This Is Daytona

Daytona. You really only need to say that one name and a fan will instantly know what you are talking about. A fan dreams of going to Daytona just as much as that driver behind the wheel of that race car or bike. To step foot on Daytona is like stepping foot on hallowed grounds. Daytona has been compared to the Stadiums like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Lambeau Field, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The Rose Bowl, among many other hallowed grounds. To A NASCAR Fan this place means so much and its just one of those surreal things when you finally get to go. It is a Big Deal to NASCAR fans because it is the place where we begin our road to Homestead.
One thing that makes this place so special is because of the Races it hosts it all starts at the end of January with the annual Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. An endurance race that has seen NASCAR Drivers like Dale Earnhardt Sr., Michael McDowell, Jamie McMurray; Indy Car Drivers like Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson, Tony Kanaan, among many other different sorts of Motorsports. It really is a version of the old IROC series which is one way that its so special along with it being at the Famed Daytona International Speedway. Then we begin Speedweeks with the annual ARCA Racing Series Race at Daytona before the Duels. I for one have never been to an ARCA Series Race and I hope to change that in the upcoming season. In that race we have seen some up and coming drivers like Danica Patrick, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez among others make their first laps around the Daytona International Speedway and at times it will be the first time you see these drivers in a Stock Car. In that race you have Legends just like

you do come the Daytona 500, which we will get to here in a minute. You have drivers like Bobby Gerhart and Grant Enfinger both have won at Daytona in ARCA more than once and you have a few drivers who have never won at Daytona like Frank Kimmel. After that race you have the Sprint Unlimited, which in 2016 will be the final year as Sprint Sponsoring this race, This race is one that is always that Blood Pumper. You have

wrecks, you have racing, and at the end you always have a winner. It is a race that many fans look to to see who will be good and who will be bad in the coming week leading up to the Daytona 500. Drivers like Earnhardt, Kenseth, Busch, Wallace, Gordon, among many other legends in the sport have won this race that has had so many unique formats over the years. It is certainly one race that drivers look to be in the year before by winning a pole. It's another one of those races I have never attended but look to change that in 2016. After that race it is time to decide two things. #1 you decide who will start first and second in the Daytona 500 and #2 we find out the starting order for the Duels on Thursday. In the past few years an important figure has won the pole. Danica Patrick got the pole in 2013 (First Woman to Win A Pole), Austin Dillon in 2014 (The Return of the #3 Car), and last season Jeff Gordon won the pole (Last Daytona 500). It just shows that the cars that are in the Story lines have Fast Cars. After that the Action slows down a

little and we have a few Practice Sessions for the 500. On Thursday Night now we have the Can Am Duels. These are two 125 Mile Qualifying Races that are a sure bang for your buck. I remember as a Kid in Elementary School that these races were always on Thursday around Noon. My mom would always get me out of school early or have it playing on the radio when I got out. As long as I remember I either watched or listened to the Duels.  Last Season I had the opportunity to finally go to the Duels in Daytona. If I had to pick my favorite race I have
ever attended it would have to be those duels. The things that are on the line there is really in the spotlight when you are really there. You have friends who you don't want to see miss the Daytona 500 and then you have some of the best racing of the year in this race. Since jumping to the Media Side at the end of 2015 I have really noticed what these drivers entering the Duels see when they are on the Bubble. I don't want to miss the first race of the season just like these guys and I want to do anything to get there. It is a very important thing to me and I
hope it pulls together and happens. The next night you get the annual Truck Race. This is one of the most unpredictable races of the season and your really don't know who will be left to win the race. I had not really followed the Truck Series until around 2010 and when I started following I really enjoy it. In 2015 I went to the Next Era Energy 250 which was one of the most entertaining races of 2015 and it certainly has the chance to be one of the best of 2016. Before the race this season I had the opportunity to meet Ray Black Jr. while eating some
Very Excellent Chicken Tenders in the Sprint Fan Zone, which I suggest both while you are in Daytona for the race. Ray was very friendly and was one of the big drivers who influenced me creating this blog. The trucks on the high banks of Daytona is special because you look at how much the trucks have changed over the past 1,000+ Races. After that Race you have the what is now the QQQ Power Shares 300 and
It was certainly one of the best races of speedweeks and a perfect way to begin the Xfinity Era. The ending to the race was just what fans want to see and it was very neat to see. This race has had winners from all kinds of Names. Stewart and Earnhardt have been the biggest winners in this series and I think it will continue that way. This race continues to have some of the most spectacular finishes including in 2013 when Kyle Larson went into the catch fence or the year that James Buescher won the race after everyone else wrecked in front of him and he was able to slide his way out of the mess. Many Unforgettable finishes are one thing that makes Daytona so special. Then to Cap it off on Sunday. The Daytona 500. For 57 years now drivers begin there race for the championship in Daytona. The Daytona 500 is the Most Prestigious Race of the season and is also the highest pay day. Drivers like Petty, Earnhardt Jr and Sr, Bayne, Logano, Cope, Allison, among many others have made this race the Biggest Race of The Season. Since 2014 the winner of the Daytona 500 is the first driver to lock in his spot in the Chase For the

Sprint Cup Series Championship. That makes the Daytona 500 a even bigger deal.
Daytona is a very special place to Race fans, Drivers, Owners, Spotters, Writers among other people. In 13 Days we will be in Daytona covering the beginning of Speedweeks with ARCA Racing Testing with Kyle Lockrow. Then Hopefully we will return a Month Later covering the median and end of Speedweeks. I hope I helped show you what Daytona means to me and what it means to a lot of us. It's not just another place, It's not just another track, Everyone This Is Daytona (Koelle, 2016)