Highlights
The flagship oval track for the National Association of Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) series is located in Daytona Beach, Fla. Ground was broken for the track in 1956, and the Speedway hosted the first Daytona 500 stock car race on Feb. 22, 1959, which makes the 2008 race the 50th anniversary. The season-opening Daytona 500, so named because it is 500 miles, has become one of the richest, with a total purse in 2007 of more than $18 million, with winner Kevin Harvick earning approximately $1.5 million. The Speedway also hosts a second NASCAR Nextel Cup race in July, as well as other events, including the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car endurance race, motorcycle events, hot rod shows, testin...
The flagship oval track for the National Association of Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) series is located in Daytona Beach, Fla. Ground was broken for the track in 1956, and the Speedway hosted the first Daytona 500 stock car race on Feb. 22, 1959, which makes the 2008 race the 50th anniversary. The season-opening Daytona 500, so named because it is 500 miles, has become one of the richest, with a total purse in 2007 of more than $18 million, with winner Kevin Harvick earning approximately $1.5 million. The Speedway also hosts a second NASCAR Nextel Cup race in July, as well as other events, including the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car endurance race, motorcycle events, hot rod shows, testing sessions and racing schools. The oval track is 2.5 miles long, with 31 degrees of banking in the turns, and is illuminated for night racing with 1,835 light fixtures. A 3.56-mile road course, which incorporates part of the banked oval, winds through the 180-acre infield, and is used for sports car and motorcycle events. The track seats 167,785, with additional space in the infield for fans. The 480-acre speedway grounds also house the headquarters for the International Speedway Corporation, a publicly-traded company that owns the Speedway, as well as 12 other race tracks.
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Old-timers set to get back on the track
As the days tick away for the start of a fresh season at Daytona International Speedway, there still will be moments of old-school reverence at the fabled superspeedway. Welcome back, Ward Burton. We'll see you soon, too, Bill Elliott. Both "old-...Tags: Daytona 500, Bill Elliott, Conservation, Natural Resources, Natural Resources
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Kentucky Speedway has parking solution
DAYTONA, Fla. — Kentucky Speedway officials are trying to make nice after the horrendous parking snafus that plagued the Sprint Cup race there last June in Sparta, Ky. "We had a little traffic problem," Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Speedway...Tags: Daytona 500, Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, Greg Biffle, Speedway, Danica Patrick
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Waltrip gearing up to rewrite history
Michael Waltrip will make a historic run in this year's Daytona 500. He will make his 75th start on the fabled superspeedway — the most of any driver — on Feb. 26. He will drive the No. 40 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota for Aaron Racing. "When...Tags: Daytona 500, Richard Petty, Mark Martin, Danica Patrick, NASCAR
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Safety revolution protecting drivers
NFL players are getting dinged every week with concussions. Sidney Crosby, the best player in the NHL, hasn't played since January because of a concussion. Yet it's interesting to note that no one in NASCAR is missing significant time after getting his...Tags: Carl Edwards, Daytona 500, National Hockey League, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth
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NASCAR is locked in
The NBA is on lockdown. Fortunately, all doors are open for business at NASCAR. Let the good times roll, preferably as fast as possible. The sport roars into the final weeks of the season energized by one of the most competitive Chases in Sprint Cup...Tags: Tony Stewart, Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Brad Keselowski, Basketball
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The day that racing stopped
I was covering motorsports for four years before I saw someone die in what might be considered a senseless crash. I didn't know Ricky Knotts, a 28-year-old driver who had spent every dime he and his parents could muster to qualify for the 1980 Daytona...Tags: Daytona 500, Baltimore Grand Prix, USA Today, Stress, Bobby Allison
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Champ shifting gears
Tony Stewart won't have any problems celebrating his third NASCAR Cup title when the party hits Las Vegas for "Champions Week." The official schedule was changed because of Stewart's actions the last time he won the title in 2005. A breakfast honoring...Tags: Tony Stewart, Homestead, ESPN (tv network), NASCAR, Auto Racing
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Wild cards a winning formula
Count Brad Keselowski as one of the biggest fans of the new wild-card format in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Keselowski stands to benefit because he has won two races, but regardless, NASCAR has found a way to reward winners. "We've seen different...Tags: Daytona 500, Vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp., Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR
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A team in name only
Once upon a time, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were like blood brothers. Linked together, literally, chasing speed and the finish line as one. To the victor went the spoils. In Earnhardt's case, it was a pallet of beer for pushing Hendrick...Tags: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chad, Jimmie Johnson
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On a highway to quell
Kentucky Speedway officials had one chance to get it right.
And they botched it.
Traffic on Interstate 71 was backed up for at least 15 miles Saturday. The jam started about eight hours before the race began. Some fans who finally crawled close to the...Tags: College Sports, Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, Speedway, Basketball, Auto Racing
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Menard claims pole at Daytona
Dale Earnhardt Inc. swept the front row in qualifying yesterday for tonight's Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., and ended up with three drivers in the top eight spots. Paul Menard covered the 2 1/2 -mile Daytona International Speedway at 185.916...Tags: Major League Baseball, Field Hockey, Milwaukee Brewers, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Martin
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Game Faces
What does a female athlete look like? She has rippling muscles. She is as light as a gazelle. She is petite. She is husky. She can run for miles, lift hundreds of pounds, explode off a starting block, twirl in the air. She is beautiful. In 1994,...Tags: Colleges and Universities, Multiple Sclerosis, Brandi Chastain, NASCAR, Auto Racing
Feb 7, 2012
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Jul 5, 2008
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Jun 27, 2001
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