Daytona International Speedway, Motorsport racing track in Daytona Beach, United States.
Daytona International Speedway is a motorsport facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, featuring an oval track roughly 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) around with steeply banked curves exceeding 30 degrees. The start and finish line runs parallel to wide grandstands, while the infield holds pit lanes, media centers, and open grass areas.
William France Sr. began building the facility in November 1957 and opened it in February 1959 as a response to growing demand for professional racing. The first races immediately drew national attention and established the track as a cornerstone of American motorsport.
The name Daytona comes from the city, whose beach road course hosted organized racing before the speedway existed. Bill France Sr. ran those races in the 1930s and later founded NASCAR. The 24 Hours of Daytona has run annually since 1966 on the infield sports car course, and the Coke Zero 400 is held at night.
The 2.5-mile tri-oval has three banked curves, and the infield road course measures 5.7 km. The grandstands hold about 101,500 seats, reached through five redesigned entrances called injectors. The Coke Zero 400 is run at night under lights installed in 1998. The site lies beside Daytona Beach Municipal Airport, roughly 50 miles north of Orlando.
A lake covering roughly 12 hectares (29 acres) sits inside the infield and once hosted powerboat races. The water now serves mainly as a reservoir for safety systems and as a habitat for local bird species.
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