It looks like there is an opening in both my wife's and my own work schedule so we can go see the in-laws in Deland. Curiously enough, that opening in around the weekend of the Daytona 24h. We have no idea how that happened...
Current plan is to fly into Orlando or Jacksonville (because Southwest). Accommodation is obviously not a problem. What other things do I need to keep in mind? I was planning to pre-purchase the tickets for Sat & Sun and prepay for parking.
Bring warm clothes. My dad and I did not bring enough layers for the overnight hours. While the cold kept us awake, we would have been much better with extra layers. Bring great walking shoes too.
Don't miss the midnight garage tour.
Dress in layers and bring a rain suit. Get a good backpack, one with a hydration system is best if you can.
Earplugs.
You can rent radios and headphones from Racing Electronics at the track. You can also buy a scanner on eBay for about the same as a rental and then get the channel list from RE for $5. It's pretty cool to be able to listen in.
There's no one "good spot". There are tons of great spots. Use practice sessions to wander around and find your own favorite places. The entry to the intl horseshoe is awesome at night if you like glowing brakes. The bleachers in the west horseshoe give a pretty good view of the whole infield. Going as high and as West as you can in the main grandstands gives you a view of the whole track and is amazing.
Do the grid walk for the support race. Grid walk for the Rolex itself is way too crowded. But use that time to walk on the front straight of the track.
Wander through the garages.
There are places that you can rent an RV from where you pay them and they provide the RV, the camping spot, and they set it up for you. I'm not sure how spendy that is, but we've stayed on-site just outside of NASCAR turn 1 the last couple years and it's so much better than having to go back and forth to a hotel.
If you can get infield parking in GRM's lot, rent a minivan or cargo van and bring an air mattress if camping on site isn't feasible. That way you can catch a quick nap without having to drive for a half hour each way.
There’s really good advice already. Be aware that there are trams running most of the time. You can catch a ride for free and go from parking to the grandstands to the infield. You will still want and need to do lots of walking but a tram can extend your range, so to speak. Personally, I mostly hoof it but if there were children or seasoned citizens in my group a tram could be a big help.
In other news: Layer. Bring sunscreen and hearing protection. Consider bringing an ice chest and packing lunch, drinks and snacks to save money for important things like booze (there is food and drink in the infield - limited healthy options and priced in line with event fare). Have extra batteries for your camera. For sure pick one or two teams whose drivers you would like to meet and line up for the autograph session - they will be signing hero cards, no need to bring a pen or paper. Just take as much of it in as you can and have fun.
A lot of the important points have been listed above. The racing actually starts Friday with the Continental race, so we usually get there early Friday and stay through the weekend. Very easy to walk the grid and get lots of swag on Friday before it gets too crowded.
Headset is great for tuning in to Daytona radio to know what is going on with the race. Also, sitting in the upper west section provides a great view of the track (as said above).
Oh, and it's probably a quicker trip to fly in to Orlando and drive versus Jacksonville, fwiw.
Be sure to get all access to walk the garages, and it is also cool to walk through the respective car corrals (heck even the general infield has some pretty amazing cars).
Definitely worth the trip, we've been going for the past 5 years.
Yeah, what everyone said: earplugs, lots of water, comfy shoes, sunblock, hat, clothing for all weather, etc.
Even if you don't have our Experience package, you're totally invited to hang out in our compound, go on the tours, etc. You'd just be on your own for Saturday dinner and parking. We're again offering our Stadium Package, too, which is a heck of a deal.
Back to parking. I'll be honest: Parking inside the track can be a pain. Yes, you have your car right there, but it's a slog getting in and out. There's now paved parking across the street, kinda behind the Bass Pro Shops. Cross Int'l Speedway Blvd. via the new pedestrian bridge, and you'll find yourself at the base of the stadium. Ta da. We did that for the Supercross event. It's pretty slick and easy
Also, I always get people asking about photography at the track. Without a long lens and photo pass/step stool, it's tough to get great on-track photos. The one exception is shooting from the tops of the bleachers. That can work. But I'd say fish where the fish are fishing, and shoot in the garages. There you can get close to the cars. Concentrate on the cars, details, drivers, crew, etc. You'll find plenty to capture. There's night practice on Thursday, too. That's a great time to see everything up close. I don't see an event schedule at imsa.com, but hopefully one is posted soon. Edit: This past weekend I took all of these photos with a short lens, while my phone photos are here.
The Roar Before the Rolex is also a must-do event. It's like 90 percent of the cars but only 10 percent of the crowds. Admission is free with a ticket for the Rolex. Otherwise it's still a cheap date.
