The Daytona International Speedway, a.k.a The Big One, has been the site of some of the most memorable events in American sports history. It is a race track situated in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is the home of the annual Daytona International Speedweeks. The speedway is affiliated with the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), the corporate entity that owns and operates NASCAR race tracks around the world. It was first built in 1912 and was originally called the Daytona Beach Road Course. However, in 1977 the track was renamed in honor of the late Mr. and Mrs. Richard Petty. It has also been known by several different names, including the Daytona Beach Speedway, the Daytona International Speedway, and the Florida Suncoast Highway Race Track. The speedway is currently owned by Wayne and Kathy Pratt. It has a permanent seating capacity for 135,000 fans and a temporary capacity for up to 250,000 people.
The fact that the Daytona International Speedway is one of the largest and most recognizable race tracks in the world is largely thanks to its affiliation with NASCAR. For decades, the two have been intertwined, and it was the former that helped to fuel the latter. It wasn’t always that way, with the auto racing scene in Daytona Beach more or less dormant until the early 1900s. In fact, it was two rival groups of speedway racers, the Black Hawks and the Blue Jays, who helped to bring racing to the fore in Florida in the early 1900s. Those early pioneers are credited with laying the foundations for the modern day sport.
It was in 1912 that a businessman named Arthur Anderson set up a meeting with some top racing organizers in an effort to start a racing league in the United States. However, it was Canadian Frank Parker who founded the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) that same year, which later became the International Speedway Corporation (ISC). The association was formally established in England in June 1914 and was the first official sanctioning body for auto racing in the United States, Canada, and England. The first officially sanctioned race was held two months later on August 24, 1914. It was called the 1914 Toronto Grand Tourist Trophy and was a 100-mile race which spanned three days.
The story behind the formation of the International Speedway Corporation is one of intrigue and scandal. In 1931, the firm was bought by an investment group called the Baltimore Racing Association, and the following year the company changed its name to the International Speedway Corporation. In 1936 the corporation purchased the Indianapolis Speedway from Stanley Weston for $125,000. Shortly thereafter, the firm changed its name for the second time to the International Speedway Corporation. In 1964 the company bought the Talladega Superspeedway for $800,000. At the time, the track was the highest-banked paved road in Alabama.
In 1966 the company bought the Pocono Raceway for $125,000. That same year the company changed its name for the third time, this time to the International Racing Association. Four years later the group purchased a controlling interest in Can-Am, an auto racing organization that was originally organized in England in 1911 and was the first to hold races in continental Europe. In 1972, the firm purchased the Daytona International Speedway for a reported price of $500,000. In 2012, the company purchased the Atlanta Motor Speedway for a reported price of $30 million.
Since purchasing the Daytona International Speedway in 1972, the company has continued to grow, adding tracks across the country and around the world. The company now owns and operates a total of 12 different auto racing venues, including six in the United States and six abroad.
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Major Events At The Daytona International Speedway
Though the Daytona International Speedway is best known for hosting NASCAR races, the track has also played a significant role in the history of Formula One. The track was the venue for the first race weekend of the 1974 Formula One season, and it hosted the French Grand Prix that same year. In 1975, the annual Grand Prix would be moved to Mexico City, and the speedway would host its first World Cup event in 1977. That same year, the Grand Prix was renamed the Ford Grand Prix in honor of the American industrialist and race car builder who had passed away the previous year.
The 1984 North American Ice Hockey League (later known as the Futures League) held its championship playoff game at the Daytona International Speedway, and it was there the following year that the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were held.
The Biggest Events At The Daytona International Speedway
In 2007, the 100th anniversary of the International Speedway Corporation, the company that owns the Daytona International Speedway, was commemorated with the organization of the Ford Centennial Grand Prix. This event was a combination of several racing series, including the Daytona Prototype International (DPi), GP2, and WTCC, and attracted a field of 24 cars across all three series. The grand prix was an amazing sight to behold as the cars tore around the track, battling for position. The race was won by Olivier Panis and the Swiss team, Magnus Racing.
Another milestone was hit in 2012 when the organizers of the Masters Tournament chose the Daytona International Speedway for the 77th annual edition of the golf tournament. The Masters is one of the four major championships in golf and is widely considered to be the most influential tournament of the year. The 2012 edition of the Masters was the closest to a home win the tournament has seen in years, with Lee Westwood winning for England by one stroke over fellow Englishman Ian Woosnam. In addition to the golf tournament, the speedway‘s connection with American sports runs even deeper than that. The 2012 Daytona 500 was held at the same time as the Masters and attracted a capacity crowd to the track.
Who Owns The Other Stakes Racing Tracks?
Aside from the Daytona International Speedway, the International Speedway Corporation also owns and operates six other auto racing venues, including six in the United States and one in Canada. Those tracks are as follows: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Richmond Raceway, and Talladega Superspeedway. In addition, the firm also owns and operates six other non-racing venues, including five in the United States and one in Canada.
The six American race tracks are regarded as some of the most important venues in all of sports, and the fact that they are all owned by the corporate entity that owns the Daytona International Speedway is no coincidence. The reason behind the corporate structure is to prevent any interference from shareholders who might seek to influence races through financial means or other sorts of interference. This is why tracks like Atlanta and Richmond, which are owned by the same company, are run independently from each other. The same rules do not apply to the Canadian tracks, however, as they are all independently owned and operated. In 2012, the International Speedway Corporation turned 100 years old. To celebrate the milestone, the company held a special event at the Daytona International Speedway, with the first race held there on August 24, 1912. There were numerous historical automobiles on display, as well as racing-related memorabilia and photographs.
There’s a common saying that nothing is ever really over until it’s over. That can certainly be applied to the relationship between NASCAR and the Daytona International Speedway. Though the two have been entwined for more than a century, their ties will likely continue to be severed as the Speedway continues to grow and evolve with the sport.