Daytona International Speedway

It was a nice way to end September today with a visit to the Daytona International Speedway.  We've been talking about heading over here each time we come to visit, and today was one of those days where Daddy just figured we'd bite the bullet and go check it out.  So off we went a little later on in the afternoon, this after a visit to the grocery store to grab some butternut squash and a few other items, including some milk for our Count Chocula.  Yes, we found Count Chocula down here, and we'll be having a luxurious breakfast fairly soon!  

But after that, we went over to the Daytona International Speedway, and there we were greeted by St. Earnhardt.

Golly, it seems like not too long ago when we lost Dale - but it was 2001, the same year as 9-11, of course.  I remember that Daytona 500 very well, although we don't actively watch the race each year like many other true fans, we still thought this would be a great destination to go check out.  I mean, the condo is literally about five miles away.  You can actually see our condo - and visa versa - from the track itself.  So yeah, we should probably check it out.  

First, the track itself.  We got on a tram with a few others and were zooming down the track at speeds of well over twenty miles per hour!  Okay, that might be an exaggeration.  You'll see in a moment though how we got out onto the actual track.  We went through the tunnel underneath, and were out in the middle, on hallowed ground to so many NASCAR FANS.

You can see the seating there.  The colorful seats are in that arrangement to look as if - when the camera is zooming by - the seats are full of spectators.  The flags were up and the weather overcast and breezy.  There was a rainstorm moving in, but as usual, it didn't really affect us in the slightest, except to cool things off for us while we were out there.

Here we are on the backstretch, and you can see the steep angle of the track to the left there, an amazing thirty-one degrees.  Daddy thinks it would be amazing if we had a few trams out there lined up, all filled with tourists, and all raced a lap or two.

We sat in the back of the tram, which was perfect because we could take pictures like this one above. It looks like we've got the track all to ourselves out there, which we pretty much did.  There was another tour group later on that we spotted, but we largely had the place to ourselves, outside of occasional workers doing various tasks.

We were riding around the track as the host was telling us fun facts about the lake there, the airport, and the history of the speedway.  By the end of the day, you really got a sense of certain races and how they inspired the movie "Cars" and "Cars 3."  We might have to watch those soon!

Here's another shot of the track as we get closer to the audience area.  The embankment is pretty steep here as the cars zoom in.  We'll have to watch the Daytona 500 next year now, won't we?

Here's a big moment.  I wasn't expecting this, but we got to get out of the tram, and pose for pictures on the start/finish line.  It's a steep incline there, something I didn't realize.  You sort of climb uphill to get across the track, but there we are, both of us on the famous line.  We got to spend a good deal of time here, just looking around from this famous spot.

Across the way you can see the pitstop area - notice above how they are superstitious, and don't have the number 13.  Again, the number 13 is not bad luck - Joshua was told by God to do 13 laps around Jericho in order to have victory.  All that aside, there is no area 13 there, but instead it is called 12A.  Although whoever is at 12A surely knows that it's supposed to be 13, right?  So technically, it's the thirteenth slot, just labeled something else?

Anyway, moving on.  I really like this shot of Madison on the line, with the racetrack moving on beyond her.  She's all by herself on the track, ready to hop in a car and race for the checkered flag!

It would have to be a photo finish!  Obviously, she won this particular race.  But next time, Madison! Next time we'll see who wins!  Until then, I suppose she's earned a right to chill out right there by the finish line.

Like I said, we got to spend a little time there, and took a few more pictures there than I expected!  After this, we went over to Victory Lane!

That lightning bolt there ... everyone knows it is Lightning McQueen's.  We were touring the inside area a bit, checking out the garage spots as you can see here.

And of course Victory Lane was a big deal.  We got to step up to the place where all the champions do.  

We had a few photos taken there.  This is the spot where people celebrate victories, and also get doused with gallons of Gatorade that is sticky and chafes for hours! 

