So much right at the Rolex 24

My youngest sons and I had another super time at the Rolex 24. I really respect Daytona Speedway and their ability to put on a huge event, but still make sure a million and one details are tied up tight. Bottom line: their customers are happy, well fed, treated to (mostly) very clean facilities and enjoy world class races. How many people does it take to fill the infield? 100,000? That is my guess. Things were even busier than last year.

The Rolex is unlike any other race I’ve ever been to. It is more of a big racing block party with racecars roaring all around it. Shopping, dining, drinking, camping and all types of racing entertainment fill the infield. Only the most hard-core fans brave the stands for more than an hour or so. Most of the crowd is in the infield, and EVERYONE that I saw was in a good mood and having a great time.

The whole Daytona Rising project will be terrific because part of its goal is to expand the Rolex viewing experience to the oval races. I love the idea of not being stuck in a bleacher seat for 5 hours. The event is much more enjoyable if you can stroll a fan deck, have a beer, visit with your buddys, etc…

It doesn’t show well on TV, but those damn road racers are FAST. Not only that, they are fast for hour after hour. It would be so cool to drive in that race… In our world of short tracking, we spend a lot of time waiting for our race or class to come up. At the Rolex, the event is on all day and all night; its a different vibe for sure.

I’ve lived 45 minutes from DIS for almost 20 years, but I’ve never really gone there that much. That is changing for me. We went to the Rod Run in November, the kart week in December, the Rolex 24, and I’m headed to the Battle at the Beach and who knows what else in a few weeks. I’ll always be a short-tracker first, but I’ll close with this suggestion. Even if you don’t like NASCAR, or resent the organization, don’t forget that Daytona Speedway is a separate entity and has so much to offer fans like us.

The old saying “Been There - Done That” applies to me… years ago, a bunch of us went over for the 24 hr race… infield / camping… I was the only one that watched for the complete 24 hrs… I sat against the fence at the apex where the cars came back onto the main track… it was truly unreal… the rest of the group partied and passed out… I ended up driving back to St. Pete as everyone else wasn’t in shape to drive… that was in my earlier years… don’t think I could pull it off now… watch alot of the race of tv… also saw video of that bad crash… one driver with a broken back and the other with some severe injuries… glad you guys got to enjoy the race… OSF

I can’t wait to actually race on the same course in May!! A bucket list item I figured I’d never be able to “check off”!

Sunbank 24

[B][I]I had the opportunity to be part of one in 1984, it was called the Sunbank 24 then. I was a team member of Oftedahl Racing Team, we had 2 Trans Am Cars, with 3 or 4 drivers each, all on rent a ride basis. Big event, big freaking event. It’s different than stock car racing, but if you like motorsports, you cannot dislike that particular week end. It’s a bucket list worth event.

We worked our asses off during that race, change everything on those cars but the bare blocks: carburator, distributor, many transmissions(burn my arm pretty badly changing one), rear end, you name it. But it was worth every ounces of work for a young kid like me coming from LaLa Land, to be part of an event of that magnitude, it was something i never have and never will forget. Thanks to Richard who got me involved in that team, Gob bless his sole.[/I][/B]

Same here !!! It’s an oppertunity that can’t be passed up !!.. even in a “91” Mustang.

I really enjoyed the Rolex myself. It’s great to see the event returning to its former popularity.

While I am game to watch anything mechanical in competition 24 hrs. and too many right hand turns for me. It would be better for Boneman if they served rock shrimp from Dixie Crossroads. I am sure they had pate and caviar in the sky boxes. All I need is a couple of Zuber dogs and all is well. Glad to see some positive comments for DIS as they have been under the microscope for some time.

When its said that they have been under the microscope for some time. Could or would it not be from the stock car side. They have other forms of racing there that draw a different type of crowd that is happy what they see.

Thought you might be interested in this 1 minute Daytona Rising update featuring Joie Chitwood III that was put together last week by Josh Lieberman who works out of the Archives here…

http://videos.sorensonmedia.com/ISC/Daytona+Rising_R24+Update_ver2.mp4/f20e8334-845b-11e3-ab68-22000a9f1e3d

Also… Update on Memo Gidley as it looks like he’ll be undergoing back surgery sometime today… He’s pretty banged up and has already had surgery on his left arm and leg, but should be OK after a pretty long recovery… He was very lucky as the photos of the aftermath show… The other driver involved in the big wreck, Matteo Malucelli, was released from the hospital last night…

Glad you and the boys had a good time Boney!!

It is the longest weekend in racing.

