and updates:
A horrific multicar crash moments before the end of the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Daytona International Speedway caused Kyle Larson's car to become airborne into the frontstretch catch fencing, shearing off the front half of the car and leaving large pieces of the vehicle inside the fencing.
Sergeant John Creamer of the Daytona Beach Police said 17 fans were injured with two suffering "major injuries." Eleven were sent to Halifax Medical Center, with one adult in surgery with head trauma and listed in critical condition. The other major injury is to a 14-year-old. Six fans were transported to Florida Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, and are expected to be treated and released.
At least one tire from Larson's car flew into the seating area at Daytona. Police officers and NASCAR safety officials quickly ran to the location where part of the car went through the fencing, destroying one section of the catch fence.(see much more at ESPN.com)
AND A violent 12-car crash at the end of the DRIVE4COPD 300 sent a tire and other debris flying over the grandstand fence at Daytona International Speedway, injuring at least 15 bystanders, some critically, among the crowds watching the race from the grandstands. A Halifax Health Medical Center official confirmed just before 6 p.m. that 11 spectators are being treated in the hospital's emergency room and two of them are critically injured. Four others are on trauma alert and five are being treated as non-trauma cases, the official said. Lindsay Rew, spokeswoman for Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, confirmed that one patient was being treated there and three more were on the way. NASCAR just announced that they would conduct a press conference at 7 p.m.
Dozens of safety workers went into the stands and carried several people out on stretchers to a line of at least eight ambulances waiting below and behind the stands. Safety workers appeared to carry patients from at least two sections of the grandstands on the upper deck and from a section of the lower deck.
At 5:30 p.m., NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said "we are continuing to assess the situation, taking care of those involved."
(Daytona Beach News Journal)
Statement at 7:00pm/et: Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood and NASCAR SVP Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell are scheduled to address media at approx 7:00pm/et in the media center at DIS.
AND SPEED remains live from Daytona International Speedway and surrounding facililities following a major last-lap crash at the conclusions of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Debris from the incident made it into the grandstands and several fans are reported injured. SPEED will cut into regularly scheduled program to provide live coverage of any press conference from NASCAR and/or track officials throughout the evening.
UPDATE: Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood and NASCAR SVP Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell held a press conference at 7:00pm/et:
the STATEMENT: Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III provided the following statement Saturday evening: "First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with our race fans. Following incident, we responded appropriately according to safety protocols and had emergency medical personnel at incident immediately. We transported 14 people off property and 14 were treated at our on-track care center. We are in the process of repairing the facility & will be ready to go racing tomorrow."(Compiled from Daytona International Speedway's Twitter)
Latest UPDATE: Two fans are in critical condition, including one child, after a horrific crash on the final lap of the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. Twenty-eight people suffered some sort of injury. Fourteen were treated at the track, and 14 others were taken to hospitals. Halifax Health spokesman Byron Cogdell said 12 people were brought in, seven for treatment from the crash and five for heat exhaustion and other issues. Two of the seven were in critical condition, including one child. The other has life-threatening injuries because of head trauma. Daytona Beach Police public information officer Jimmie Flynt said another six people were transported to Halifax Urgent Care in Port Orange for minor injuries, and one additional person was transported to Florida Memorial for minor injuries.(USA Today)
AND from SPEED's Twitter: "Reports say 2 fans in critical condition have now been stabilized w/ no life-threatening injuries". Updates about the race on my Nationwide Series site
UPDATE 9am Two fans previously listed in critical condition, including one child, have been upgraded Sunday morning after a horrific crash on the final lap of the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. Twenty-eight people suffered some sort of injury. Fourteen were treated at the track, and the others were taken to hospitals. Halifax Health spokesman Byron Cogdell said 12 people were brought in there, seven for treatment from the crash and five for heat exhaustion and other issues. Two of the seven had been in critical condition, including one with life-threatening injuries because of head trauma. But Codgell said Sunday morning that the patients were no longer listed in critical condition. Daytona Beach Police public information officer Jimmie Flynt said another six people were transported to Halifax Urgent Care in Port Orange for minor injuries, and one additional person was transported to Florida Memorial for minor injuries.(USA Today)
Catch Fence update: Daytona International Speedway has repaired the front stretch catch fence that was severely damaged in Saturday's horrific Nationwide Series crash and is prepared to run Sunday's Daytona 500. "We met with NASCAR,'' Daytona Speedway president Joie Chitwood said on Sunday. "We reviewed all the repairs we made last evening. We worked late into the evening and are prepared to go racing today.'' Repairs to the fence were completed around 2:00am/et. A track-access gate that was destroyed was not replaced. Chitwood said there were no concerns for the safety of fans in the 500. He said the 22-foot high catch fence was installed in 2010 after recommendations by engineers following the 2009 crash at Talladega Superspeedway in which Carl Edwards' car sailed into the fence and injured fans. Chitwood said the track worked well into the night helping those injured, from transporting those released to their hotels to making sure they had accommodations for the 500. Chitwood said the track is willing to relocate any fans sitting on the front stretch that are uncomfortable with their seats.(ESPN)(2-24-2013)

ISC teams up with Drive to End Hunger: International Speedway Corporation (ISC) announced a year-long commitment to help fight older adult hunger in support of Drive to End Hunger, an initiative by AARP and AARP Foundation to help the nearly nine million older Americans who face the threat of hunger every day.
"Today's announcement means that there will still be good news coming out of ISC tracks after the checkered flag falls on raceday," said Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Cup series champion and driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports. "The commitment by ISC and Americrown will help a lot of people who struggle to put food on the table."
"We are privileged to support the great work of Jeff Gordon and the AARP Foundation with their Driver to End Hunger efforts," stated ISC Chief Executive Office Lesa France Kennedy. "Their programs represent the compassion of ISC's family of motorsports facilities and our commitment to being a good neighbor. We want to do everything we can to support our communities. They are important to us, they are important to the sport, and solving the hunger epidemic should be important to everyone in America."
All twelve ISC member tracks, led by ISC's primary food and beverage concessions operator, Americrown Services Corporation, as well as Levy Restaurants at Chicagoland Speedway, will donate extra food from NASCAR race weekends to local food banks on behalf of Drive to End Hunger throughout the 2013 season. AARP Foundation and Americrown will work with local food banks to receive the donations, which are expected to include bread, produce and other food items. This week, Americrown and the Daytona International Speedway will donate extra food from the Daytona 500 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. "We're pleased to extend our partnership with Drive to End Hunger," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. "In addition to helping to increase awareness for the issue of senior hunger, we're thrilled to be a part of a program that will assist individuals right here in Volusia County, and many more across the nation."
ISC and Americrown began working with Drive to End Hunger on food donation efforts in 2011. Since then, the collaboration has donated more than 70,000 pounds of food  the equivalent of approximately 54,000 meals  to local food banks near ISC tracks. "Millions of older Americans are forced to make impossible decisions about whether they can afford to eat, see a doctor, or stay in their home," said Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation president. "We are so proud to be working with ISC and Americrown to help make those choices a little easier in communities across the country."
Drive to End Hunger is AARP and AARP Foundation's national effort to help the nearly 9 million older Americans who are facing hunger across the United States. Drive to End Hunger is not only raising awareness of the problem, but also the funds to fight it. Drive to End Hunger engages corporate sponsors and individuals across the country, as well as funds innovative programs with promising results that can be applied elsewhere to prevent hunger. All contributions to Drive to End Hunger go to support the hunger solutions of AARP Foundation.
Since AARP and AARP Foundation launched Drive to End Hunger, it has donated nearly 16 million meals and driven corporate and individual donor commitments with an expected value of $18.1 million. All contributions to Drive to End Hunger go to support the hunger solutions of AARP Foundation.(HMS/DIS)(2-24-2013)

MIS part of the ServiceMaster Clean crew at the Daytona 500: The focus of NASCAR is on Daytona International Speedway for the 55th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday. And Michigan International Speedway's maintenance team will take on a significant role as part of the spectacle as proud members of the ServiceMaster Clean crew. The ServiceMaster Clean crew works with NASCAR and helps ensure the track stays clean, dry and ready for racing, driving and maintaining trucks and other track cleaning equipment. Four MIS team members and three of its ServiceMaster Clean jet dryers are at the Great American Race to assist. MIS Senior Director of Facilities Craig Hatch is getting first-hand experience at operating the new Air Titan track drying system NASCAR developed this year. While he hopes to not see action on Sunday, Hatch will be ready if necessary. Hatch will focus his efforts on operating the system to dry the track on the backstretch. In the group of three Air Titans on the backstretch, Hatch will be in the middle truck using a high-pressure air system to dry the track. He will be traveling 3-5 mph while watching the equipment behind him on a video monitor inside his vehicle. He will have three different angles to monitor the progress of the drying and to adjust to the circumstances. The three Air Titans operated by Hatch will be attached to three Ring Power CAT generators by a hose blowing compressed to air to the equipment. He will work in conjunction with a driver in semi hauling the generators to get the racing surface prepared. Specially built trucks will circle the bottom of the track and sweep up the excess water that is blown off by the Air Titan. ServiceMaster Clean jet dryers will continue to follow the entire system to complete the drying process. The entire system is to aid in preparing the track and returning to racing quicker. Hatch will not be the only member of the MIS Maintenance staff working on the ServiceMaster Clean crew. Tim Lamb, Ryan Clark and Gary Cox will each be operating ServiceMaster Clean jet dryers to aid in the clean-up process. Being a part of the ServiceMaster Clean crew is an important and historical significance for MIS. The jet dryer was invented at MIS, initially used as a mechanism to melt snow off the racetrack in wintertime in the 70s. Over time, MIS track officials began using the jet dryer to dry the track after rain delays during racing events. The new Air Titan track drying system debuted during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. This innovative technology, steeped in science and created by the NASCAR Research & Development Center, will reduce track drying time, improve the racing product and enhance the fan experience. Tickets are on sale at MISpeedway.com or by phone at 800-354-1010.(MIS)(2-24-2013)

Ray Lewis to serve as Daytona 500 honorary starter: The retired Baltimore Ravens star, Ray Lewis, will serve as honorary starter for the Daytona 500. Lewis will wave the green flag to start the Daytona 500. Lewis ended his playing career in perfect fashion this month, directing a successful goal-line stand that provided him a second Super Bowl title. A 13-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Lewis announced his retirement Jan. 2.(Associated Press)(2-23-2013)

Mark Reuss Named Honorary Pace Car Driver for the 55th Annual Daytona 500: Mark Reuss, General Motors North America president, who was instrumental in bringing the new Chevrolet SS to NASCAR, will be the honorary pace car driver for the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24. He will be behind the wheel of a 2014 production Chevrolet SS. "Leading the Daytona 500 starting field to green driving a 2014 Chevrolet SS pace car on one of the most famous race tracks in the world will be a special honor for me," Reuss said. "I can't wait to drive across the start/finish line and on into Turn 1. I know it will be difficult to turn down onto pit road when it's over because I will want to make that moment last as long as possible." The 2014 Chevrolet SS pace car has been busy during its Speedweeks debut, earlier pacing The Sprint Unlimited and both Budweiser Duels. The 2014 Chevrolet SS is the first V-8, rear-wheel drive performance sedan for Chevrolet since 1996. "The Chevrolet brand was largely built on the strength of rear-drive performance sedans, yet it's been 17 years since we've offered one," Reuss said when the production car was unveiled at the track last weekend. "The all-new Chevrolet SS fills that void and fills it better than any other vehicle in the brand's rich history. The comfort, convenience, spaciousness and V-8 power make the SS a total performance package unlike any other on the road today." Tickets for all Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona events are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-23-2013)

