By: Ken Finneran
Submitted: 2010-02-13 18:07:48 | Word Count: 531
Whenever you hear the words “Gentlemen start you engines” and the crowd start to get excited you know you are in Daytona Beach in Florida watching another exciting race of the world’s best car racers. The Daytona Speedway is known all over the world as the most popular speedway testing for best car racers in motor sports. All throughout the year different kinds of racers go to Daytona Speedway to compete to various races and meet their racing fans. Starting from the months of fall Bike Week and the Biketoberfest hold the motorcycle races while in the winter Speed Week car races follows and these are competed by Rolex race that last for 24 hours and the Daytona 500 run.
NASCAR which is so famous for being one of the most exciting car races in the planet is also held at Daytona Speedway but did you know that the history of NASCAR originates from illegal means. During the time of prohibitions (illicit marketing and distribution of liquor) bootleggers or syndicates use their vehicles in the Appalachians to run from authorities while carrying illegal goods. They needed fast cars to outrun cops and so cars were modified to increase their speed. When prohibition was completely controlled in 1933 bootleggers’ existence also stopped but because of the excitement of speeding on the twisted mountain roads the exhilaration is still being sought by the former bootleggers but this time they have already improved and modify their cars to do some race. By the 1940s car races began to emerge and betting gave life to the race. These races are mostly held in rural North Carolina. Due to the popularity of the events between 1905 and 1945 speed records were held at Daytona Beach road course and Daytona became a Mecca for racing personalities and fans.
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The 1930s is known as Daytona Beach’s birthplace for world land speed setting displacing the records of France and Belgium as the two countries that are good in setting world speed record. Since then Daytona Beach became popularly known as the best place for motor sports races especially with car races. In 1947, William France Sr. and his friends founded an organization in Daytona and named their organization NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). Today Daytona still retain its significance as the best in featuring speed cars and motorcycle races. During Bike Week all sorts of engine size and weight class compete for motorcycle races. All classes are involved from the amateur up to the pro series. There are also exhibitions of dirt bike which gather more fans from all over the world.
Speed Week in Daytona is another series of race for the Automotive Racing Car for America (ARCA) and NASCAR. There are also several events including truck races, the Coke Zero 400 which is also another NASCAR Sprint race and then the most awaited event by the whole family the lively fireworks. From the past Daytona has succeeded in hosting the world’s car and all kinds of motor sports races although it evolved from merely hosting NASCAR. Today it remained to be the venue of the world’s greatest motor races and still innovating with other popular sports races.
