DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The future is now at Daytona International Speedway, thanks to two historic votes in less than 24 hours involving municipal and county governments.
DAYTONA BEACH -- With his thrilling victory in the crash-marred Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola under the lights Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, 5-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson remains atop the season standings.
DAYTONA BEACH – 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.
And you won't find a bigger fan than Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood.
DAYTONA BEACH -- Joie Chitwood, president of Daytona International Speedway doesn't want a repeat of the crash on the super speedway in February that sent debris flying into the stands, including a tire that resulted in nearly 30 spectator injuries.
DAYTONA BEACH -- With the big crash sandwiched in between on day 2, the three-day Preseason Thunder Test at Daytona International Speedway that ended this afternoon provided an exciting glimpse into what NASCAR fans can expect from the "Gen 6" race cars at Budweiser Speedweeks culminating with the Feb. 24 running of the Daytona 500: Speed, baby! Pure unadulterated speed!
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DAYTONA BEACH -- NASCAR executive Ed Bennett has a saying from Mark Twain that he tries to live his life by: Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of the your life.
With an attitude like that it's no wonder the New Smyrna Beach native has moved up the corporate ladder, promoted this month to senior vice president with a trio of up-and-comers -- Jim Cassidy, Zane Stoddard and Kim Brink -- moving up to vice president.
As if his new position isn't challenging enough, Bennett gets to keep his other day jobs as NASCAR chief administrative officer and president/chief executive officer of GRAND-AM Road Racing.
DAYTONA BEACH -- More Fortune 500 companies are involved in NASCAR than in 2008, according to a recent review of brands currently using the sport to drive business.
The analysis looked at companies that either sponsor NASCAR teams, tracks, the sanctioning body, or are media partners. The number of current Fortune 500 companies invested in NASCAR (114) remains higher than any other sport. In 2012 alone, more than 24 brands entered the sport, including a handful of Fortune 500 companies.
"Some of the world's most profitable and successful corporations choose NASCAR to help drive their businesses," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. "These companies bring a great amount of rigor to where they make investments. This is especially true when it comes to marketing - and the sponsorship channel in particular - where they are looking for strong return on investment."
"Some of the world's most profitable and successful corporations choose NASCAR to help drive their businesses," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. "These companies bring a great amount of rigor to where they make investments. This is especially true when it comes to marketing - and the sponsorship channel in particular - where they are looking for strong return on investment."
DAYTONA BEACH -- Could Sunday's running of the Daytona 500 be a repeat of the rain-shortened 2009 race? Things could get slick with the National Weather Service in Melbourne calling for a 40 percent chance of rain, though that precipitation could arrive by late afternoon.
DAYTONA BEACH -- As NASCAR gears up for Sunday's running of the Daytona 500, let's take a look back down memory lane to the previous races at the world center of motor racing: Daytona International Speedway.
Highlights: It all started in 1959 with a photo finish that had Johnny Beauchamp the unofficial winner before the "official" results three days later had Lee Petty winning. The inaugural race also is noteworthy because several of the drivers were in convertibles, including a young driver named Richard Petty, son of Lee Petty, who lasted all of eight laps. He'd go on to have quite a stellar career, though, winning the 500 a record seven times. The were 59 drivers in the race. The race lasted 3:41:22, with an average speed of 135.521 mph. There were no cautions.