Daytona International Speedway reveals more of Proposed Redevelopment Project: Daytona International Speedway (DIS) President Joie Chitwood this morning conducted the first in-depth, virtual "walk through" of what the iconic Speedway would look like as part of a proposed redevelopment project, one that Chitwood emphasized would be designed to reaffirm the Speedway's standing among race fans as "the world center of racing for years to come."
The proposed project is subject to approval by senior management of the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), which owns Daytona International Speedway, pending several economic stability factors as well as construction design and costs. The project may also be impacted by state legislation that would include incentives for surpassing significant private investment levels.
Speaking to nearly 300 media members and motorsports industry leaders this morning at the Speedway, Chitwood guided attendees through three-dimensional video renderings of what the redeveloped frontstretch structure would look like. The vision for the redevelopment places an emphasis on enhancing "the complete fan experience," beginning with five expanded and redesigned fan entrances ("injectors") along International Speedway Boulevard.
Each injector would lead directly to a series of escalators that would transport fans to any of three different concourse levels, each featuring spacious and strategically-placed social "neighborhoods" along the mile-long frontstretch. The 11 neighborhoods, each measuring the size of a football field, would enable fans to meet and socialize during events without ever missing any on-track action, thanks to an open-sightline design throughout each concourse and dozens of added video screens in every neighborhood.
The central neighborhood, the "World Center of Racing," would celebrate the history of Daytona International Speedway and its many historic moments throughout more than 50 years of racing. In addition, the redevelopment would see every seat in the Speedway frontstretch replaced with new and more comfortable seating, as well as the addition of more restrooms and concession stands within easier access points for all fans.
To learn more about the potential project, fans can visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/redevelopment. Fans can also visit RedevelopDaytona.com to learn how they may be able to get involved in helping make this potential project a reality.(DIS)(2-22-2013)

Budweiser Duel moves to night in 2014: Daytona International Speedway announced Thursday that the Budweiser Duel 150-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 will be moved next year to a night-time start and be televised by Fox. "To earn a coveted starting spot in the Daytona 500, the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will have to perform under the lights and in front of a primetime audience in the Budweiser Duel,'' DIS president Joie Chitwood III said. "Moving the Budweiser Duel under the lights will add another dimension to Budweiser Speedweeks.'' The qualifying races join the Sprint Unlimited and the Camping World Truck Series race as night-time events during Speedweeks.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-21-2013)

July Daytona Nationwide race now named Subway Firecracker 250: The July NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Daytona International Speedway will bear a legendary name in 2013  the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola. The Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola, which is scheduled for Friday night, July 5 and part of the Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola, will feature the stars of the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 100 laps / 250 miles. The origin of the name "Firecracker" dates back to the first year of operation of Daytona International Speedway in 1959. The inaugural NASCAR summer race was run as the Firecracker 250. The summer NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at DIS included "Firecracker" in the event name from 1959 through 1988.(DIS)(2-20-2013)

Daytona International Speedway Provides Added Payment Options for its Fans: As part of its ongoing efforts to make it easier for fans to see races, Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III announced that beginning with Budweiser Speedweeks 2013, race fans can now select Bill Me Later, a PayPal service, as a payment option for ordering tickets online. Bill Me Later is an easy, convenient, and secure way to purchase tickets for any of Daytona International Speedway's major motorsports events. With Bill Me Later, race fans can buy tickets valued at $99 or more now, but pay for them over time thanks to 6 months financing* from Bill Me Later. It's a secure, instant, and reusable credit line. Tickets for all Daytona International Speedway events, including the prestigious 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24, can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-11-2013)

Grand Marshal for Daytona 500 named: James Franco, star of the Disney fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," which is scheduled for release on March 8, will serve as Grand Marshal for the 55th running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Franco will give the starting command, "Drivers start your engines," in "The Great American Race." He'll also be introduced at the driver's meeting, participate in pre-race ceremonies and ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag of the 200-lap, 500-mile race. "We're excited to welcome James Franco and have him take part in the pre-race festivities for the Daytona 500," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "In front of thousands of race fans and millions more watching on FOX, we're looking forward to hearing James' enthusiastic starting command to kick off the Daytona 500 and the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season."
"Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpotfame and fortune are his for the takingthat is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuityand even a bit of wizardryOscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well. Joe Roth produced "Oz The Great and Powerful," with screen story by Mitchell Kapner and screenplay by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire. Franco will next be seen in Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers." His credits include "127 Hours," in which he received a Best Actor Oscar® nomination, " the "Spider-Man" trilogy, "Milk," "Pineapple Express" and most recently "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."
Franco joins the prestigious list of previous Daytona 500 Grand Marshals including John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage, Kate Upton, Jane Lynch and Matthew McConaughey. Tickets for the 55th Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24, as well as all Budweiser Speedweeks At Daytona events, are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-8-2013)

Green Earth Technologies' G-OIL named Official Motor Oil of Daytona Daytona International Speedway announced a new partnership with Green Earth Technologies, Inc., naming the Florida-based makers of G-OIL, the first bio-based full synthetic oil used in NASCAR competition, as the "Official Motor Oil" of Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500. G-OIL made NASCAR history here at Daytona International Speedway in February 2012 when the TriStar Motorsports Toyota Camry driven by Tayler Malsam finished sixth in the DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event. G-OIL is the world's first and only bio-based fully synthetic motor oil to receive American Petroleum Institute certification. G-OIL products will be used in all DIS official vehicles including fan shuttles, safety, maintenance, service and landscaping equipment.(DIS)(2-3-2013)

Future Daytona construction could impact Cup schedule: Daytona International Speedway could look vastly different in two or three years. Exactly how and when is still to be determined. And along those construction lines, comes the inevitable question of whether the track can spend a couple of years re-doing the entire frontstretch grandstands and façade without disrupting its traditional NASCAR race dates. DIS President Joie Chitwood, who unveiled some preliminary drawings last week of the project but has not yet gotten approval to build from the board of parent company International Speedway Corp., said he thinks 2014 would be too soon for any construction impact on the schedule. In discussing future schedules last week, NASCAR Senior Vice President Steve O'Donnell said the Daytona construction schedule would have to be considered when developing a schedule. Chitwood wouldn't rule out a change in Daytona race dates but without a proposed construction schedule, he couldn't predict whether one would be necessary. "Obviously we don't want to really change anything," Chitwood said. "We've got really good event weekends. They work for us. We love our July event  wrap ourselves with the American flag and celebrate the nation's birthday. And who doesn't love Daytona in February and starting off the season? But, look, if we get the opportunity to make some massive redevelopment in our property, we'll have to see how that all shakes out. It's way too early to see if that will change our schedule, and the goal would be not to have to do that."(Sporting News)(2-1-2013)

Daytona International Speedway unveils renderings for proposed redevelopment project: Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood unveiled the first conceptual renderings of a proposed multi-year redevelopment of the historic facility. During an address to the motorsports community this afternoon at NASCAR's annual "state of the sport" media event in Charlotte, N.C., Chitwood revealed the first images of what the redeveloped Daytona International Speedway could look like. The proposed project is designed to provide a better overall race experience for fans, including upgraded concession areas, entrances, ticket gates, grandstands and seating, as well as interactive common areas that allow for opportunities to watch a race from several vantage points (DIS).(1-24-2013)

Zac Brown Band to Perform at the Daytona 500: Grammy-award winning musicians Zac Brown Band will perform the Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show leading up to the start of "The Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 24. Zac Brown Band will perform several songs prior to the start of the 55th annual Daytona 500  the prestigious season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the biggest stock car race in the world. Zac Brown Band member and Southern Ground recording artist Clay Cook will sing the National Anthem. All race fans that purchase a Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Daytona 500 will be able to enjoy Zac Brown Band's Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show, as well as driver introductions, from the grass tri-oval area. In addition to his concert, a special ticket package designed around the Zac Brown Band has been created that includes a Daytona 500 grandstand ticket, Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access and VIP area access to Zac Brown Band's performance. Packages start at $164. Fans that already have race tickets can add Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access along with VIP area access for $99.(DIS)(1-29-2013)

ISC reports dip in profits: International Speedway Corp. saw a year-over-year decline in both its 2012 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings and revenues, but the narrowing of the revenue decline for its core business operations to less than 1 percent has company officials encouraged. "We experienced leading signs of revenue stabilization this year," stated Lesa France Kennedy, ISC's chief executive officer, in both a news release and Thursday morning conference call with stock analysts. ISC, which operates Daytona International Speedway and a dozen other tracks around that country that host NASCAR races and other motorsports events, generated a net profit of roughly $54.6 million for its fiscal year, which ended Nov. 30, down from $69.4 million in fiscal 2011, and a fourth-quarter net profit of about $24.7 million, down from $26.5 million the same period the previous year. Its revenues totaled $612.3 million in 2012, down from $629.7 million in 2011, and in the fourth quarter it generated $189.4 million in sales, down from $191.9 million the same period the previous year. Kennedy said ISC had year-over-year increases in both revenues from broadcast fees, corporate sponsorships and food, beverage and merchandise sales at races, but "we continue to experience modest headwinds with admissions, not to the degree experienced in 2011, but enough to know we still have further inroads to make with our consumer."(full article at the Daytona Beach News-Journal)(1-25-2013)

New track dryers to be unveiled at Daytona: NASCAR will unveil next month at Daytona International Speedway a new piece of equipment that could revolutionize track drying. Twenty-four machines will be ready for Speedweeks events leading up to the Feb. 24 Daytona 500, executive Steve O'Donnell said. The equipment will rely on compressed air moving water off the track in a squeegee effect as opposed to traditional jet dryers that blow hot air onto the track. It also will include vacuums that will work in conjunction with the compressed air that would help dry a 2.5-mile track such as DIS in about 30 minutes -- 20% of the current time. DIS typically takes about 2.5 hours to dry. Last year's Daytona 500 was delayed until Monday night because of rain. "There's a few faces out here that will remember when we used to dry tracks off with just a fleet of vehicles going around the racetrack, or dragging tires behind pickup trucks,'' NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "And then someone came along with the jet dryer that expedited it quite a bit and served its purpose for a long period of time. "But in today's world with the expectations of getting the show done and getting it on, there was a high priority placed by [chairman] Brian [France] and the rest of us to come up with a way that we could expedite that. The R & D Center responded to that and come up with ideas, and this one seems to have quite a bit of validity to it.''
O'Donnell said the new device does not have a name yet. Unlike jet dryers, which were owned by individual tracks, he said the governing body has a patent on the new machine that gives it proprietary rights. O'Donnell said the equipment isn't quite to the level of efficiency that France asked for. Because of that, jet dryers also will be used at Daytona and perhaps ensuing races to help with the drying process. O'Donnell said the equipment could revolutionize the drying procedure for other venues in sports.(ESPN)(1-23-2013)

