Is the only motorsports stadium. Jim we heard it over and over out here, but what exactly does that mean . We asked the man in charge, speedway president Joie Chitwood to show us around. , do you still find yourself sneaking a peek at what s going on, saying that is new and , that s new and that s cool. M surprised i haven t gotten in an accident. I continually look at everything i see, whether it s our sign, the injectors but after 2. 5 , years of living this every day, you want to see what s happening out there, all the great things that occur. Jim here we are coming up, rising so to speak. Daytona rising the name of the project, and it really captured everything you were trying to accomplish. Joie chitwood you know, it really did for us. Riding this escalator kind of reminds me what it was all about in the first place. Said, vertical transportation. Get me up and down this property a lot quicker, a lot easier. And so, this is one of 40 escalators that we built. Jim used to be a place to get a hot dog, hamburger scattered here or there. That whole Fan Experience has changed. Now, we ve doubled the restrooms, tripled the concessions, really created a space where fans can be engaged. They can actually have social opportunities, relax and enjoy, great seating, but at the end of the day, we used to be a ground level with a grandstand on it. Now we ve got wide open concourses stretching 9 10 of a mile long great height on it, great feel to it. Probably the most imporatnt thing if you look at this is the drip shield above us. In florida, we have rain once in a while, and in the old under the old grandstands, probably as wet as you would in the rain, but now we ll be dry. We can sit down and we will be dry. Everytime i walk out into the stadium, i just go, wow. The sight lines, you can see the whole racetrack from here, pit lane, all these new seats. 101,000 brandnew seats with chair backs, cupholders, i think we have done a great job making the experience so much better. I really like the fact that that track is the same track they raced on in 1959. Its location didn t change. A lot of Sports Properties build across the street in the parking lot, they move over there when we are done. By building on the same footprint, we capture the history and the heritage, but we also Pay Attention to the modern and new, and i like that. I think it fits really well with us. Jim it s really hard to top the pageantry of the daytona 500. It to top the finish. What will you consider success to be . When those 43 cars come down the frontstretch and take that green flag. It s so visceral. Audio, visual, it s so overwhelming, and i think with this property and that great experience that start is gonna be very special. We will hand someone very special a trophy in victory lane and then the the goal is, or the , hope is that fans will leave here and say, wow. This is a special day. We experienced a stadium, we experienced a 500. I can t wait to go back. Jim the size of the speedway is what catches your eye right away. Angela some of the stats are mindboggling. Each seat is 120 inches wide. If we set all of the people, it would go all the way to downtown sanford. , the same height as the start statue of liberty from her feet to her choice. Angela and the new stadium stretches a full 9 10 of a mile. That s about 285 racecars lined up bumper to bumper. The only real way to take in the scope of this place is by view. Jim pat clarke hopped in the pace car for a ride around with vp s of daytona speedway. Pat i know that when drivers get on the track, the last thing they re thinking about is the stands. But when they come out of pit road, even these veterans who haven t seen this for the first time without anyone in the stands, that s gonna be a bit aweinspiring, isn t it sean . Sean belgrade i think it will be, uh what a different view. Now we had a long stretch of grandstands here before, now you really get the feeling of a stadium looking down on you, i think similar to what a Football Player would see in an nfl stadium. Pat when they come down this backstretch right here, we and those stands are gone. I mean, it is a completely different look as well here, isn t it . Sean belgrade it really is. It is my first time driving back here myself. I think the view people will see now compared to what they had before, you got the beach off in the background, you got the airport front and center. Actually it is like the view , back in the 1980 s. Pat the most important part of this speedway, it really has not changed as far as looks. People want to see the stars. The race has remain intact. Pat this is an awesome feel, sean, i gotta tell ya. Here s a nice feel of the banking here at 31 degrees. Just close your eyes and imagine yourself 160 mph faster with 42 cars around you. As you turn here, the drivers what of you for all of the drivers, everyone s on their feet as you come down the home stretch and take the green flag for the daytona 500. Angela one aspect we can t ignore, a few safety