When we talk about what excites a racing fan, the answer isn’t always the rumbling exhausts or the wheel-to-wheel action we see, a lot of the time, it is also the ambience and history behind the circuit that makes the event that much more thrilling. So when the conversation moves toward the Daytona 500, it’s only fair to say that the grand exhibition race would not have been the same without the Daytona International Speedway.

After all, the number of nicknames that the race has earned itself, like the “Super Bowl” of NASCAR and “The Great American Race” has a lot to do with the prestige of the Super Speedway and the respect drivers like Dale Earnhardt give to the two and a half mile tri-oval. So before we head to the 2024 Daytona 500, let’s take a look at what makes the Daytona International Speedway such an iconic track.

How the International Speedway adds to the glory of the Daytona 500

During the early years of the 20th century, motor vehicle racing was gaining traction as the thrill of choice all across the United States. And when two men decided to settle the score for which of their horseless carriages was faster on the sunny shores of Daytona Beach, little did we know how iconic the heart of Florida’s fun-coast region would become for the world of NASCAR.

Fast forward a few decades later to 1953, and Bill France was quickly rising as the leader of stock car racing through NASCAR and their success at the Daytona Beach road course. But eventually, France realised that the road course would not facilitate the scale of races the sport had planned for the future. Only a year later, construction for the Daytona International Speedway began after France agreed to a $2.5 million deal to commission the track.

Soon enough, NASCAR was ready to host the inaugural Daytona 500 on the speedway. It was Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp’s photo finish in the first-ever edition of the event that set the foundation for the Great American Race. As one of the three super-speedways on the calendar, the Daytona International Speedway has always created exciting racing when it comes to the Daytona 500.

Throughout its history, the 2-and-a-half-mile high-speed tri-oval has also been home to many success stories. Dale Earnhardt’s ecstatic Daytona 500 win in 1998 is only one of them. So with all its past glory adding to the prestige of winning the Daytona 500, it goes without saying that we would not have had such an event if it wasn’t for the race-loving history of Daytona Beach.

WATCH THIS STORY: The unmatched legacy of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona 

Now that we are entering the 2024 Daytona 500, the variables that drivers and teams face are as sporadic as ever, making it another exciting season opener for fans at the Daytona International Speedway. Speaking of which, now that the Clash at the Coliseum has run its due course, fans and drivers joined hands to demand for the Clash’s return to Daytona Beach.

Will NASCAR succumb to the pressure from veterans and fans over the Clash’s return to Daytona?

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When the Busch Light Clash first debuted at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022, it was a pre-exhibition race unlike any other. But over the last two seasons, that novelty has worn off, triggering many fans to question the future of the event now that the three-year deal with the Coliseum is over. While some solutions to the problem were also suggested by Kyle Busch on X recently with the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and an overseas trip, what the fans wanted the most was indeed a return to the Daytona International Speedway. A whopping 62% voted for the same, while only a tenth of that number voted for a return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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Some insiders think that the L.A. market is just too enticing for NASCAR to give up on. But the lack of a proper alternative owing to the reconstruction of Auto Club Speedway has left few replacements that would please fans. In such a case, would it be best for NASCAR to just give Dale Earnhardt Jr and the community what they’ve been wanting?