"The 48 Experience" Ticket Package for the Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson, five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and the 2006 Daytona 500 winner, has partnered with Daytona International Speedway to provide fans with "The 48 Experience," the ultimate race fan package for the 55th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 24.
"The 48 Experience" package, which is available for $148, includes:
· One adult Daytona 500 backstretch tower seat
· One child (ages 12 & under) Daytona 500 backstretch tower seat
· 15-minute question and answer session with Johnson near the backstretch grandstands
· Children attending the question and answer session will have the opportunity to put together a Lowe's Build and Grow race car
· Daytona International Speedway and SPEED Channel special giveaways
· Separate adult tickets for "The 48 Experience" are available for $115
Between 2006 and 2010, Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, won an unprecedented five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships. Johnson, who owns 60 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories, was also the first race car driver to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 2009. Tickets for "The 48 Experience Package" are available at daytonainternationalspeedway.com/48 or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(1-15-2013)

NASCAR doesn't foresee major changes after successful Daytona test: The search for speed continued Saturday during the third day of Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway -- among NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers with their race cars still intact. After Friday's 12-car accident during drafting practice sent many teams packing, single-car runs were the order of the day among those who stayed for the duration. On NASCAR's part, this year's season-opening test was a sharp contrast to that of 2012, when the sanctioning body spent three days tinkering with the superspeedway rules package in an attempt to break up two-car drafts and to scale down speeds that exceeded 206 mph. Even though the Cup series is transitioning to a new Gen-6 race car, the 2013 sessions required little manipulation on NASCAR's part. Average lap speeds in the draft topped out at the 199.650 mph achieved Friday afternoon by 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, and NASCAR was comfortable with the results.
"We're in the ballpark," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition. "We know the teams will go back, and they'll work and they'll bring a little bit better 'this' and better 'that.'&We're right in the ballpark, and we don't foresee any changes." Pemberton acknowledged that one consideration in designing the Gen-6 cars was breaking up the tandem racing, which was not a fan favorite. "When it was new, it was cool," Pemberton said of the aggressive two-car push-drafting. "When it was a couple races old, the coolness wore off of it. It was something that wasn't very normal for us. If you saw us last year at this time, we left this race track drafting at 206 miles an hour and went back and made rule changes based on trying to minimize the advantage of doing that (tandem drafting) and to minimize the appetite to do that, knowing that -- if it was the fastest way around -- you would do that late in the race to win the race."(NASCAR Wire Service)(1-13-2013)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder - Day 3, afternoon: Single runs continued in the Day 3 afternoon session of Daytona Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway, the final day of testing at DIS. #16-Biffle was the fastest at 194.936mph, the fastest single car run of the three-day test. #20-Kenseth was 2nd fastest followed by #18-Busch, #88-Earnhardt Jr., #42-Montoya, #39-Newman, #99-Edwards, #14-Stewart, #10-Patrick, #48-Johnson; 11th was #21-Bayne, #13-Mears, #17-Stenhouse Jr., #38-Wise and #83-Kvapil/Reutimann. 15 cars made runs in the afternoon session. There were no incidents.
See speeds, number of laps run, best 10 consecutive lap ave and more on the Daytona Testing Speeds - Day 3 afternoon session speeds page pdf.(1-12-2013)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder - Day 3, morning: Single runs continued in the Day 3 morning session of Daytona Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway, the final day of testing at DIS. #20-Kenseth was the fastest at 194.062mph followed by #21-Bayne, #10-Patrick, #27-Menard, #14-Stewart, #33-Dillon, #31-Burton, #16-Biffle, #18-Busch and #39-Newman. 21 teams/drivers tested in the morning session. Reports have the following teams leaving after the morning session: #78-Busch, #27-Manard, #29-Harvick, #31-Burton, #33-Dillon.
See speeds, number of laps and more on the Daytona Testing Speeds - Day 3 morning session speeds page pdf.(1-12-2013)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder - Day 2, afternoon: Drafting runs in packs of as many of 20 cars were done for the first hour of practice with #21-Bayne being the fastest in the pack with a speed of 199.850mph. But about an hour into the drafting test, #9-Ambrose was 2nd in the pack with #88-Earnhardt Jr. behind the #9. The #9 got loose or came down and the #88 tapped the #9, spinning the #9. #1-McMurray hit the #9 and spun, collecting #2-Keselowski, #5-Kahne, #18-Busch, #22=Logano, #43-Almirola, #51-Smith and #99-Edwards; a total of 10 cars. After the wreck, no one else. Testing still has three hours to go, the drivers/cars left, will continue to test, probably single car runs, but there will be 8-10 less cars testing.
SPEEDS fastest in the afternoon session was #21-Bayne at 199.650mph followed by #22-Logano, #56-Truex Jr,, #55-Martin, #99-Edwards, #43-Almirola, #88-Earnhardt Jr., #16-Biffle, #18-Busch and #13-Mears. The first 22 cars drafted. #29-Harvick was the fastest in single car runs at 193.150mph.
See speeds, number of laps and more on the Daytona Testing Speeds - Day 2 afternoon session speeds page pdf.(1-11-2013)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder - Day 2, morning: Single runs continued in the Day 2 morning session of Daytona Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway. #31-Burton was the fastest at 194.805mph followed by #29-Harvick, #27-Menard, #20-Kenseth, #16-Biffle, #18-Busch, #78-Busch, #9-Ambrose, #10-Patrick and #33-Dillon. 34 teams/drivers tested on Friday. #83-Kvapil joined the test and #11-Hamlin is not testing Friday/Saturday. Darafting testing is expected in the Day 2 afternoon session for some drivers/team. #36-Blaney wrecked midway thru the AM practice, doing damage to the right front of the car. Tommy Baldwin Racing didn't have a backup and will not test anymore on Friday/Saturday.
See speeds, number of laps and more on the Daytona Testing Speeds - Day 2 morning session speeds page pdf.(1-11-2013)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder - Day 1, afternoon: Speeds picked up a bit as four drivers ran in a draft late in the afternoon session in the day 1 of Daytona Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway. #11-Hamlin was the fastest in the 4-car pack at 195.712mph, followed by #20-Kenseth, #18-Gibbs and #55-Martin. The rest of the cars were single car runs with #31-Burton fastest (5th overall) at 194.620 then #27-Menard, #10-Patrick, #9-Ambrose, #15-Bowyer and #43-Almarola. 34 teams/drivers tested on Thursday. See speeds, nymber of laps and more on the Daytona Testing Speeds - Day 1 afternoon session speeds page pdf.(1-10-2013)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder - Day 1, morning speeds: #20-Matt Kenseth was the fastest in the day 1 morning session of Daytona Preseason Thunder. Kenseth ran a fast lap of 192.757mph in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 34 cars made single lap runs at Daytona International Speedway. Team did not run in packs or do any drafting. #9-Ambrose was 2nd fastest, followed by #10-Patrick, #31-Burton, #27-Menard, #15-Bowyer, #18-Busch, #24-Gordon, #42-Montoya and #33-Dillon. See speeds, nymber of laps and more on the Daytona Testing Speeds - Day 1 morning session speeds page pdf, see images of some cars testing on my 2013 Manufacturer News and Images page.(1-10-2013)

35 teams testing at Daytona: NASCAR fans will get their first glimpse of the new sixth-generation NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars on the storied Daytona International Speedway for three days this week at Preseason Thunder, the unofficial on-track start of the 2013 NASCAR season. This week's sessions will be the only test for the new car at Daytona prior to Speedweeks, which begins with The Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 16 and culminates with the 55th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24.
"This test is an opportunity for the teams to prepare their cars for Speedweeks and the 55th running of the Daytona 500," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "This is the teams' test and provides an excellent lead in to the upcoming 2013 season. There has been a lot of work put into the development of the Gen-6 car by the manufacturers, teams and NASCAR. It will be exciting to see the new cars on the track for Daytona Preseason Thunder."
After several tests for the new car, including one restrictor plate test at Talladega Superspeedway, the rules package has been set heading into Preseason Thunder.
The rules package for Daytona includes:
• Plate size - 29/32" (same plate size as 2012)
• Spoiler size - 4" high x 53" wide
• Spoiler angle - 70 degrees
• Front Grille size - 1-3/4" high x 23" wide
• Radiator Relief valve - 32 psi
Teams participating in the test are:

Sprint will sponsor Shootout: Sprint has partnered with Daytona International Speedway to sponsor the Sprint Unlimited At Daytona, the fan-favorite non-points event formerly known as the Daytona Shootout that traditionally kicks off the stock car portion of Budweiser Speedweeks 2013 and the NASCAR season. The race will once again be held under the lights on Saturday night, Feb. 16 (FOX 8 pm/et) but will feature several new elements that will make this event even more of a fan favorite. Fans in attendance will be eligible to receive special upgraded race experiences from Sprint including roles as Grand Marshal, Honorary Starter, and trophy presenter. Fans can also help deliver the trophy to Gatorade Victory Lane or participate in driver introductions during pre-race ceremonies. As announced earlier in the year, the format for selecting the field of drivers in the invitation-only event will return to its roots for 2013. The eligible field of drivers will consist of pole winners from the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and past winners of The Sprint Unlimited who have attempted to qualify for at least one race during the 2012 season. The field for The Sprint Unlimited is currently at 22 drivers and features a who's who of NASCAR stars.(DIS)(1-7-2013)

NASCAR credit included in "fiscal cliff" deal: UPDATE: The "fiscal cliff" deal reached by the Senate and the White House on New Year's Eve, and passed in legislative form by the Senate early New Year's Day, includes many giveaways to special interests--including an extension of a perk enjoyed by "motorsports entertainment complexes" otherwise known as the "NASCAR tax credit." The provision, under section 168(i)(15) of the federal tax code, allows speedways to write off their costs over seven years. Typically, such expensing occurs over a much longer period of time, from 15 to 39 years. The cost of the NASCAR tax credit to taxpayers has been estimated at some $40 million--over and above any tax incentives provided by state and local authorities. Hollywood films also enjoy a tax incentive extension in the "fiscal cliff" deal.(Breitbart)(1-2-2013)
UPDATE: Buried in the 154-page American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was a section renewing 31 business tax extenders, including a seven-year recovery period for motorsports entertainment complexes. The extension allows car, truck and motorcycle racing facilities across the nation to continue fully depreciating new capital assets  such as grandstands, concession stands and parking lots  over seven years. And that could be good news for the Daytona Beach area economy, an International Speedway Corp. official said Wednesday. It's a "very positive development," said Dan Houser, the company's chief financial officer, especially given the changes being proposed at the ISC-owned Daytona International Speedway. Last year, Speedway officials announced plans for a massive renovation and expansion on their 663-acre complex, including the demolition and reconstruction of the grandstands, and an entertainment complex that could include up to 2 million square feet of retail space, nightclubs and movie theaters. The measure helps keep ISC's plans on track, lessening the upfront tax hit of new construction.(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(1-3-2012)