issues the track has dealt with in the past. Jim obviously, if they re spending 400 million to rebuild, they want make sure the fans leave healthy and happy. Angela Stewart Moore got a closer look at the changes that make this stadium safer. Stewart fans at daytona love exciting finishes, even when it involves big crashes at the finish line. And some of those crashes in recent history have gone right through the fence. At a race in daytona in 2013, two dozen fans were injured when a crash sent kyle larson s car slamming into the fence and debris went everywhere. Seven people were seriously injured. Safety improvements were made. Joie chitwood in 2009, we rebuilt all fences at our properties, daytona specifically. And a couple of years ago, we brought in two engineering firms to really look at our crossover, gates, cables to withstand all that happens on the race track. A wall without safer barrier last year, speedway officials made the place safer for drivers. Joie chitwood whenever we learn something to make us better, we make sure we do it. And from last year to this year, we ve added safer barriers to all the inside turns, all of the outside walls. We really want to make sure we step up and make those changes, make sure the property is safest for fans, driver, vip s, sponsors, you name it. We don t sit back we take , action. Stewart but the remodel is focused on fans, and that s true when it comes to safety. Now, the front row is 20 feet in the air, 15 feet off the ground. Fans will no longer be able to walk around near the track and access to the fence will be for staff only, and only when they need to be in that area. Joie chitwood to get to this seat, you actually come from behind us when you walk down these stairs. Fans are no longer allowed on our rim road. So that s the area we have cross over gates. Before, that was an open area for our fans. Stewart chitwood says the seat changes don t just make fans safer, they give them better jim one of the cool things we saw is this main seating area, an interesting concourse with then and now. Fans will see the difference all over the new stadium. Angela they sure will. Another word is comfortable. Angela it is a race to the finish line. There is really no way you can compare this to what they had. Angela john dobbins has made the Daytona International speedway his home away from home for the past few months. John dobbins i ve not run into anybody coming through here that, once they take about a two minute walk, and if they had any inclination to what was here re just awestruck ve done here. Angela fans lucky enough to get he s not lying. Fan it s very very comfortable. Ve sat in in the past, they ve done a very good job, especially with a big guy like me. Widened out. The knee space in front of you is better. You know, a little more room for your cooler down underneath. Angela that s right, they re five inches wider. It s enough room to just kick back. But don t get too comfy. You ll still need to be within arms length of your cold beverage, sitting right in front of you in the new cup holders. John dobbins and back on the concourse, oh man, that is so nice back in there. Angela in those concourses, a change we can all appreciate. John dobbins the ladies are going to love the restroom facilities. Angela that s what we like to hear. They are going to love the restroom facilities. There s plenty of them, as far as individual buildings go, and more than enough accommodations inside of them. Angela level two will feature all the main attractions, including two places where fans can stock up on memorabilia. Work, dobbins can t wait for fans to get the green light to kick back and relax at one of john dobbins there s a lot of i mean i , Different Things in my career, but this is this is the baby, this is the one. Angela and that praise is already coming in. Fan all of the facilities, the amenities, the space, the escalators, the elevators, everything is over the top. You couldn t do anything else. It s just great. Jim when you think daytona, you think nascar. Angela the other word that comes to mind is france, for the family that has made all of this happened. Lesa kennedy i think one of the coolest things in my mind is that we could start with a blank sheet of paper. Angela she s been called the most powerful woman in sports. Lesa france kennedy will tell us why this project is so important to her on a personal level. Jim plus, could the finish line one day be replaced by a goal line . The efforts to fill the seats when the racecars are parked. Angela first, one of the great moments in daytona 500 history. Harvick s getting a run off turn four. Hard crash, here they come, checkered flag. Harvick. 500. Jim here s a great moment in the daytona 500 history. The first race back in 1959. The cars are different, the stands are a lot different. Those 31degree banks and the famous trioval are the same. Lee petty took the checkered flag that day. His son richard finished 57th out of 59 cars. You don t have to go inside the speeway to see the amazing additions. Angela we re standing in the photo spot created for fans to bask in the glow of the new Daytona International speedway. Here s an addition you can t miss. This 355 foot sign spelling out Daytona International speedway. Each letter is 13. 