NASCAR's home, its mecca and its nerve center is Daytona International Speedway. This is NASCAR's Mother Ship, the home of the sport's business operation. It dominates the landscape along Speedway Boulevard, just off the Interstate 95 ribbon that ties Maine to Miami. Since 1959, the track has hosted the Daytona 500, the season-opening Super Bowl of NASCAR and culmination of a two-week festival of racing known as Speedweeks. In early July, the track hosts the night-time running of the Pepsi 400. That race first was held under the lights in 1998, when Daytona became the largest lighted sports arena in the world. The track also is home to Daytona USA, an interactive museum.

Date Opened: 1959
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
First Race: Daytona 500: February 22, 1959
Race record (1st race): Buddy Baker, 177.602 mph: February 17, 1980
Race record (2nd race): Bobby Allison, 173.473 mph: July 4, 1980
Distance: 2.5 miles
Front stretch: 3800
Back stretch: 3400
Degree of banking:
In Turns 1-4: 31 Degrees
In Trioval: 18 Degrees
Straightaways: 3 Degrees
Distance (1st race): 500 miles
Distance (2nd race): 400 miles
Laps # (1st race): 200 laps
Laps # (2nd race): 160 laps
Seating capacity: 168000
Tickets: (386) 253-7223
Website: www.daytonaintlspeedway.com