Daytona sets start times for Speedweeks 2013: For the fourth consecutive year, NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race; the 55th annual Daytona 500 is scheduled for a 1 pm/et start time on Sunday, Feb. 24. Start times for the other remaining events of Budweiser Speedweeks 2013 at Daytona International Speedway are as follows:
The 51st anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race, Jan. 26-27, 3:30 pm/et
The Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Racing Series, Saturday, Feb. 16, 4:30 pm/et
The Daytona Shootout non-points event, Saturday, Feb. 16, 8 pm/et
Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger, Sunday, Feb. 17, 1 pm/et
Budweiser Duel At Daytona, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2 pm/et
NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Friday, Feb. 22, 7:30 pm/et
DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Saturday, Feb. 23, 1 pm/et
Tickets for NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race  the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24  start at $65 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. For the second straight year, the Speedway is offering special youth pricing for the Daytona 500. Children 12 and under will receive 50 percent off all backstretch grandstand seats for the Daytona 500 while supplies last. In addition, children 12 and under are free in the Sprint FANZONE throughout Budweiser Speedweeks.(DIS)(12-20-2012)

Preseason Thunder Fan Fest tickets on sale Monday: Race fans can purchase tickets for the annual Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at Daytona International Speedway beginning on Monday, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. The stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take to the legendary 2.5-mile tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway for three days of testing on Thursday, Jan. 10 through Saturday, Jan. 12 in advance of the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24. The test sessions mark the first time the new 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, which highlight greater brand identity for the manufacturers, will turn laps on Daytona International Speedway's 2.5-mile tri-oval. Dubbed "G6," the new-look sixth generation cars will conduct test sessions between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, weather permitting. Each session includes a lunch break from noon until 1 p.m. The Preseason Thunder Fan Fest is scheduled on Thursday night, Jan. 10 and will include autograph sessions, driver fan forums, show cars and displays, music and a photo opportunity with the 2013 Harley J. Earl Daytona 500 trophy. Tickets for Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest are $20 on Thursday and $10 for Friday and Saturday. Children 12 and under will receive free admission. Preseason Thunder ticket holders receive free tent camping inside Turns 3 & 4 for all three days of testing and fans can also watch each day's testing at no cost from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands.(DIS)(12-7-2012)

ISC steps up to help Staten Island storm victims: The multi-pronged campaign to provide relief for the many Staten Islanders devastated by Superstorm Sandy got a sizable boost this week from an unexpected source  the International Speedway Corp (ISC). You'll recall that ISC and Staten Island did not part company on the best of terms, after borough residents and most elected officials soundly reject the company's effort to build a massive, 82,500-seat NASCAR racetrack in Bloomfield. But that's all ancient history now. Florida-based ISC finally gave up on its plan in 2006 and walked away from its goal of having a track on Staten Island. Most Staten Islanders have forgotten the controversy. The company's leaders didn't forget about Staten Island, however. As soon as they learned of the devastation caused here by Hurricane Sandy, they made inquiries about who was helping the victims on Staten Island. And, then the company donated $5,000 to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which has been heavily involved in the relief effort. ISC President John Saunders told the Advance the damage to the borough "was shocking to see. What happened on Staten Island was catastrophic. We felt we had to do something."(Staten Island Live)(11-25-2012)

Daytona offers "Cyber Monday" Ticket Specials: Special $49 ticket packages and a unique ticket package with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars highlight Daytona International Speedway's "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" Thanksgiving holiday ticket specials. On Friday, Nov. 23 (Black Friday) and Monday, Nov. 26 (Cyber Monday), Daytona International Speedway will have specla $49 ticket package specials available for race fans to select from as they conduct their holiday shopping. Additionally, the Speedway has partnered with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the "Jags and Checkered Flags" ticket package, which is available for $99. More info at daytonainternationalspeedway.com/deals.(DIS)(11-24-2012)

2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder Dates: Daytona Preseason Thunder, the annual three-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session at Daytona International Speedway in advance of the prestigious season-opening 55th annual Daytona 500, will be held on Jan. 10-12. The test sessions mark the first time the new 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, which highlight greater brand identity for the manufacturers, will turn laps on Daytona International Speedway's 2.5-mile tri-oval. The new-look cars will conduct test sessions between 9am and 5pm each day, weather permitting. Each session includes a lunch break from 12noon until 1pm.
Race fans can also rev up their new year at the Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest  the companion event to the January test sessions. Along with watching Daytona Preseason Thunder track activity from the Sprint FANZONE, fans can enjoy Fan Fest on Thursday, Jan. 10 from 5:30 pm  9:30 pm.
The schedule of driver question-and-answer and autograph sessions will be finalized closer to the event. Tickets for the Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest, which include autograph session wristbands, will be available for purchase at a later date. For fans who would like to be contacted regarding Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest ticket information can sign up online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com/thunder. Fans can also watch each day's testing at no cost from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands. Information on tickets for both the Daytona Preseason Thunder and the Roar Before The Rolex 24 will be available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(11-7-2012)

Daytona gets final approval to move forward on site changes: Daytona International Speedway and International Speedway Corporation got the final yes vote they needed out of City Hall to charge forward with their plan to tackle a major overhaul of the Speedway's front stretch grandstands. The unanimous approval of the site plan Thursday night from the city's Planning Board was the last of several hurdles ISC and DIS had to clear before they could move from engineers' drawings to bulldozers in their hopes of redesigning the front stretch grandstands, adding new vendors, creating five new fan entrances, possibly doubling seating and renovating restrooms. The sprawling complex could include up to 2 million square feet of retail space, 1,785 hotel rooms, 1,500 multi-family residential units and movie theaters with a combined 5,000 seats. Speedway officials say it could take decades to reach that full vision, and they're just now beginning to talk to potential developers and businesses. Those future phases of the project will also require the city to approve additional site plans.(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(10-27-2012)

Tickets for Coke Zero 400 on sale October 27: On Saturday, Oct. 27, at 9 am/et, race fans will have their first opportunity to purchase tickets for the 55th annual Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 6 - one of NASCAR's most exciting nighttime races of the season. Fans can purchase tickets to the mid-summer classic in one of three convenient ways: Online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com, by calling 1-800-PITSHOP, or visiting the Daytona International Speedway ticket office. Fans who act fast can take advantage of the best pricing available during the public on-sale period. Daytona International Speedway will transform into the largest lighted sports facility in America as the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series battle for 160 laps, 400 miles on the historic 31-degree high banks. Tickets to the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday night, July 5, are also available for purchase on Saturday, Oct. 27. Prior to Oct. 27, only ticket renewals for the 55th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola were taken by the ticket office at Daytona International Speedway.(DIS)(10-24-2012)

City council approves rezoning around Daytona Speedway: Mayor Glenn Ritchey knew something historic was happening at City Hall Wednesday night, and decided to slow down before the vote that is now allowing Daytona International Speedway and International Speedway Corp. to create a sprawling racing and entertainment complex that will straddle International Speedway Boulevard. He let each city commissioner explain why they supported the rezoning that will free DIS and parent company ISC to overhaul the grandstand area and chase after dreams of putting hotels, restaurants, shops, new housing, movie theaters, nightclubs and maybe even a casino or two around and near the track in coming decades. "It's the largest project ever proposed and approved for the city of Daytona Beach," Ritchey said Wednesday night. "It's a historical event. It will pay great dividends to the city and Speedway." The new development will happen over the next few decades, and will likely be driven by developer interest and the economy as it recovers, city leaders have said. Improvements to the 53-year-old Speedway facilities and grandstands will probably happen first, and could be completed within two years. Those improvements could include new metal panel screening on the exterior of the Speedway, five new colorful metal entranceways, escalators and a doubling of seating. The new development could include up to 2 million square feet of retail space, 1,785 hotel rooms, 1,500 multifamily residential units, movie theaters with 5,000 seats total and 950,000 square feet of industrial uses.(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(10-19-2012)

No more Daytona Duel qualifying races? word is Daytona International Speedway is dropping those two Thursday 150s [Duel qualifying races]. Lack of sponsorship.(MikeMulhern.net).
BUT in February Budweiser and Daytona International Speedway announced the beer brand will take on an enhanced role in NASCAR's season opening festivities. Beginning with the 2013 season, Budweiser will become the official title sponsor of Speedweeks the ten-day stretch of stock-car races from the Shootout to the Daytona 500. Budweiser also will secure entitlement of the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. These enhancements to Budweiser's partnership with DIS will replace the brand's existing entitlement of the season-opening, non-points Shootout.(Daytona International Speedway)(10-14-2012)

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds return to the Daytona 500: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, known around the globe for their precision aerobatics, will perform the flyover for the 55th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season opener on Sunday, Feb. 24, at Daytona International Speedway. It's the third consecutive year that the flying team, officially known as the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, will perform the flyover for "The Great American Race." The Thunderbirds also provided the flyover in 2008 for the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The Thunderbirds flyover will feature six F-16 Fighting Falcons, the Air Force's premier multi-role fighter aircraft, soaring over the Speedway at the end of the playing of the national anthem. This week, the USAF Thunderbirds are visiting Daytona Beach for the second time in 2012, this time to perform in Embry-Riddle's "Wings and Waves Air Show," which takes place on the Daytona Beach shoreline Oct. 13-14. The Thunderbirds team is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, four civilians and more than 100 enlisted Airmen serving in about 30 Air Force job specialties. Since the unit's inception in 1953, more than 350 million people in all 50 states and 61 countries have witnessed the distinctive red, white and blue jets in thousands of official aerial demonstrations. Tickets for NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race  the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24  start at $65 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(10-12-2012)

ISC reports $1 million net loss in quarterly earnings: Changes in NASCAR's race schedule, a reduction in revenues from corporate sponsors and a broadcast partner and, of course, the struggling economy combined to sharply reduce both quarterly earnings and revenues for International Speedway Corp., the company announced Thursday morning. Daytona Beach-based ISC reported a $1 million net loss for its fiscal third quarter, which ended Aug. 31, down from a $9.7 million profit for the same quarter a year ago. Revenues also fell sharply to $115.9 million, from $150.3 million in fiscal third quarter 2011 - a 22.9 percent year-over-year drop. ISC officials said NASCAR's shifting of its races at Kansas Speedway to the second quarter this year, as opposed to the third quarter last year, and the elimination of a NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal, Canada, were big reasons for the lower revenues in its latest quarterly earnings report. "Adjusting for the schedule changes, . . . total revenues were down only slightly, approximately 3 percent, from the comparable period delivering core business results within our range of expectations," said Lesa France Kennedy, ISC's chief executive officer, in a conference call with stock analysts. ISC officials said other factors contributing to the drop in revenues and earnings included NASCAR's new multiyear contract with Sirius XM Radio Inc., signed at the start of the year, which has resulted in $8 million less in annual revenues for ISC compared to its previous contract with the satellite radio broadcaster, which expired at the end of last year. See more at Daytona Beach News-Journal.(10-5-20120)