[B]Boneman. That is the longest weekend in racing…
I started my racing career at the Daytona 24hr weekend way back in 1974. We drove a Ford Cortina (hung out with a guy named Jack Baldwin). We were in the IMSA’s Friday warm up event (100 MILES FOR COMPACTS). Then in 1978,79,80,81&82. We were Team up with JGR & Joe Varde Racing in AMC Gremlins, Hornets, and even a Pacer. Those races were all in the 6 hours races the day before the 24 hr. We would stayed to be part of the infield activities (same thing happens at Sebring only wilder). We would stay in the motel across the street an everyone jumped into a pickup up and headed to the tunnel for the 24 hrs. It was a BLAST. Then the next few years I got to drive in the Big Race the 24 Hour. Drove in Mazda RX 7’s, Camaro’s, and a couple monster Corvettes (now they really hauled ass, a big block 427 or 454ci at 5800 rpm’s in 4th gear is a monster under the hood) and going into the banking at 195+ mph would scare the life out of you. It was before they put in the chicane to slow down the top speeds. Believe it or not going into NASCAR turn 3 you never lifted and don’t turn the steering wheel (the banking just plants you in the seat and you hold on for dear life) and the car would keep going straight. You could look out the window and see all the crowds watching below having a blast in the infield.

Boneman if you ever get a chance to drive on the high banks it makes Lakeland USA like driving a 1/4 mile.

All in all the infield should be on every racer bucket list. You will never forget and it may turn into a annual event.

All so check out the AMA Motorcycles, SCCA and Chump Car races are all cool too.

Hope to see you at Citrus non-wing races.

Thanks for the post it made me remember the past…
Bobby Diehl
813-817-RACE (7223)[/B]

I wanted to tell you about the Lil and Big 500 a few years ago and why I missed it (very personal) but you didn’t seem to want to be around me so I guess I can cross you off

How 'bout some R/C car racing at the “big track”? Every spring during the big car show (at the end of March), they race R/C oval cars in the Sprint Cup garage area. If you guys are ever up that way for the car show, stop in and watch some cool asphalt oval racing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK1RjT59e9Q

[QUOTE=Boneman;140331]My youngest sons and I had another super time at the Rolex 24. I really respect Daytona Speedway and their ability to put on a huge event, but still make sure a million and one details are tied up tight. Bottom line: their customers are happy, well fed, treated to (mostly) very clean facilities and enjoy world class races. How many people does it take to fill the infield? 100,000? That is my guess. Things were even busier than last year.

The Rolex is unlike any other race I’ve ever been to. It is more of a big racing block party with racecars roaring all around it. Shopping, dining, drinking, camping and all types of racing entertainment fill the infield. Only the most hard-core fans brave the stands for more than an hour or so. Most of the crowd is in the infield, and EVERYONE that I saw was in a good mood and having a great time.

The whole Daytona Rising project will be terrific because part of its goal is to expand the Rolex viewing experience to the oval races. I love the idea of not being stuck in a bleacher seat for 5 hours. The event is much more enjoyable if you can stroll a fan deck, have a beer, visit with your buddys, etc…

It doesn’t show well on TV, but those damn road racers are FAST. Not only that, they are fast for hour after hour. It would be so cool to drive in that race… In our world of short tracking, we spend a lot of time waiting for our race or class to come up. At the Rolex, the event is on all day and all night; its a different vibe for sure.

I’ve lived 45 minutes from DIS for almost 20 years, but I’ve never really gone there that much. That is changing for me. We went to the Rod Run in November, the kart week in December, the Rolex 24, and I’m headed to the Battle at the Beach and who knows what else in a few weeks. I’ll always be a short-tracker first, but I’ll close with this suggestion. Even if you don’t like NASCAR, or resent the organization, don’t forget that Daytona Speedway is a separate entity and has so much to offer fans like us.[/QUOTE]

The 24 hour race has always been ignored by fans. Not nearly enough promotion maybe. Or just not as many road race fans. But it’s always been a great show. And yes those cars do haul the mail around that place.
Speaking as a fan, I’ve sat in the bleachers a number of times for the entire 24 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. Also stayed down in the infield and watched. That’s why i’m a little curious about the reason for the new " walk abouts " they’re installing. From the photos I’ve seen, they look like they’re away from the track, so I guess their function is to give people a break from watching the race. I’ll admit to being a hard core fan, and I can’t imagine spending that kind of money for a ticket just to wander around a big concrete platform instead of watching the race. Didn’t they already have a huge failure with this idea over on the backstretch called the Budweiser something or other?
You’re right, most people don’t like NASCAR, and yes most resent the organization. But the Speedway isn’t a separate entity and does in fact belong to NASCAR and to the organization.

This was not ignored by the fans. In fact, the infield was packed tight. Last year, we could wander the pit lane before the race to take pictures and chat with the drivers. This year, it felt like Black Friday: we were in a paralyzing mob from which there was no escape for quite some time.

I tip my hat to you for hanging out for 24 hours in the stands. That takes a hard-core fan!

We spent a few hours on a “fan deck” or whatever it is called in the infield. You could see the track, it overlooked the open haulers, and you could watch work in the garage. We were near the base of a scoring tower, and could clearly hear the race broadcast. Add in the rock wall, the playground for the kids, the nearby concessions and we could have hung around for a few more hours.

Daytona’s forward-looking approach to fan comfort has won me over. Some of our short tracks are taking similar steps. Showtime Speedway for example, has converted to stadium seating, and New Smyrna is much improved too.

alot of them were IMSA fans, and dont expect to see that many fans in the years to come and unless TUSCS makes some major chages we will be seeing a major declline