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.