5 foot tall, and the 3500 led lights can change colors to change the look of the speedway. It takes incredible vision to make dreams like this a reality. Jim and that vision belongs to lesa france kennedy, the granddaughter of nascar founder angela wesh 2 s claire metz sat down with kennedy about her footprint on the sport. Lesa kennedy i haven t really looked back, and there s always been something new and exciting and different here. Claire 54yearold lesa france kennedy likes the view from the top, the top of the redesigned Daytona International speedway, the top of the motorsports industry. As the Third Generation in a racing dynasty, kennedy, along with her brother brian france, nascar s ceo, have built on the vision of their grandfather and father before them. If either of them were here today, what would they think of all of this and all that s been accomplished . Lesa kennedy i would hope that they d be proud, but i also think that they would have seen the future as well. Claire and the future, says kennedy, is here with the transportation of a race track into a stadium, one that should impress a new generation of internetsavvy fans. Lesa kennedy our new fans are looking for Something Different too, more social zones, wifi connectivity. They want to tell their family and friends what while they are at the event. Claire Forbes Magazine recently named kennedy the most powerful woman in sports. Beyond daytona, isc owns 11 other race tracks, and of course kennedy, as a Vice President , has influence with nascar. Is it hard though to be a woman in this industry, which is still maledominated . Lesa kennedy you look at our fan base, more than 40 of our fans are women. A lot of people don t know that, but women carry strong positions all across our sport. Claire and this woman carries clout in the community. The speedway is one of the area s largest employers, and expansion construction here created hundreds of jobs. Kennedy s roots here run deep. Lesa kennedy it s important to me for our community to be happy. I live not too far from here, and it s important personally. Angela that was claire metz showing us the view from the top. Any fan can experience the highlight here in the stadium. I got the director of sales to right now. David strahan right now, we are in the rolex 24 lounge in daytona. So this is a brand new offering, sits high above the finish and start line here at the speedway. Fourth level of the venue, so brand new experience for us. So we are in an area that s allinclusive, one that we offer a complimentary bar, buffet. Angela and so if i wanted to race, what me back . David strahan for daytona speed weeks in february, as well as zero 400 weekend, that s 4500 a person. We also sell for march, for our daytona super cross by honda, then for 250 a person. Very affordable, very turnkey, very upscale exclusive experience in here. Angela so, tell people what they re looking at when they look above this. This is a unique touch the lounge. Opportunity to enhance the experience. It shows all 12 race tracks that are within the isd family, and it starts with smallest to largest. And the green track up there, the green shape is the Daytona International speedway. So we have double doors to help with the sound for those who are in the lounge. Angela this is nice. So you see the patio area here, lot of seating here for fans to mingle out to. Angela tell us where we are now. David strahan well right now, we are in harley j s. Harley j s is a brand new fan hospitality offering. So this is a very upscale sports bar type experience. These folks also have access to the infield with their sprint fans on access, so they to can experience all the prerace festivities, from driver introductions to the prerace concert. The unique thing about harley j s is that fans now have the ability to access this before , during, and just following the race. Angela a fiveday harley j s package, 2300. Jim seeing this place from the suites is impressive, but there s nothing like seeing it from the air. Chopper dan mccarthy took a to the speedway. Dan a lot of improvements for the 2016 season. And one of the things we noticed from the chopper is the installation of these new solar panels. This is a joint venture between fpl and the speedway. When it s finally completed, there will be over 5,000 solar panels helping reduce the footprint of the track and 4. 