Well I did it again, being just a few days late about an event I should have posted about here in Orlando! Yesterday was the Daytona 500, the first race of the season for NASCAR. Of course the Daytona 500 is not in Orlando, it’s in Daytona Beach. But many get a hotel in Orlando or come to Orlando to do the tourist stuff.
Daytona Beach is around 60 miles north-east of Orlando. The best way to get there is on I-4, which goes straight there. I use to have a courier route that took me right past the track all week long. Now I have to admit I’m not a big fan of racing, but my mom sure is! She watches every race that comes on TV.
On race day it can be damn hard to find a place to park. The parking right there at the track quickly fills up and then people start parking everywhere all around it. The shops around the Daytona 500 track get real tough with their parking. If you can’t prove your there to use their store your going to get your car towed.
You also will get it towed if you park it on the side of the road. Same goes for the Volusia mall which is across the street from it. There are many places that charge for parking all around the track. One thing you may not know is that there is lots of fields behind the track. Every year it it filled full of campers that park bumper to bumper there.
Hundreds of every type of camper, RV and homemade rig park there and have a few days of partying. Once the crowds leave, they leave behinds tons, many tons of trash! You can see couches, beds, auto parts, even refrigerators left behind. Even some broken down cars that never start back up! It’s quite a sight to see that much trash from just a few days.
This year the hotels had more room and were not as expensive because of the bad economy. Many get hotels in Orlando so they can both see the races and also take in a few theme parks. All around the track you see booths selling all the NASCAR souvenirs, trinkets and t shirts. You can’t have the Daytona 500 without getting a T shirt!
I’m sure it was a fun time, it’s just not my thing. Only two weeks after the Daytona 500 is bike week. THAT I’m going to and will write about it before and during the event. So if you took in the Daytona 500 I hope you had a good time,,,,, just please try to pick up your trash!
