Florida, Jacksonville - Tuesday, May 21, 2019 - Daytona International Speedway

This tour was Greg’s suggestion and I am so glad he made it, what an interesting place.  If you get the chance to go, definitely opt for the 90 minute tour rather than the 30 minute one.

We had to wait a bit for our tour time so we walked down the Daytona 500 Champions Walk of Fame.

Our favorite drivers have been winners.

This place is huge.

This “Daletona” mosaic artwork made up of very small pictures commemorates the career of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

We killed a bit more time in the gift shop.

The tour is about to begin.

These tunnels are original to the track.  At the time the track was built the drivers drove their cars through these tunnels, there were no semi-truck haulers to move them in.

We weren’t able to get out on the track today because of some testing being done. The 31 degree banking is a little hard to appreciate from this angle.

During the races, personnel occupy the Sunoco tower looking for debris or problems on the track.

These are the current tunnels that will accommodate the semis and RVs.

You have to be really far back to get all of the grandstand seating in one picture.

The black and white seats are prime seating.  From them you can see not only the race but the victory lane celebrations as well.

The multicolored seating makes it look like the area is filled even if it’s not.

We made a “get out of the trolley” stop at Fan Zone.

The University of Northwestern Ohio sponsors the Fan Zone.  I found that odd until they mentioned that the university has a high performance motorsports technology curriculum. 

The blue garages are for the Xfinity cars.

We also spent some time in Victory Lane.

The green seats in Victory Lane are for the members of the press.

If you belong to the Daytona 500 Club which is in special rooms above Victory Lane your food and drinks are included in the price of your ticket.  Our tour guide dodged a lot of questions about the cost – he wouldn’t say, but I think it is a safe bet that we won’t ever be there.

Since the Daytona 500 Club is above Victory Lane they don’t really have a very good view of the happenings in the lane so special seating is provided for them.

We are headed into the Media room.

There is assigned seating when the big day arrives.

All the connections they need are at every station.

This is the stage and table where the winners are interviewed after the race.

Just think, the next winner will be thinking, “this is where Greg and Diana Jones sat”.

This is the RV park for the owners and drivers.  There is a separate area for race attendees’ RVs.

The blue car is the reason we couldn’t get on the track today.

There are 3 solar panel covered rest areas around the facility providing electricity for the complex.

We are 13 stories high in the black and white seats looking toward Victory Lane.

Fan Zone from the black and white seats.  The large metal structure holds the jumbotron screen.  When it isn’t in use it is taken down for safety.

The yellow garages are for the Cup Series cars.

The airport in the background makes getting to the race very convenient for those who fly in their own plane or a charter flight.

The flag stand and finish line down below.  Note that the grass doesn’t look like it does for the Daytona 500.  Some motocross events have dirt brought in which covers the grass.  When it is hauled out, the grass is reseeded and will be ready for the next race.

The finish line continues outside the building.

Denny Hamlin’s 2019 winning car just as it came off of Victory Lane.

I tried the 31 degree of banking exhibit.  I couldn’t walk up it.  We saw some pictures of the track being built that showed the machinery working on the track having to be cabled to machinery on level ground up above to keep them from sliding down the track.

The Daytona 500 trophy, a smaller replica goes to the winning driver each year.

Entering the Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum.

In 1935 the Campbell-Railton “Blue Bird” set a record on the sand in Daytona Beach at 276.82 mph.  Later that year Campbell became the first to exceed 300 mph on wheels at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

I’m a fan of the movie “Cars”, so I was happy to see the Hudson Hornet.

Micky Thompson brought the “Challenger II” to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1968 to pursue the land speed record for piston-powered cars.  The Salt Flats were flooded so he went home without making a run.  The car sat for 42 years until his son Danny restored it and made attempts to set the record.  He finally made it in 2018 with a new world record of 448.757 mph.

Lots of special cars on display.

Our family and friends from Indiana might recognize this Pay Less Super Market car.