Daytona Beach, FL – If you haven’t seen the new Daytona International Speedway yet, here’s your chance to do it for free.
DIS is holding a 4-hour “Open House” starting at 3 PM Wednesday to show off all the new amenities that make up the end result of the $400 million renovation project known as Daytona Rising.
Self-guided tours will be offered around the stadium during the open house, with special focus on the new escalators and elevators, the 11 social gathering areas known as “neighborhoods” and all the new grandstand seats that DIS says are wider and more comfortable than the old seats.
The final 2 hours coincides with practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers competing in Sunday’s Daytona 500. That’s also free and open to the public.
No tickets are required to go to the open house or to watch the drivers practice.
Crowd capacity has dropped to 101,500 at DIS because of Daytona Rising. Tens of thousands of seats were lost with the demolition of the backstretch grandstands.
The concourse areas are also wider, as are 5 expanded and redesigned entrances known as “injectors” that will lead fans to over 40 escalators and elevators. From there, fans will go through some of the concourses and the 11 social “neighborhoods” along the nearly mile-long frontstretch before reaching their seats.
DIS officials say there’s 2 times as many restrooms and 3 times as many concession stands compared to the old venue. That’s on top of over 60 luxury suites with track views and a completely revamped hospitality experience for corporate guests that includes over 1,400 television screens.
Local tourism officials expect a big boost in dollars across the board from tourists this year wanting to get a glimpse of the new Speedway.
DIS announced on Tuesday that all stadium seats have sold out for this year’s Daytona 500. That’s the first time it’s happened in nearly a decade, according to DIS President Joie Chitwood III.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.