Daytona 500 travel packages available: Want to attend the DAYTONA 500 but aren't from the area? myRacetravel, the Official Travel Provider of Daytona International Sepedway is standing by to make your trip to the DAYTONA 500® hassle-free. Packages, which start at $415, include race tickets, hotel accommodations, race day transportation, on-site staff for assistance, hospitality options and much more. All-inclusive race weekend packages for 2013 Speedweeks and the 55th annual DAYTONA 500 race weekend on Feb. 21 -24 are now available for purchase. Quantities are limited. To book a DAYTONA 500 travel package, click here or call 866.990.7223.(DIS)(9-27-2012)

DIS Track Services and Fire Rescue Team honored: Troy Willrick, Director of Emergency Services, and the entire Daytona International Speedway Track Services and Fire Rescue Team were honored at the second annual SPORTYS held on Saturday night at Full Sail University in Orlando. The DIS Track Services and Fire Rescue Team, represented by Willrick, were honored as Employee of the Year for their outstanding performance during the 54th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in February. "On behalf of the entire DIS Track Services and Fire Rescue team, I am honored to accept this SPORTY," Willrick said. "The coordination, professionalism and calm-under-extreme-pressure demonstrated by our Track Operations and Fire Rescue team during this unprecedented challenge were nothing short of spectacular." On Lap 160 of the Daytona 500, under caution, a car lost control and struck a jet dryer resulting in a fuel spill and fire. The Track Services and Fire Rescue Team responded immediately and suppressed and extinguished the fire. The crew then removed the damaged vehicles, cleaned up the remaining fuel and repaired the track surface. All of the rescue, fire, clean-up and repair work was completed in two hours and the race was able to resume to the checkered flag, which was taken by Matt Kenseth for a second time in his career. The SPORTYS, produced by the Central Florida Sports Commission, honors the top area teams, high school, collegiate and professional athletes, coaches, deserving local residents and businesses throughout Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties. Tickets for the NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race  the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24  start at $65 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(9-25-2012)

Daytona board gives thumbs up to Speedway plans: The Speedway's proposed sports and entertainment complex project cleared another key hurdle Thursday night. The city's Planning Board unanimously approved a rezoning measure that's needed for Daytona International Speedway and its parent company to push ahead with plans to dramatically improve the track facilities and add new hotels, restaurants, shops, movie theaters and nightclubs. The board's nod of approval Thursday was for 483 acres around the Speedway, a thumbs up that comes just a few weeks after board members OK'd a similar measure for 180 acres of International Speedway Corporation land just north of the track on the other side of International Speedway Boulevard. If city commissioners agree in a series of meetings this fall with the requests to rezone the full 663 acres on both sides of the bustling thoroughfare from major sports district to planned master development, the Speedway will be able to chase its dream for the sprawling complex. If the Speedway is able to move ahead with its plans over the next few decades, it will assure the track a spot on the top of the heap. The planned master development rezoning for both properties would allow the Speedway to build up to 2 million square feet of shops, restaurants and nightclubs; up to 1,785 hotel rooms; movie theaters with a combined maximum 5,000 seats; up to 1,600 multi-family residential units and 950,000 square feet of industrial uses. If it's legalized in Florida, the Speedway wants to add casino gambling on the two sites straddling International Speedway Boulevard. The Speedway also has a list of improvements it would like to make around the track, including adding new metal panel screening to the exterior of the grandstands, five new track entrances with sponsors such as Pepsi that would have vendors inside the track, thousands of additional seats for fans and elevators. The Speedway is also looking at extending the pedestrian bridge over International Speedway Boulevard so it connects more directly with the track and adding hotels, shops and restaurants on the east, west and south sides of the track.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(8-24-2012)

Woman sues Daytona after tram crash: A woman who claims she was hurt badly in a wreck while a guest during the 2011 Rolex 24 is suing Daytona International Speedway. The suit filed by Dena Barton of Longwood states she was visiting the Speedway on Jan. 29, 2011, as a passenger in a tram towed by a new Chevy pickup. The suit alleges the pickup driver, Angela Warren, a Speedway employee, "negligently operated" the truck while going through a tunnel at the race track, causing a crash. A Daytona Beach Police Department report found Warren, of Holly Hill, rear-ended a recreational vehicle driven by Feliz Joaquin Gonzalez of Miami after Gonzalez slowed. Police found Warren at fault in the accident for "careless driving," though police did not issue a citation, the report shows. Barton said she suffered permanent injury, pain and suffering, physical impairment and, among other things, required hospitalization and medical or nursing care.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(8-3-2012)

Harley J. Earl Trophy, American Flag featured on Daytona 500 Ticket: NASCAR fans have spoken and the design of the commemorative ticket for the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24 will showcase the Harley J. Earl trophy and the American flag. Between July 12-19 on Daytona International Speedway's Facebook, Twitter and Google + sites, race fans selected their favorite commemorative Daytona 500 ticket among three different choices. The race fans' selection of the commemorative ticket with the Harley J. Earl trophy is a fitting choice for 2013 Daytona 500 as the Harley J. Earl trophy, for the first time, is proudly featured on the race logo.
Awarded to the champion of the Daytona 500, the Harley J. Earl trophy is named after Harley J. Earl, a famous General Motors designer and friend of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. The trophy, one of the most prized possessions in motorsports, weighs 54 pounds and has a black base with a scaled-down replica of the Firebird One that Earl created in 1954 at the peak of his career with General Motors. Richard Earl, a former Wall Street broker, makes his living selling Harley Earl-designed cars. " 'Motoramic masterpieces' is how I like to refer to them," he said. He maintains the official Harley Earl Web site, carofthecentury.com, and is working on a biography of his grandfather.
Tickets for NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race  the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24  start at $65 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(7-31-2012)

Fans can help design Daytona 500 ticket: Race fans can have a voice in the design of the commemorative ticket for the 55th annual Daytona 500, NASCAR's prestigious season-opening race scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24. Through Daytona International Speedway's Facebook, Twitter and Google + sites -- race fans will be able to select their favorite commemorative ticket among three different choices. Voting began on Thursday, July 12 and will run through Thursday, July 19 at 5 pm/et. Two of the commemorative tickets feature the Harley J. Earl trophy  awarded annually to the Daytona 500 champion  while the third commemorative ticket showcases Matt Kenseth celebrating his second triumph in the "Great American Race" earlier this year. Tickets for the NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race  the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24  start at $65 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(7-17-2012)

Colonel Greg Gadson named Grand Marshal for Subway Jalapeno 250: Highly decorated U.S. Army Colonel Greg Gadson will serve as the Grand Marshal for the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday night, July 6 at Daytona International Speedway. Gadson, who lost both of his legs when he was injured by an Improvised Explosive Device, will give the starting command, "Drivers start your engines," in the 120-lap, 250-mile race. He'll also be introduced at the driver's meeting, participate in the driver introductions and ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag. Gadson has served in every major conflict of the past two decades including Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Kuwait), Operation Joint Forge (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq). Through his service, Gadson has been awarded the Legion of Merit, three Bronze Star medals and a Purple Heart among nearly two dozen medals and honors. Gadson, has continued to serve on active in various command and staff positions.(DIS)(7-4-2012)

Paty Cantú to sing National Anthem for Daytona Nationwide race: Houston, TX-native and Latin crossover singer-songwriter Paty Cantú will sing the National Anthem for the 11th annual Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday night, July 6 at Daytona International Speedway. Cantú rose to fame as one of the founding members of the successful Mexican pop duo LU. In 2008, she began to pursue a solo career and released her debut album Me Quedo Sola in 2009 and No Eres Tú in 2010. Cantú, who is a Subway Artista Fresco of the Year, is currently working on her third solo album that will be released in the fall of 2012.(DIS)(7-4-2012)

Fireworks extravaganza to follow Coke Zero 400: Fireworks By Santore is adding a new twist to the largest fireworks show in the Southeast, which takes place immediately following the conclusion of the 54th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday night, July 7. During the 15-minute show that will illuminate the sky above Daytona International Speedway, Fireworks By Santore will use specially developed shells to produce the letters "U S A" high above the speedway. The show will be shot from 16 different locations spread across the infield along the Superstretch. The finale will last for approximately one minute, 30 seconds and will have over 2,000 individual pieces.(DIS)(7-1-2012)

ISC submits plan for redevelopment of Daytona: International Speedway Corp. on Thursday filed a "planned master development" with the city, the first step in a 50-year redevelopment project for Daytona International Speedway. "It's been a great property for 50 years. We want to make it better for the next 50 years," Speedway President Joie Chitwood III told The News-Journal Thursday. The Speedway plan could include a "complete overhaul of the entire frontstretch grandstand" and creation of "a world class motorsports entertainment facility including features such as new seats, suites and guest amenities," according to a press release. Chitwood said the master plan could include "new entry points, improved fan conveyance, a modern exterior, first-class interior areas and a redesigned midway for fans." The planned master development is the second one filed this month by ISC, the Speedway's parent company. The first was for the property north of the Speedway across International Speedway Boulevard. Plans for that property are up in the air but could include a hotel, theater, restaurants, bars and possibly one day a casino, if Florida law were to change. Chitwood said the goal is to tie together the two properties and develop them into a sports and entertainment venue. Chitwood estimates the approval process will take six to eight months. Once the zoning gets an official OK, the track can start detailing changes to the property.(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(6-29-2012)

Train to perform pre-race concert for Coke Zero 400: Multi-platinum Grammy-winning superstars Train, whose hits include "Hey Soul Sister" and the smash hit "Drive By" from their new album California 37, will be performing an hour-long pre-race concert prior to the 54th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 7 at Daytona International Speedway. Through a special VIP Ticket Package, fans can get unprecedented access to the 60-minute pre-race concert that will be staged on pit road in the tri-oval area of the "World Center of Racing." With packages starting at $115, the VIP Ticket Package includes:
-- A reserved grandstand ticket for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola
-- Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access
-- Admission to the VIP viewing area in front of the stage for the pre-race concert by Train.
(DIS) (6-29-2012)

Bobby Bowden named grand marshal for Coke Zero 400: Legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 54th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 7 at Daytona International Speedway. The Hall of Fame football coach will give the starting command, "Gentlemen start your engines," in the 160-lap, 400-mile race. He'll also be introduced at the driver's meeting, participate in the driver introductions and ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag. Coke Zero invited the coaching icon to take part in the festivities to help launch its upcoming fall football program, which rewards fans online and in person with college football prizes and one-of-a-kind VIP experiences. During his 34-year tenure as the head coach at Florida State University, Bowden coached the Seminoles to more than 300 victories, two National Championships and 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships. Under Bowden's leadership, the Seminoles also finished in the top five in the country in 14 straight seasons and qualified for Bowl Games in 28 consecutive seasons.(DIS)(6-28-2012)