This photo was taken by a professional there, one that was part of our package.  You'll see more of those photos later on here, but this was the best of the lot, a picture of us at Victory Lane.  Just in case you don't know where this picture was taken, the word "Daytona" is written at least six times above.

Afterwards, we went to the area where the media sit and watch the race.  We saw a few videos, and places where the racers sat after the race, answering questions and making statements.  Madison went up there to that very spot, but we'll hold all questions until later, please.

Afterwards, we rode back out to the outer area of the stadium, and took some elevators way up to the top portions of the stadium seating.  Madison is seen here overlooking the track, Daytona, and even the Atlantic Ocean.  

You could even see Nana and Ba-Ba's condo from the stadium, fourth from the left.  And you can see the stadium from their condo, which is interesting during the race itself - you can't see the cars, but you can see the stadium and all the related commotion.

At the base of the elevators are several displays, including this one we snuck over to, with all kinds of cars avoiding the long lines at the escalators.  

Madison looks ready to do the "Start your engines" bit here, posing for one last shot just outside the speedway.  After this, we were off to the museum there, which had a whole lot of amazing vehicles and history on display.

Yes, this one here is the actual Hudson Hornet, which of course is a prominent character in the "Cars" movies.  It's Doc Hudson!

But there's also a spot for the winning car of the previous Daytona 500.  This is the car in the exact condition it was in when it left the track on Sunday, February 17th.  It even has all the confetti on it.  Here's another famous car:

It's the Intimidator!  These cars were on a sloped display, which of course gave the museum another chance to show the thirty one degree angle of the track itself.  This made it convenient to display things so they can be seen easier.  

And here's Madison on a slope that is set up so people can experience thirty-one degrees for themselves.  That's one degree below freezing!

I think our favorite car in the museum was the Hudson Hornet, and of course for the reason that it played such a prominent role in the "Cars" movies.  Along those lines - or track - there was a fairly large section of the museum dedicated to the old track that ran along Ponce Inlet.  It was along the beach, and then this stretch of road that we drive on all the time in order to get to the Marine Science Center.  In fact, you can see the lighthouse in the picture below, along with the track along the beach.

Right there at the base of the picture where there's a structure to hold people - that's where Beach Street is, and where we've been to see the release of a few sea turtles back to the ocean.  Pretty amazing history here!

Oh look!  It's Big Daddy's car!  There were all kinds of vehicles and boats there, all dedicated to the sport of racing.  This above is Don Garlits' vehicle, and below, you can see what Madison would look like if she were a car.

Okay, not really.  It's a mug with her name on it.  We found that in the souvenir shop.  And we also saw our photos from the collection for the first time, including those that were taken in front of a green screen.  Here's one:

They turned out well. We didn't see them all until we got home and found the access number, because I wasn't up for spending another $20 for the prints.  But they turned out pretty well.

For this shot, we were instructed to give a "we're number 1" look in front of the green screen.  Little did we realize that Denny Hamlin's car would be put behind us, and now we look like some of his fans.  I have no idea who Denny Hamlin is, although he's got FedEx on his car, which is probably good news for those who want to get their packages as quickly as possible.

Ah, and here's the shot of us celebrating ... something.  We were put in front of Victory Lane, which we got pictures of earlier.  But these were nice too, and fun. 

We had a great time there, but it was certainly time to get home after about an hour and a half.  We shared a drink at their cafeteria by the track, and then were on our way home for spaghetti dinner.  Mommy and Daddy went for a walk along the beach after that, and surprisingly, a storm came up so soon that we didn't see it coming up behind us.  We made it back to the condo just in time!  But it was a relaxing walk until then, a nice stroll down on a perfect day with perfect breezes and temperatures.

Tonight, we played Dominoes - Mommy won three times, and that was it for the rest of us.  It was a good day, ended with reading and prayers.  Madison and the grandparents watched "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune," and we did some reading and playing games.  It was a nice day today, and tomorrow should be nice too.