The idea of promoting a race excited him, and he told city officials he was the perfect man for the job. While driving a race car at various tracks across the Southeast, owned by Daytona Beach restaurant owner Charlie Reese, Big Bill asked Reece if he would give support financially to help him promote the beach course.
A partnership was formed, and Big Bill began to wear two hats. In , Bill Sr. He would promote races on the beach and at various tracks in North Carolina before the attack on Pearl Harbor in December , which halted racing. Post war in late , the Daytona beach-road course needed a tune-up and renovations after several years of inactivity, and in the spring of , stock car racing was reborn.
The realities of a growing Daytona Beach populace on the beachside forced Big Bill to abandon the original 3. He was running out of room to both race and provide space for spectators.
A new 4. On Feb. Big Bill would be in charge of the new sanctioning body, promoting not only races at the beach-road course but a full championship schedule as well. The modified stock cars that had been competing was not the only direction Big Bill wanted to go in moving forward. In , he demonstrated his determination for a vision he had years earlier, but had been delayed by the war. From , a small amount of consumer cars had been built, reducing the availability of the machines from showroom floors by the car manufacturers.
Then, less than a month later, on July 10, , the first Daytona beach-road course for the Strictly Stock division was held. During this time period, Big Bill saw that the days of racing on the beach-road course were numbered due to the spreading land usage of a rapidly growing population and huge race crowds. As a result, the Daytona beach-road course race in was the grand finale for the asphalt and sand.
The year stretch of memorable moments will never be forgotten. Byron would go on and win the championship. February 5, Harold Kite, a former Army tank driver who began racing on the short tracks after World War II, drove past Red Byron on the 25th lap of 48 to score a convincing triumph in the season opener over Byron. His margin of victory was 74 seconds. The yard line of the speedway, so to speak. Gordon, then age 25, became the youngest driver to win the race at the time.
That mark is now held by winner Trevor Bayne. The statue now sits just outside the main entrance to the track. In addition, at this time, a new vehicle and pedestrian tunnel was built under Turn 1. In fact, the entire 2. This photo shows all of the existing asphalt being removed, right down to the original year-old lime rock base, which was leveled before repaving began. Five expanded and redesigned entrances, or "injectors," lead fans to a series of escalators and elevators, transporting them to three different concourse levels.
Fan "injectors" at the speedway each have different themes and feature artwork and memorabilia. Hosted Races for Nearly 60 Years The first race held at the track was the Daytona in , and the speedway began hosting the Daytona in Renovations Add More Space The stadium seats more than , racing fans.
A major renovation project has led to more than 60 trackside suites and doubled the number of restrooms. Check the schedule to plan a tour.
The event is multiple times a month, excluding March. Camping Is Encouraged When camping, vehicles must be less than 8 feet in height and 20 feet in length. Visitors can also enjoy free Wi-Fi throughout the stadium, Midway and fan zones.
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