Daytona International Speedway Grandstands Smoke-free: Teens from across Northeast Florida came together to recognize Daytona International Speedway for its bold move to make the speedway's grandstands smoke-free. The teens from 21 surrounding counties are part of Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT). They also challenged other sporting and entertainment venues in the state to follow the example set by the speedway and protect more Floridians and visitors from secondhand smoke. The SWAT members, along with NASCAR driver Jeffrey Earnhardt, the Volusia County Health Department, and representatives from Daytona International Speedway held a press conference outside of the Gate 7 Grandstand Entrance of the speedway on Tuesday [June 19th]. "I'm proud that leading race organizations like Daytona are protecting our fans from tobacco smoke and are showing young fans that smoking is no longer acceptable," said NASCAR driver and Tobacco Free Florida spokesperson Jeffrey Earnhardt. "Families see drivers and venues like Daytona as legendary and this sends a healthy message to race fans." The grandstands of Florida's prestigious and historic sporting venue will officially be smoke-free starting with the Subway Jalapeño 250 Powered By Coca-Cola on Friday night, July 6.(DIS)(6-21-2012)

DRIVE4COPD renews title sponsorship at Daytona: The COPD Foundation's DRIVE4COPD national public health initiative announced today that it has renewed its title sponsorship for the DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway through 2014. "Since 2010, DRIVE4COPD has joined efforts with the NASCAR Nationwide Series race during Budweiser Speedweeks to raise national awareness about COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "DRIVE4COPD has been an outstanding partner. It has increased awareness, and promoted early detection of the disease that kills one out of four Americans. This is a cause we fully support and I look forward to continuing this relationship for years to come."(Daytona International Speedway PR)(6-18-2012)

Daytona to honor Medal of Honor Recipients: During the upcoming Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola, Daytona International Speedway, along with the thousands of race fans in attendance, will pay tribute to four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. It's the fourth straight year that Daytona International Speedway will honor Medal of Honor recipients, a program that was first started by Bill France Sr. back in the 1970s. The Medal of Honor recipients, all from the Vietnam War, to be honored are:
• Michael Fitzmaurice, Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army
• Jack Jacobs, Captain, U.S. Army
• Robert Patterson, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
• James Taylor, Captain, U.S. Army
All four Medal of Honor recipients will be recognized during a special luncheon on Friday at the Bill France Room, will attend driver's meetings and participate in pre-race ceremonies for both the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday night, July 6 and the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday night, July 7. During Saturday's 54th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola, a special salute will take place for the four Medal of Honor recipients during pre-race ceremonies.(DIS)(6-8-2012)

Daytona 500 tickets on sale Friday: Tickets to NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race - the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24 - will go on sale Friday, June 1 at 9 a.m. (ET). Tickets for the Daytona 500, which was won earlier this year by Matt Kenseth, start at $65. For the second straight year, the Speedway is offering special youth pricing for the 55th annual Daytona 500. Children 12 and under will receive 50 percent off all Superstretch grandstand seats for the Daytona 500 while supplies last. In addition, children 12 and under are free in the Sprint FANZONE throughout Budweiser Speedweeks. In addition to the 55th annual Daytona 500, tickets for all Budweiser Speedweeks 2013 events will be available for purchase. Race fans can also now pre-purchase weekend infield camping for the Daytona Shootout weekend as well as Rolex 24 At Daytona infield car parking packages.(DIS)(5-30-2012)

Daytona adds half marathon to Speedweeks: In 2013, a new race will be a part of the Budweiser Speedweeks lineup, but competitors won't need a helmet. Scheduled for Sunday, February 17, the Central Florida Sports Commission and Daytona International Speedway will host the fifth annual Daytona Beach Half Marathon just one week before the 55th running of "The Great American Race" - the Daytona 500. The half marathon will start at 6:30 am, just hours after the Daytona Shootout finishes up under the lights on Saturday night, and lead into DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented by Kroger on Sunday afternoon. Previously held in October, the Daytona Beach Half Marathon's move to February means there will be no race in 2012. The integration of the race into Budweiser Speedweeks will allow organizers to further incorporate the racing theme into the already unique event. The Daytona Beach Half Marathon's route, named one of the seven most scenic half marathons in America by Active.com, features one of the most unique courses in the running world. With the legendary pavement and historic grandstands of Daytona International Speedway serving as the backdrop, runners will start on pit road and run the first two miles on the track. The course then winds through the streets of Daytona Beach, including a run along the boardwalk of "The World's Most Famous Beach," before returning to the Speedway for the finish and a trip to Gatorade Victory Lane. For more information about the Daytona Beach Half Marathon, visit www.daytonabeachhalf.com.(Daytona Speedway)(4-26-2012)

Train to Perform Pre-Race Concert for the Coke Zero 400: Train front-man Pat Monahan and the rest of the three-time Grammy-winning band will return to Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 7 for the 54th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. From the legendary pit road in the tri-oval area of the "World Center of Racing," Train will perform a 60-minute pre-race concert prior to the Independence Day holiday classic. All race fans that purchase a Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Coke Zero 400 in addition to a race ticket will be able to view Train's Coke Zero 400 Pre-Race Show as well as the driver introductions from the grass tri-oval area. Tickets for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(4-24-2012)

Daytona / NASCAR honor local First Responders for their role in hosting the Daytona 500: Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood, NASCAR President Mike Helton and Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey, along with representatives of the France Family, International Speedway Corporation and Volusia County, hosted a special reception last night at the Velocitorium inside the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building to honor local first responders including police, fire and safety rescue workers, and others for their efforts during the 54th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on February 27, 2012. The race was originally scheduled to run on Sunday, February 26, but was delayed for the first time in history due to rain. With approximately 40 laps remaining, a bizarre fiery accident involving a jet dryer caused a two-hour red flag delay. Ultimately, the area of Turn 3 where the accident took place was repaired and the race was able to be completed.(DIS)(4-18-2012)

Daytona track section burned by jet dryer repaired: The operations team at Daytona International Speedway put the finishing touches on Turn 3 at Daytona International Speedway by painting the yellow lines on the surface April 5th. Lane Construction has completed repaving the area affected by the jet dryer incident during the 2012 Daytona 500.(DIS)(4-9-2012)

Postponed Daytona 500 Champion's Event Rescheduled for April 11, 2012: 2012 Daytona 500 Champion Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing team owner Jack Roush will return to the "World Center of Racing" for a special fan forum and lunch event to celebrate their victory in the 54th "Great American Race." Doors open at 10:45 a.m. Fans can have their photos taken with the #17 Best Buy Ford, which is currently on display in the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours building. Lunch will be available for guests as well. The fan forum Q&A session will begin at 11:30 a.m., during which time Kenseth and Roush will discuss what it's like to win their second Daytona 500 and hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy in Gatorade Victory Lane. In addition to the lunch and Q&A, guests will get a tour of Daytona International Speedway. Tickets to the Champion's Breakfast originally scheduled for February 27, 2012, will be honored for the Champion's Lunch on April 11. Tickets are also available for $40 by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.(DIS)(3-30-2012)

Daytona starts repairs on burned track section: Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to begin repairs Thursday (March 22nd) on the infamous Turn 3 track scar that was caused by a frightening crash, fuel spill and blaze during the Feb. 27 Daytona 500. Speedway spokesman Lenny Santiago said preliminary work -- collecting measurements and survey data -- began Wednesday afternoon. Santiago said once the engineers were satisfied with the data, the repaving process would begin. Fuel-soaked pavement, measuring 10 feet wide by about 50 feet long, is scheduled to be milled 2 inches deep, he said. Lane Construction -- which repaved the entire 2.5-mile tri-oval in 2010, a job that cost $20 million -- is working with engineers from ISC Design and Development. When asked about the cost of today's repaving, Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said, "This is going to cost us some money. It will be a significant cost to fix that area." The new blacktop has four layers of asphalt and is 7 inches deep. Santiago said the Speedway is still assessing the damage and does not have a timeline for the repairs. The area was contaminated with jet fuel after #42-Juan Pablo Montoya struck a jet dryer in his car during a caution period. Neither Montoya nor the jet dryer driver was injured. Bill Braniff, a senior engineer for Daytona's parent company International Speedway Inc., is scheduled to brief the media on the repair this morning.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(3-22-2012)

Daytona to repave area related to jet dryer crash & fire: The following statement can be attributed to Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III: "We're looking forward to a successful Daytona 200 on Saturday. Since the jet dryer incident occurred on Feb. 27 [in the Daytona 500], we have washed and cleaned the affected area of the racetrack in Turn 3 multiple times, and applied street bond. We have worked closely with AMA Pro Racing officials and we're both very confident it will not present any issues during the Daytona 200. Once we complete our motorcycle events, we are going to conduct long-term repairs to that area of the asphalt, which will include removing and repaving the affected areas. Lane Construction, the team who worked on the track repave in 2010, will handle the repave project. Once this work is complete, we expect to have no further issues related to the jet dryer crash and we'll be ready to go for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola in July."(DIS)(3-16-2012)

2012 Daytona 500 Brand Exposure: Total media value for NASCAR sponsors receiving brand exposure in the rain-delayed 2012 Daytona 500 increased by over 50% vs. when compared to last year's live racing broadcast, according to Repucom International. Race winning primary sponsor Best Buy received just over $1.8 million in adjusted media value during the broadcast but crossed the finish line 13th in exposure value across all brands analyzed in the event. A number of factors contributed to the overall increase in exposure time and value, most notably a longer broadcast duration with the red flag. Average household viewership of the event decreased slightly while the cost of media saw a slight uptick vs. last year. Repucom International tracks every brand within every race of 12 motorsports series globally including all three NASCAR series, IndyCar, Grand-Am and NHRA in the United States.(Repucom)(3-13-2012)

Homestead-Miami, Daytona, Phoenix featured in "Smoke Your Tires" Game: Picturesque Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of the first tracks featured in a new downloadable application, Smoke Your Tires. Coinciding with the start of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season, International Speedway Corporation has lent the marks to its 12 tracks to a new iTunes app, Smoke Your Tire. Homestead-Miami Speedway is among the first featured in the app, along with other iconic ISC facilities Daytona International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. This application for the iPhone is available now in the iTunes store with an Android version forthcoming. The app allows players to customize a stock car to feel as if they are smoking tires on the actual 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway track in never-before-seen-on-apps 360 degree spins, the difficulty of which increases by graduating levels. The first two levels, with backdrops at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Daytona International Speedway, respectively, are free with multi-level tiers added with each new event of the stock car racing season hosted at an ISC track. Each level will be a unique experience with new challenges and varying degrees of difficulty.(HMS)(3-8-2012)

Tide runs commercial featuring Daytona track clean up: A new Tide TV commercial ... seeks to capitalize on the detergent's brand unexpected product placement during Fox's telecast of the Daytona 500. The Procter & Gamble laundry detergent is not a NASCAR or Daytona sponsor. But Tide got millions worth of free exposure when Fox viewers saw safety workers using Tide to clean the track after a fiery crash at Daytona International Speedway covered Turn 3 with 200 gallons of burning jet fuel. Tide was smart enough to capitalize on the free product placement immediately. A new spot ran during Fox's telecast of the The Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sunday. The ad shows footage of Daytona workers using Tide to clean up the track. "You keep inventing stains. We'll keep inventing ways to get them out," says the commercial.(USA Today), commercial can be seen at the link.(3-5-2012)

