Florida Major Auto Race Speedways

Florida Major Auto Race Speedways

Daytona International Speedway is home to one of America's greatest auto races, the Daytona 500. It's the biggest, richest race in America and annually kicks off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR was founded by William France Sr. and other race promoters at Daytona Beach, Florida in 1947. The premiere was held at the Daytona Beach Road Course. The original road course started on the pavement of highway A1A, parallel to the ocean in Ormand Beach, and went south to the end of the road, where the drivers accessed the beach and headed north again to the finish. The Daytona Speedway, which originally opened in 1959, has a 2.5-mile high banked asphalt oval and a 3.56-mile asphalt road course with 9 turns. The Daytona 500 Experience opened in 1996 as a highly-interactive multi-million-dollar entertainment facility designed to broaden the entertainment and educational experience of visitors and strengthen Daytona's status as a destination.

Homestead-Miami Speedway hosts the final races of the season in the IRL Indy Car Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series, and the Grand-Am Sports Car Series. The speedway was constructed to help Homestead rebound after the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew. Groundbreaking began August 24, 1993, exactly one year after the hurricane. It opened in November 1995 with a NASCAR Busch Series race and is considered to be one of the most beautiful race tracks in the country. In 2003, the track was reconfigured to produce steep variable banking and lights were installed for night racing. Its 1.5-mile high-banked asphalt oval and 2.1 mile paved road course with 14 turns make it an exciting track for drivers and spectators alike.

Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida is one of the oldest continuously-operating auto race tracks in the United States, hosting its first race in 1950. Sebring is one of the most famous classic race tracks in North American sports car racing, and the 12 Hours of Sebring is legendary in the sports car circuit. The raceway occupies a portion of Sebring Regional Airport, an active airport for private and commercial traffic that was originally built as a WWII Army Air Force training base. The first 12 Hours of Sebring was held in 1952, and grew into a major international race. In 1959, the racetrack hosted the first Formula One United States Grand Prix. The 3.7-mile asphalt/concrete road course with 17 turns was famous for its high-speed Turn 17, a long, bumpy, fast, right turn that can make or break a car's speed down the long straightaway.

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IRL Indy Car Series race held in St. Petersburg and was the first non-oval event for the Indy Racing League. Andretti Green Promotions, the organization that owns and operates the event, signed a contract extension with the city of St. Petersburg through 2013, and city officials hope to extend it through 2014. The race is a 1.78-mile paved city street road course with 14 turns.

Palm Beach International Raceway, formerly Moroso Motorsports Park, is one of Florida's world-class road courses. Pending its FIA grade II certification, PBIR could be hosting many exciting race events, such as IRL, Indy Lights and Grand Am races. The 2-mile, 11-turn road course has a 3/5-mile straightaway and banked turns. Its 1/4-mile drag strip is built to INRA and NHRA specifications, and the 4/5-mile kart track with 11 turns lets you open it up on 3 long straightaways. Bring your own kart or rent one at the track. The track is open all year for year-round racing.

Florida is a great destination for racing fans and has all the excitement you'd expect in world-class auto racing. Plan your visit or make your move to Florida to be near all the action.