This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Daytona Beach, Fla. • Daytona International Speedway is getting another facelift, this one considerably bigger than the last.
Three years after a complete repaving project, the famed track is overhauling the frontstretch to enhance the "fan experience."
International Speedway Corp., which owns Daytona and 12 other NASCAR tracks, announced funding approval Tuesday. ISC estimates the redesign with cost between $375 million and $400 million. Daytona had hoped to get some public funding, but the Florida House of Representatives declined to even vote on a bill that would have provided financial assistance to several sporting venues in the Sunshine State.
ISC pushed forward anyway, scheduling the project to begin July 5 and be completed by January 2016 — in time for the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Daytona 500.
The redevelopment will give Daytona's aging grandstands a modern look and feel. It will include expanded entrances and a series of escalators and elevators to transport fans to three different concourse levels, each featuring spacious and strategically-placed social "neighborhoods" along the nearly mile-long frontstretch. Those 11 neighborhoods, each measuring the size of a football field, will allow fans to meet and socialize during events without ever missing any on-track action.