NASCAR to use extra pace car behind jet dryers: NASCAR officials announced a change to have an extra pace car with flashing lights behind the last jet-dryer truck on the track in all races in all three series -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Trucks Series. The change, which was explained to the Sprint Cup teams during the drivers' meeting Sunday morning at Phoenix International Raceway, comes after Juan Pablo Montoya's car spun into a jet-dryer truck during a caution period in the Daytona 500 Monday night. The drivers of the jet-dryer trucks also will wear helmets and fire suits during each race, but that is a change agreed upon by officials at race tracks that play host to NASCAR events, not a rule instituted by NASCAR.(ESPN)(3-5-2012)

Update on jet dryer driver from Daytona 500 accident: Michigan International Speedway had three jet dryers and two employees at Daytona International Speedway assisting with Monday's Daytona 500. The jet dryer driven by Duane Barnes, 52, of Addison, Mich., was hit from behind by #42-Juan Pablo Montoya during a caution. Barnes was released from Halifax Medical Center after a precautionary evaluation by doctors late Monday night. He returned to the racetrack to watch the end of the race. Barnes has worked in the Maintenance Department at Michigan International Speedway for 24 years. He has frequently assisted other International Speedway Corporation-owned racetracks, driving jet dryers at those events. MIS supports other racetracks by sending staff and equipment to events. Barnes is surprised at the outpouring of well wishes, and thanks everyone for their concern. "I appreciate everyone for taking the time to write, call and ask how I am. I am OK and I am amazed at how many people have wished me well. I am also glad Juan Pablo Montoya is OK, and thank him for his concern," Barnes said.(MIS)(2-28-2012)

Cena forced to back out: John Cena, the former WWE champion, had originally planned to honor his commitment as the honorary starter for Monday's Daytona 500 before hoping on a plane to fly to Portland, Oregon for his appearance on Monday Night Raw. However, with the race starting at night, Cena was forced to back out of his commitment but not before stopping by the media center to promise to pay for a charter plane back to Daytona if the race is postponed until Tuesday. "I've never seen a more stand-up guy," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. "He has an open invitation to come back to any of our events, anytime."(Orlando Sentinel), Cena was scheduled to wave the green flag on Sunday, then when it was postponed, he was to also give the command to start engines.(2-28-2012)

2013 Daytona 500 is Feb 24th: The 2013 Daytona 500 will remain the last Sunday in February at Daytona International Speedway. Track president Joie Chitwood confirmed Friday that "The Great American Race" would start on Feb. 24 of next year. The race was moved from its traditional second or third week of February this year for the first time since 1971 as NASCAR eliminated its weekend off in early March (ESPN)(2-24-2012)

No more Budweiser Shootout BUT the will have the Budweiser Duel: Budweiser and Daytona International Speedway announced the beer brand will take on an enhanced role in NASCAR's season opening festivities. Beginning with the 2013 season, Budweiser will become the official title sponsor of Speedweeks the ten-day stretch of stock-car races from the Shootout to the Daytona 500. Budweiser also will secure entitlement of the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. These enhancements to Budweiser's partnership with DIS will replace the brand's existing entitlement of the season-opening, non-points Shootout.
"Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway marks the official start of the NASCAR season, and the opportunity to expand our presence throughout the ten-day event puts Budweiser even more in the thick of it all," said Brad Brown, vice president of sports & entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch. "The Shootout has been an important element of our NASCAR program for 34 years, but this opportunity to enhance our partnership makes Budweiser even more relevant to our consumers as well as the fans of the Daytona 500."
As part of the sponsorship, Budweiser will also receive the presenting sponsorship of the Daytona 500 pre-race broadcast show. The brand will also receive increased access for consumer hospitality events, including naming rights to the 5th Turn hospitality area throughout Speedweeks. "Budweiser is the longest running active partner with Daytona International Speedway and we are incredibly excited to enter this new chapter with them in 2013," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. "The opportunities created by this enhanced partnership are compelling and our fans will benefit the most. The intensity and fun atmosphere that Budweiser brought to the Shootout for so many years will be taken up several notches as they assume a much broader role during Speedweeks and 'The Great American Race.' "(Daytona International Speedway)(2-24-2012)

Bill France Jr. statue unveiled at DIS: Members of the France family gathered Wednesday with donors, local officials and industry members to unveil the Bill France Jr. statue outside the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Office. The statue was produced by sculptor John Lajba. William (Bill) Clifton France is remembered - and revered - as the man who followed his visionary father at NASCAR's helm, in the process becoming a visionary himself, as he guided NASCAR to unprecedented levels of popularity. He combined pragmatism with optimism, an approach that resulted in a calculated - and adventurous - road to success.(DIS)(2-23-2012)

After Daytona 500, no more smoking in DIS grandstands: Smoking will no longer be allowed in the Daytona International Speedway grandstands starting with the Coke Zero 400 in July. "It is the year 2012," said Chitwood, the Speedway's president. "I am not aware of any other sporting venue in Florida that allows smoking in their seats." When the ban takes effect, fans will be required to use designated smoking areas behind the grandstands. In the meantime, smokers will be encouraged to refrain from lighting up in seating areas during Speedweeks, Chitwood said. The ban is not mandatory yet because smokers purchased their tickets under the presumption they could smoke, he said. Las Vegas Motor Speedway banned smoking in seating areas about four years ago. Smoking policies vary for International Speedway Corp. tracks. Michigan International and Richmond International Speedway also recently announced smoking bans for grandstands.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-23-2012)

Pat Monahan to sing National Anthem for Daytona 500: Pat Monahan, lead singer of the three-time Grammy-winning group Train, will sing the National Anthem for the 54th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. "Pat has one of the most amazing voices in music today and we are ecstatic to have him perform the National Anthem for the Daytona 500," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "He will deliver a rousing rendition of the National Anthem before hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance and millions more watching live on FOX Sports." Train, which consists of Monahan, Scott Underwood and Jimmy Stafford, has earned three Grammys, two Billboard Music Awards for Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Song and an ASCAP Pop Music Award for Song of the Year. Tickets for the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 as well as other Speedweeks 2012 events can be purchased online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-22-2012)

Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte to serve as Grand Marshal for the first Gatorade Duel: Ryan Lochte, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer and Daytona Beach native, will serve as Grand Marshal for the first of two Gatorade Duel At Daytona 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday, Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway. Lochte, who won his first gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and two more at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, will deliver the starting command "Drivers, start your engines" to begin the first Gatorade Duel. "We are looking forward to welcoming one of Daytona Beach's most decorated athletes as Grand Marshal for the first Gatorade Duel," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "His achievements are inspiring to those around the world and are great point of pride in the Daytona Beach community. We are honored to have him play an integral part in the Gatorade Duel." The Gatorade Duel At Daytona features two 150-mile, 60-lap races that will finalize the starting lineup for NASCAR's most prestigious race  the 54th annual Daytona 500. Tickets for Speedweeks 2012 events, including the 54th annual Daytona 500, are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-22-2012)

Romney to visit DIS before the race: Mitt Romney won't be coming to Daytona Beach for a fundraiser on Friday after all -- but the Republican presidential hopeful expects to be at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday before the Daytona 500. Romney's campaign planned to be in town Friday for a fundraising reception hosted by International Speedway Corp. CEO Lesa France Kennedy, but Tuesday's primary in Michigan -- where Romney's father was a three-term governor in the 1960s -- is too close for him to get away. Polls show a surprisingly tough race between Romney -- who won Michigan four years ago against John McCain -- and Rick Santorum. "They're going to reschedule it because he's so hard-pressed in Michigan," said Don Kane, a volunteer in the local campaign effort. Instead of a fundraiser, Romney will come for a quick visit Sunday on the morning of the 500, Kane said. Speedway officials said formal plans weren't in place yet.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-22-2012)

UFC's Jon "Bones" Jones named Honorary Race Official for the Daytona 500: UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones will serve as Honorary Race Official for the 54th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway. As Honorary Race Official, Jones will be introduced at the driver's meeting, participate in pre-race ceremonies and ride in one of the honorary race official cars ahead of the 43-car field for the 200-lap, 500-mile historic race. Tickets for Speedweeks 2012 events, including the 54th annual Daytona 500, are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-20-2012)

Daytona International Speedway to add short track races in 2013: There will be no gap in the 2013 Speedweeks stock-car schedule. Beginning next year, Daytona International Speedway's "dark days," or the Monday and Tuesday before the Daytona 500, will be filled with a mega national event on a short track carved from the backstretch area fronting the Lund Grandstands. "When I think about adding a short track event here, it's just an opportunity to connect with that local racer supporting NASCAR," Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said. "Thinking about them, getting the chance to run at the World Center of Racing, it felt like the right thing to do. Whether it's a hobby or profession, everybody should have the chance to race at Daytona." The lineup includes drivers from NASCAR's K&N Pro Series East and West; Whelen Modified Tour North and South; and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I, or weekly track. While all the details are not known -- the official announcement is Friday -- The News-Journal has learned Daytona will create a defined, 0.4-mile, flat oval using the newly paved racetrack and skid pad surfaces. Removable concrete barriers will be used to identify the short track course. The two-day racing program will run under the lights. Any K&N or Whelen race winner throughout the 2012 season will get an automatic ticket to Daytona's event. NASCAR's top 10 weekly track drivers (the Whelan All-American Series) will also get a Daytona invitation. In addition NASCAR champions from Canada, Mexico and Europe will receive invites to this inaugural short track competition.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-16-2012)

Eleven years since pole winner won Daytona 500: The first two spots in the Daytona 500 will be determined on Sunday as a 10th different driver attempts to take the season-opening Coors Light Pole Award. Hendrick Motorsports has won three of the last four poles. The pole-winner appears to be due for a victory in The Great American Race. The record for seasons between pole-sitters winning the Daytona 500 is 12 from Cale Yarborough in 1968 to Buddy Baker in 1980 and Bill Elliott in 1987 to Jeff Gordon in 1999. Dale Jarrett is the last pole-sitter to win the 500 in 2000. Danica Patrick will attempt to become the fourth rookie to win the Daytona 500 pole, following Loy Allen (1994), Mike Skinner (1997) and Jimmie Johnson (2002). If she does so, she'll also become the first woman to win a pole in NASCAR's top series. A female driver has not competed in the Daytona 500 since 1980. Janet Guthrie finished 11th to better her best previous finish of 12th in 1977.(NASCAR)
CORRECTION: actually Shawna Robinson ran in the 2002 Daytona 500 finishing 24th.(2-15-2012)

Little Big Town to perform National Anthem for Budweiser Shootout: Country vocal quartet Little Big Town will perform a pre- and post-race concerts as well as the National Anthem for the 34th annual Budweiser Shootout on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway. Little Big Town will perform three songs prior to the non-points event on the pre-race stage located on pit road as well as the National Anthem, which will be carried live on FOX Sports. After the checkered flag waves on the 75-lap race, the group will perform a 60-minute post-race concert from the Sprint FANZONE Main Entertainment Stage. Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access holders will be able to view the pre-race concert from the tri-oval grass while all ticket holders will have access to the post-race concert, which will start in the Sprint FANZONE approximately 30 minutes after the end of the race. In addition to their Budweiser Shootout pre- and post-race concerts and National Anthem, a special $84 ticket package designed around the Little Big Town has been created that includes a Budweiser Shootout ticket, Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access and VIP area access to the Little Big Town pre-race performance. Tickets for all Speedweeks 2012 events, including the Budweiser Shootout, are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-13-2012)

