Ladies and Gentlemen Start your Engines!
Alright race fans…it’s finally here!
Speedweeks 2007 has started and if you are in town for all the festivities here are a few places to visit while you’re here.
If you are looking for some tailgating supplies before the Busch Series race on Saturday, stop by the Farmers Market from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Riverfront Marketplace.
The Market offers up fresh baked goods, seafood, fresh eggs, fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, nuts and coffee.
While you're there, walk Downtown Daytona's Beach Street; a mile-long riverfront park lined with 60 shops, 30 eateries and the historic Jackie Robinson Stadium on the waterfront.
For more information visit www.riverfrontmarketplace.com.
Known as one of the greatest seafood houses in Daytona, the Chart House is an elegant way to spend an evening.
NASCAR stars such as Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon frequent the Chart House; you’ll never know who you might see.
Located on the Halifax River, the restaurant offers a beautiful panoramic view of the waterway and is notable for its spectacular interior decor.
For reservations, call (386) 255-9022.
There are also a couple of historic landmarks that NASCAR fans should check out while they are here.
The Streamline Hotel
140 S. Atlantic Ave Daytona Beach, FL
The art-deco style hotel still stands and is still open for business. Don’t look for any historical markers or signs proclaiming that this is the birthplace of a phenomenon though. The only reminders of the hotels past and its role in the history of NASCAR are a few, almost token it would seem, faded black and white photos stuck on the wall of the lobby.
It was in the Streamline's Ebony Bar on December 14, 1947, that William H.G. France gathered a few dozen men for meetings that would ultimately result in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
The old hotel has done what it had to do in order to survive over the years. It has been a youth hostel, a retirement home owned by an evangelist who is said to have ministered to Elvis Presley, and now caters to Daytona’s gay crowd. And while its current manifestation may not call for an extended family visit, it is an important stop on your pilgrimage and a marker as you head south to the next stop on your seven wonder sojourns.
And
The North Turn
A1A, Ponce Inlet, FL
Although the first actual NASCAR strictly stock race was held at the old Charlotte Speedway, a dirt track, on June 19th 1949, an event staged on July 10th 1949 drew more attention. That race was held on a combination beach and road course that started on A1A at the “north turn” at 4511 South Atlantic Avenue and stretched south on A1A from Wilbur-by-the-Sea to Ponce Inlet.
Bill France announced in 1953 that he would build a superspeedway the likes of which the world had never seen and the last race on the old beach course was held in 1958. The next year the race, what we now call the Daytona 500, moved north to the brand new Daytona International Speedway.
Time stands still for no one and the “infield” of the old course is now occupied by multi-million dollar homes and timeshares. The only reminder of that old beach course is the north turn now occupied by a restaurant and still used for beach access today. The restaurant’s walls are decorated with black and white photos of the old races and staffed by pretty young girls. The patio bar now resonates with the laughter and small talk of locals who seem to care less about the history of NASCAR and more about a good burger and hanging out with good friends atop the turn where Hudsons and Hornets once roared past.
So don’t think all the action will be confined to Daytona International Speedway, there’s plenty to see and do, so get out and live a little!
