Fans will sure miss this experience.

Nascar is a very popular event in America and the Daytona 500 is one of key, if not most prestigious race in the entire calender. Due to its popularity it is one of the events that people will hire out Florida vacation houses, rentals, hotels and other places that can be a temporary place of residence just so they can be in the atmosphere of the Nascar race. So it is recommended that you book well in advance if you want to stay in the surrounding areas around that period even if you don't care about Nascar.

At Daytona International Speedway there is an interactive attraction called the Daytona 500 Experience which is formerly known as Daytona USA. It has been coined as 'The Official Attraction of NASCAR.' Sadly it has been announced recently that it won't be open to the public and only used for private functions with some of the key features taken out for the public.

In the past the Daytona International Speedway had a two story visitors centre that was located outside the fouth turn. On the first floor was the ticket office which had some memorabilia and on the second floor was a dedication of the previous winners of the race. There was also a Speedway tour that was on offer throughout the year. This started in 1995 and near the end of the year the visitors centre was closed with the design of the new attraction taking form and in the middle of 1996. It debuted during the Pepsi 400 race (ironically called Coke Zero 400 today) and it was awarded the Themed Entertainment Association's Thea Award of Outstanding Achievement in September 1997.

In the complex are various attractions and exhibits that show different things about the sport. In July 2001 it was expanded and with the expansion came a few technological add ons. There were two motion simulators added Daytona Dreams and Acceleration Alley. They proved popular as two years later another simulator was added it was called Toyota Tundra's Thunder Road.

There was the Cocoa cola IMAX theatre which showed NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience. This was a 3D film that was released in 2004 and features Kiefer Sutherland as the narrator of this film. During special occasions the IMAX theatre would show race related films, these would be biopics and documentaries rather than commercial films. The IMAX presentation is one of victims of the recent developments as presentations won't be shown any more.

There was a Chevy 16-Second Pit Stop Challenge which challenged the guests to see if they had the skills to become a pit crew member. This was done by the guest challenging one of the Daytona Experience's pit crew who is someone who knows what to do as he does it daily.

There is a museum that called the Goodyear Heritage Museum this focuses on those who have accomplished feats such as breaking the land speed record and normal things like stock car racing at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Also they have their own type of Hollywood walk of fame which looks at those that have won Daytona 500. It is called the Champion's Walk of fame. As stated majority of these will be closed off and only be used for private functions. This is due to the recent economical difficulties that NASCAR is going through just like everywhere else they decided some cuts had to be made.

Don't despair though as the winner's car will still be on display for the fans to see and get an up close and personal touch with, also there will be a souvenir shop and restaurant open for those who still want to visit and come away with something.




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