Destination Golf Global (Spring 2020) * | Page 21

Daytona Beach Pier © Daytona Beach Area CVB
Mystery hit 203.79mph. His brakes melted as he tried
to slow down on the Daytona Beach sands, forcing
him to swerve into the shallow sea to stop.
Cars are still allowed on sections of Daytona
Beach and New Smyrna Beach, for a fee, although
drivers have to stick to a sedate 10mph these days.
Alternatively, you can rent a bike to cycle along the
shoreline.
New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach are favourite
spots for surfers to ride Atlantic rollers. Visitors can
also take to the water on stand up paddleboards,
kayaks or boats, with the chance to see manatees,
dolphins and other wildlife on guided tours of
coastal shallows, clear springs and inland waterways.
Visitors can catch beach vibes and enjoy the area’s
rich nature at a number of beachfront parks. The
30-mile (48km) Ormond Beach Scenic Loop links
several city, state and county parks through beautiful
and diverse natural scenery, with trails and places
for activities such as birding, hiking, fishing, cycling,
swimming and boating. Sunset river cruises operate
from Ormond Beach and other areas.
Daytona Beach was where stock car racing had its
beginnings. In order to regulate unofficial races that
were taking place along the beach, a meeting was
held in a rooftop room at the beachside Streamline
Hotel in 1947 to create a national motor racing series,
resulting in the creation of the National Association
of Stock Car and Auto Racing – NASCAR. It was
followed 12 years later by the construction of
Daytona International Speedway.
Millions of visitors descend on Daytona Beach
and the surrounding areas each year to watch the
colourful muscle cars thunder round its tri-oval
circuit in high-octane races, the most famous being
the Daytona 500, as well as other car and motorcycle
races there and at other area tracks. Speed-lovers can
be taken on a thrilling ride of the banked, 2.5-mile
(4km) circuit in a NASCAR race car or take the wheel
themselves with the NASCAR Racing Experience.
The area’s racing history and heritage is preserved
at Daytona International Speedway in the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and Daytona
International Speedway NASCAR Archives Centre,
Volume 5 • Issue 51
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