Travel Log: Daytona

In the grassy parking lot peering out of the windshield of a 1994 Camry before there were Toyotas on the starting grid, the smoky haze began to turn orange as the sun came up over Turn 3. The season had dawned.

That was 2002, when tickets for this correspondent and a friend were in Keech, Row 10, on the wooden bleachers. Drivers have come and gone -- Ward Burton won the race that day, and he's been out of Cup racing for more than a year now -- and Keech has likely changed. But the view of a sunrise over Daytona International Speedway probably hasn't.

And thus, we begin our 36-week journey that will take us from one Florida beach and back.

• Cup Series tickets
• Nationwide Series tickets
• Truck Series tickets
• Book your travel

• Florida has 1,200 miles of sand beaches, 4.1 miles of which was used from 1949 until 1958 when the Strictly Stock and later the Grand National divisions of NASCAR raced on the Daytona Beach & Road Course.

• Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in 1513 when his ship landed at an area near present-day St. Augustine, claiming the land for Spain. St. Augustine is 57 miles north of Daytona Beach.

• There are more than 370,000 hotel rooms in Florida and around 700 campgrounds (which host about 6 million campers annually). There are five camping lots in Daytona International Speedway's infield.

• Jacksonville was the busiest military port in the country during the 1991 Gulf War.

• Orlando attracts more visitors than any other amusement park destination in the United States. The region, which is home to Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios, hosts approximately 52 million tourists annually.

Best Burger: Brickyard Lounge
Best Barbecue: Dustin's
Best Restaurant: La Crepe en Haut

Admitted as State: March 3, 1845, as the 27th state
Capital: Tallahassee
Nickname: Sunshine State
Population Rank: 4th
Largest City: Jacksonville

Daytona International Speedway is located just east of I-95 on W. International Speedway Boulevard. It's four blocks from the beach, so plan the weekend accordingly to take advantage of 70-degree weather in February.

The ticket gives you the section, row and seat. And it may have a miniscule map on the back. But the folks at mapnetwork.com have taken track navigation a step further with an interactive layout of the grounds and surrounding property. Take a look, plan your best way in and out of W. International Speedway Boulevard, and zoom in for a close-up of an infield map. Call it preparation.
• Daytona International Speedway

Weekend Schedules: Cup Series | Nationwide Series | Truck Series