7 million homes in the area. On top of that, it will allow people in the stands and the track to get away from the sun. These are elevated off the ground, shade, get you out of the weather if we have a bad weather day. Angela you know, jim, one of the cool parts of this new stadium, it s not going to be just for racing. Jim Stewart Moore talked to the man working tirelessly to fill the calendar filled year round. Stewart if racing isn t your thing, take away the speedway in the name, and this world center of racing may become the world center of insert your event name here. To kick off the summer, memorial day weekend, the country 500 when 45 acts take over part of the infield in a three day music festival. Joie chitwood luke bryant, kid rock, willie nelson, it s going to be phenomenal, floridageorgia line. So far coming out of the gate, we are happy with the talent. Stewart and it s events like the festival this newlyremodeled venue is hoping to attract. And there aren t a lot of events that are off limits. Joie chitwood the goal for us is to keep coming up with great ideas, new content, let s have fun with this new property. Stewart racing will always be king, and the track is Getting International attention for the hot wheels that will be rolling into the area in december. The 2016 ferrari World Championships will be in north america for the first time. It s a race that is usually in europe or elsewhere, but now you will see the supedup cars and some f1 ferraris hit the tracks of daytona. Joie chitwood if you re going to make a 400 million investment, you want to maximize the days you use it. As you stand here today we have , a world center of racing sign but if we can add Country Music festival, other entertainment, whether the ball field looks good, maybe there can be football, maybe there can be soccer. We can be world center of entertainment. Stewart chitwood said he has been in negotiations to bring some of those events, including college football, to daytona but no deals are in place yet. Ll meet the woman who s seen it all around these parts. First, another of the great moments in the history of the daytona 500. They only have about 750 yards to go. Ohh, they did hit. Petty smashes into the wall, will he come across the startfinish line . He s gonna win the race, he s gonna win it spinning as he, i believe will take the checkered flag, no, he s not gonna make it. He is less than 100 yards from here comes pearson. P take a mountain of beads, an ocean of screaming fans, boatloads of shrimp, an ice cold cocacola, and youve got floridas biggest party. Universal orlando is mardi gras. Select nights february 6th thru april 16th. Grab a coke and get up to three months free on any annual pass. Youll enjoy amazing mardi gras concerts at universal studios. Plus fun in both universal theme parks. So grab an annual pass and catch all the fun of streeeeeam stream, stream, streeam streeeeeam stream, stream, stream when i want you in my arms when i want you and all your charms all i have to do is streeeam. Dale earnhadt finally is the champion of the daytona 500. Angela a daytona 500 moment nascar fans will remember forever. After decades of coming up short, Dale Earnhardt won the 40th daytona 500 in 1998. Number three took the checkered flag under caution, three years before his deadly crash. Jim we are just days away from people handing over their tickets and doing their amazing look at the new Daytona International speedway. Tickets are impressive. Look at this. A hologram on every ticket. These souvenirs were mailed to fans that ordered early. They flash back and forth from the old beach scene where it all started to the innovative speedway here today. Even fans who bought late will get the commemorative ticket in the mail. Jim if you order your tickets online you might miss out on , meeting one of the most special people working here at daytona. She s known as lightning, and pat clarke shows us she keeps the place running. Pat may 1 visited one need a less when we first visited juanita last january, she was only 89 years old. She is every inch as spry, a reallife benjamin button it would seem. She was young and here when the speedway was built in 1958, still feels young as she now admires the brandnew 450 million facelift. Some of our customers have it is a dream come true. Pat her nickname is lightning, dubbed by her late husband who never knew when she would strike next. They came to daytona with big bill france when the speedway was just a vision. Lightning has been here for all of it and can t help but wonder what her old pal bill would have thought about this. He would be walking every inch of this property, seeing where everything is, how it works, and greeting everybody just like they were old lost friends. And he says, look what we got here. We were hard and it is a dream come true. Pat she still drive to work every morning, shows no sign of slowing down, taking to heart and offer made it nearly 60 years ago. I still want this. Until then, it might be fair to suggest that this might this new motor sports stadium is the second most impressive angela that all that s left to do now is drop the green flag. 2 s exclusive look around the Daytona International speedway. National captioning institute, which is responsible for its
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.