Anyone been to the Daytona 500?

[MrSal]

My wife and I have combined a family holiday with a trip to watch the Daytona 500. We are to pick up our tickets at a ticket booth at the track in the week before the race. Has anyone been to the Daytona 500 and has anyone any tips on parking/traffic problems etc. Is there anything that we should make a special effort to experience or see?

[neilwaynesmith]

The museum attached to the speedway is an absolute must, similarly you absolutely HAVE to get along to Daytona Beach. I would pop into the stadium in advance to see about parking, but if you are early enough, you can park in the JC Penney car park over the road from the track or in the other shopping mall further up( I forget the name ). Getting out is a doddle, it took us less time to get away from D.I.S. than it takes to get out of the Silverstone infield after a clubbie!

Enjoy

[thebear]

Originally posted by MrSal
My wife and I have combined a family holiday with a trip to watch the Daytona 500. We are to pick up our tickets at a ticket booth at the track in the week before the race. Has anyone been to the Daytona 500 and has anyone any tips on parking/traffic problems etc. Is there anything that we should make a special effort to experience or see?

Depending upon your seating, there MAY be specific parking available in one of the lots near the Speedway. Ask when you pick up your tickets. Some of the parking lots feature shuttle busses but I don't know how speedy they are whe the `coal mine' lets out. Daytona USA (on the speedway property) is sort of a `multimedia' exhibit rather than a museum. It can be VERY LOUD inside. Be sure to view the `mini-IMAX' film. :

You might also drive South (~one hour) on I-95 (motorway) to visit the Kennedy Space Center near Titusville.

[ensign14]

I've been to the Pepsi 400, got in very very early for the free parking in a big field near the track, and left before the fireworks got really underway so I was back in Orlando within a couple of hours.

The next day I went to St Augustine (avoiding I95) and on the way back in the afternoon - on I95 - saw loads of traffic still returning from Daytona...memorabilia trucks &c...