If you're in town Wednesday, They Might Be Giants are playing Ponte Vedra. It's a little more than an hour north of the speedway.
The hotels on the beach weren't as crazy expensive as I thought last year. We got a 2 bedroom condo for $200 a night on the beach in Daytona Beach Shores. It's about 15 minutes to the track.
Don't forget the story we wrote about this, which might have some good info in it:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/do-daytona-local/
I just booked my trip down there so I'm looking forward to the weekend. It'll be the first race in 5 years I've been to as a spectator and not a marshal. Got a hotel about 8 miles away for $110 a night so not too bad. Going to try and grab a mini van for a rental.
Really looking forward to it. There will be a ton of prototypes running next year so that will be awesome racing to watch.
I grew up in central Florida, live in DeLand, work directly across from the Speedway, and as is often the case with locals, had never been on the grounds of the track until the roar last year.
Planning on making up for that, eventually.
There's definitely a lot of good advice here. My comment is to reinforce that it's possible to get surprisingly cold in Florida. The air temp doesn't convey how cold it will feel, even taking wind speed into account.
I've worked on 50 harness racing tracks, trained trotters in the snow in Canada, and the coldest I've ever been (wearing the same outerwear) was training horses down in Pompano Park near Fort Lauderdale.
When you're a couple of miles off the ocean and a cold front comes through combined with the Florida humidity it can be unbelievably cold, even with a temperature only in the 40s. Oh, and I have seen it snow here.
It's only gets cold twice each year here in Daytona: the weekend of the Roar and the weekend of the race itself. Seriously, yeah, when you factor in the humidity and the wide-open expanse of the race track, it can get nippy, especially at night.
Yeah, I'll fourth? the cold thing. The coldest I've ever been was in the infield at Daytona for the Rolex, and I've been to almost every state, love skiing, etc.
I went for my bachelor party in 2016 and the group of us rented an RV and stayed at the track. One of the best weekends of my life. Hopefully I will be back this year. Trying to figure out the logistics right now actually.
David S. Wallens said:Even if you don't have our Experience package, you're totally invited to hang out in our compound, go on the tours, etc. You'd just be on your own for Saturday dinner and parking. We're again offering our Stadium Package, too, which is a heck of a deal.
Am I correct to assume that the Experience package is sold out?
Back to parking. I'll be honest: Parking inside the track can be a pain. Yes, you have your car right there, but it's a slog getting in and out. There's now paved parking across the street, kinda behind the Bass Pro Shops. Cross Int'l Speedway Blvd. via the new pedestrian bridge, and you'll find yourself at the base of the stadium. Ta da. We did that for the Supercross event. It's pretty slick and easy
Very good to know that, thanks.
Thanks everybody for chiming in. I hear you about the cold, we've been in Florida in January :).
Yes, the GRM Experience package is sold-out. However, the Stadium package is still available. Details and stuff are here.
And I'm checking on parking options with a friend at the speedway right now. I'll report back.
David S. Wallens said:And I'm checking on parking options with a friend at the speedway right now. I'll report back.
Circling back on the best parking options. I want to be able to access my vehicle a couple times during the race (planning on brining a cooler). Is trackside parking in Lot 5 worth it for $30? Their website mentions free parking in other lots at the track but doesn't give much specifics. Anyone done this?
David S. Wallens said:Yes, the GRM Experience package is sold-out. However, the Stadium package is still available. Details and stuff are here.
Finally got around to purchase the Stadium package. So looking forward to the race.
Devilsolsi said:David S. Wallens said:And I'm checking on parking options with a friend at the speedway right now. I'll report back.
Circling back on the best parking options. I want to be able to access my vehicle a couple times during the race (planning on brining a cooler). Is trackside parking in Lot 5 worth it for $30? Their website mentions free parking in other lots at the track but doesn't give much specifics. Anyone done this?
I'm told that free parking will be offered at Lot 2. This lot is located across the street on the backside of One Daytona. It's first come, first served.
Got the flights and the tickets showed up in the mail yesterday.
We're getting excited!
In reply to BoxheadCougarTim :
It’s probably the most fun I’ve had at a race as a spectator. I ended up staying up the entire race both times I went.
If you have some serious cheese to burn, try this:
https://www.ferrariusevents.com/event/24Daytona
$850 and be the KING of Daytona. I did it two years ago. They feed you so well it's almost a deal.
Aaron
BoxheadCougarTim said:Got the flights and the tickets showed up in the mail yesterday.
We're getting excited!
Cool. We'll see you there.
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