Lenny Kravitz to perform the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show: Rock superstar Lenny Kravitz will perform the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, the pre-race extravaganza leading up to the start of "The Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 26. Kravitz, who has sold more than 35 million albums and is the only musician in history to win the Grammy for best male vocals in rock music four times consecutively, will perform three songs prior to the start of the 54th annual Daytona 500  the season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the biggest stock car race in the world. All race fans that purchase a Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Daytona 500 will be able to view Kravitz's Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, as well as driver introductions, from the grass tri-oval area. Kravitz joins a long list of star-studded names that have performed in the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show including Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey and Brad Paisley. In addition to his Daytona 500 Pre-Race Concert, a special ticket package designed around Kravitz has been created that includes a Daytona 500 ticket, Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access and VIP area access to Kravitz's performance. Packages start at $164. For more information on tickets for the 54th annual Daytona 500 and Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access, race fans can go online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.(Daytona International Speedway)(2-10-2012)

The Three Stooges Co-Stars Named Grand Marshals for the Daytona 500: As Grand Marshals, co-stars from the new Three Stooges movie Jane Lynch and Kate Upton will deliver the four most famous words in motorsports  "Drivers, start your engines." Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Will Sasso -- starring as Larry, Moe & Curly  in the all new The Three Stooges movie from Twentieth Century Fox, will start the action by delivering the green flag at the Daytona 500.
"We look forward to Jane and Kate's participation in the pre-race ceremonies, adding to the star power of NASCAR's biggest and richest race of the year," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "Also, the thousands of race fans in attendance and the millions more watching on FOX Sports are eagerly waiting to experience 'Stoogemania,' when The Three Stooges deliver the green flag"
In The Three Stooges, which hits theaters everywhere April 13, 2012, newborns Larry, Moe and Curly are left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns. The boys grow up finger-poking, nyuk-nyuk-nyuking and woo-woo-wooing their way to uncharted levels of knuckleheaded misadventure. Out to save their childhood home, only The Three Stooges could become embroiled in an oddball murder plot&while stumbling into starring in a phenomenally successful TV reality show. Earl Benjamin, President and CEO of C3 Entertainment, Inc. (The Three Stooges brand owner) and Executive Producer of the new movie, said "The Three Stooges as a part of the Daytona 500 gives both comedy and racing fans a truly unique blend of two of America's most enduring cultural icons  The greatest comedy team of all time and the aptly named The Great American Race. Tickets for Speedweeks 2012 events, including the 54th annual Daytona 500, are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-8-2012)

WWE's John Cena to serves as Honorary Starter of Daytona 500: WWE Superstar John Cena will wave the green flag as Honorary Starter of the 54th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 26 at historic Daytona International Speedway. Cena was invited to participate in this year's big race by 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series runner-up Carl Edwards last night on WWE's Monday Night Raw. Edwards got out of his official #99 Fastenal Ford and told Cena, "NASCAR asked me to come to Monday Night Raw and personally invite you to drop the green flag and officially start the Daytona 500 on February 26." An appreciative John Cena enthusiastically accepted with an emphatic "Yes!" Cena, who made his WWE debut in 2002, is a ten-time World Champion. He can be seen each week on the hit cable series Monday Night Raw on USA Network. The avid NASCAR fan will headline WrestleMania against The Rock® at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Sunday, April 1, 2012. Cena, like many NASCAR drivers, has a long standing relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is on pace to grant his 300th wish, making him the first celebrity wish granter ever to reach that lofty goal. The Make-A-Wish Foundation recently dedicated a room to WWE at the foundation's headquarters in Phoenix, AZ, in honor of Cena's unwavering dedication to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Past Honorary Starters for the Daytona 500 include NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, actor Ashton Kutcher, comedian Whoopi Goldberg and singer Mariah Carey. Tickets for Speedweeks 2012 events, including the 54th annual Daytona 500, are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(2-7-2012)

Daytona 500 will have purse of more than $19 Million: The 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 will carry a record purse of more than $19 million as well as a new contingency award that will payout $200,000 to the driver leading at the completion of Lap 100. The posted awards for "The Great American Race" are $19,142,601 with the winner collecting a minimum of $1,431,325. The second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishers in the Daytona 500 will receive a minimum of $1,050,075, $759,600, $609,900 and $486,550. The Daytona 500 Mid-Race Leader Award will reward the driver leading the midway point of the historic 200-lap, 500-mile race with a $200,000 bonus. If the race is under caution at Lap 100, the leader of the race at the completion of the fifth consecutive green flag lap following the caution will receive the award.(DIS)(2-2-2012)

NASCAR starting Speedweeks with restrictor plate that ended test: NASCAR will return to Daytona International Speedway in February with the same restrictor plate that it left with when testing ended earlier this month. Teams were informed Friday of the rules configuration for Daytona, which includes a restrictor plate with holes 29/32nds of an inch in diameter. In hopes of limiting the use of the two-car draft used by the Sprint Cup cars during the Daytona 500, NASCAR officials have made changes that they hope would result in overheating if the two-car draft is used for an extended period of time during the race. The biggest change is the rear bumper has been moved two inches closer to the ground. Teams will have a front grille opening of 50 square inches - it was 40 square inches by the time testing ended last week at the 2.5-mile trioval. The radiator pressure release valve will be set at 25 psi, the same as it was when teams left Daytona on the final afternoon of testing.(Scene Daily)(1-23-2012)

NASCAR close to finalizing Daytona package: Sprint Cup preseason testing ended at Daytona International Speedway Saturday afternoon with NASCAR saying it has a good handle on a workable rules package for February Speedweeks. Officials made numerous modifications during three days of testing at the 2.5-mile track with the aim of lessening driver dependence on the tandem drafting that have ruled racing at Daytona and Talladega in recent events. NASCAR and track officials seemed pleased with the results of the three days after drivers ran in single-car, double-car and pack formations. NASCAR compiled stacks of data during the test runs and expects to issue a final rules package for Speedweeks soon. There is the expectation that Speedweeks events - particularly the featured Feb. 26 Daytona 500 - will see more traditional pack racing and less tandem drafting, although the cars' setups remain such that the two-car draft could decide the race over the closing laps.(SPEED)(1-15-2012)

Thunderbirds to perform flyover for Daytona 500: The world-renowned U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will provide race fans with the flyover during the National Anthem for the 54th annual Daytona 500 - the prestigious season-opening event for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway. It's the third time the flying team, officially known as the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, will perform the flyover for the Daytona 500. The Thunderbirds previously flew over the race in 2008 and 2011. The Thunderbirds flyover will feature six F-16 Fighting Falcons, the Air Force's premier multi-role fighter aircraft, soaring over the speedway at the moment the final notes of the Star-Spangled Banner are sung.(DIS)(1-14-2012)

NASCAR makes more rule changes: UPDATE - additional changes: If NASCAR's objective was to eliminate tandem drafting at restrictor-plate racetracks, it remains a work in progress, based on Thursday's first Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway. Accordingly, in a meeting with crew chiefs at approximately 5:30 p.m. Thursday, NASCAR announced additional modifications to a restrictor-plate competition package that already had undergone major changes in the offseason. Even though Kyle Busch topped the speed chart in Thursday afternoon's Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway at 202.402 mph-in a tandem draft with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano-NASCAR will make the cars faster, less stable and more prone to overheating on Friday. The sanctioning body increased the diameter of restrictor-plate openings 1/32nd of an inch to 15/16ths inches, adding an estimated 26 horsepower to the engines. In addition, NASCAR has lowered the pressure relief valve settings from 30 pounds per square inch to 25 psi and narrowed the grille openings of the cars, thereby decreasing airflow to the engine. Both measures are designed to decrease the number of laps one car can push another without overheating.(Sporting News)(1-12-2012)
UPDATE: NASCAR announced more changes for Sprint Cup Series teams after the second day of testing at Daytona International Speedway on Friday. Teams will receive a smaller restrictor plate with an opening of 29/32nd of an inch, down from 15/16ths, to decrease the amount of air intake to the engine. The radiator opening was shrunk from 3.5-by-18 inches to 2-by-20 inches, or from 63 square inches to 40. And the pressure relief valve is now 21 pounds per square inch from the 25psi they used Friday. The top speed in Friday's test session was set 90 minutes into the afternoon by Kurt Busch. He ran a 206.058-mph average lap working in tandem with his regular drafting partner, Regan Smith. Busch hit 210.9 mph down the backstretch, the fastest portion of the track.(Fox Sports)(1-13-2012)

Racing related deaths at Daytona:

Qualifying Procedure for the Budweiser Duel 150's / Daytona 500:

Step 1) Positions 1-2: set by first round qualifying, the fastest two drivers.

Step 2) Positions 3-32: set by the results of the Budweiser Duel 150, 32 drivers, not already in by step 1. Drivers who finish in the top 15 in their respective races earn spots in the Daytona 500 and the 16th-place driver gets in as long as one of the top-15 drivers already occupies one of the two front row spots.

Step 3) Positions 33-36: the fastest four drivers from qualifying not in already from steps 1 and 2.

Step 4) Positions 37-42: the highest drivers in the previous season's OWNERS points standing not already in the race.

Step 5) Postion 43: to a former Sprint Cup Champion not already in by the criteria set in steps 1 thru 4. If there is no former champ not in, the next driver whose team in the highest in the previous OWNERS points standings

The Daytona 500 has a different qualifying format: Only the two fastest drivers secure starting spots for the Daytona 500 in qualifying on Sunday, February 17th. Qualifying speeds will be used to set the lineups for Thursday's Budweiser Duel 150-mile qualifying races. Odd numbers -- first, third, fifth and so on -- go in the first race, even numbers in the second. Results from the Budweiser Duel will set positions 3 through 32 for the Daytona 500. The next four spots in the Daytona 500 field will go to the drivers with the four fastest qualifying speeds who have not yet made the field. The final six spots go to provisional starters based on last season's car owner points standings. The 43rd and final spot goes to a past Sprint Cup Series champion, if needed. If not used then the spot goes to the the next driver whose team in the highest in the previous owners points standings. The pole sitting driving is assured of starting on the pole in the Daytona 500 and the second-fastest driver is assured of starting on the outside of the front row for the Daytona 500. The third-fastest, however, could start the Daytona 500 as far back as 33rd depending on how they finish in the Budweiser Duel.

All 77: Three drivers had competed in all 77 restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega:
#01-Mark Martin (2 Talladega, 0 Daytona wins)
#21-Ken Schrader (1, 0)
#55-Michael Waltrip (1, 3)
until Talladega in April 2007, when Waltrip & Schrader failed to qualify and Martin didn't run the race.
Plus all three ran the one-off restrictor plate race at New Hampshire, but that was not a drafting/aero track.(4-29-2007)