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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The stunning new look of a $400 million "re-imagined" Daytona International Speedway greeted drivers at Friday's opening day of the Roar Before the 24. It also gave fans a nice look before the Daytona 500 season opener Feb. 21.
For Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray -- who will be defending their 2015 Rolex 24 win with Ganassi on Jan. 30-31 -- the Speedway was a striking presence upon their arrival to Daytona Beach for the three-day test session. Fifty-three of the 54 cars entered were on site to turn laps and take in the new look.
"When I was driving in yesterday, you can see how big the grandstands are, I didn't quite get how big that was going to be from the picture," said McMurray, who drives the No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series ranks. "Also, from just being here in July, the stands weren't up yet. First thing you notice is there are no backstretch stands, which is odd. But when you look at how big the front-stretch is, it's pretty cool.
"To go outside the track and look in, it doesn't look like a racetrack, it looks like a stadium. It's really cool. They did an awesome job on that."
McMurray will once again team with co-drivers Larson, reigning IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and former Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan in the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Ford, which won the race last year.
Larson, who has never finished better than 34th in his four Cup races on the Daytona superspeedway, joked that maybe his fortunes will turn with the venue's changes. He hadn't had a chance to see all the work in the grandstands, but was eager to take some time and explore the upgrades when he returns for the 24-hour race.
"I'd never even been to Daytona until three years ago, but it's definitely taller and bigger now," Larson said. "When we come back in a couple weeks, and I have some time I'd like to (go) into the breezeway and check it out. I've heard it's spectacular. Once I get on the other side, I'll see all the changes and how cool they are."
Both McMurray and Larson are getting positive feedback and reviews from their boss, Chip Ganassi, who has fielded six overall winning cars in the Rolex 24, including the last race. Ganassi was visibly impressed with the facility after getting the ultimate guided tour of the upgrades by DIS President Joie Chitwood III before the test session began.
"When you first hear they spent $400 million, your initial reaction as a racer is, 'Oh my goodness, surely they didn't spend 400 million dollars,' " Ganassi said breaking into a big smile. "And then you see the work that's been done, you're looking at the grandstands and if you have a chance to see what's behind the grandstand and what's underneath it -- it looks like they spent $800 million.
"It's really something, really first class, really really done right. I think it's going to take our sport to a new level in terms of amenities and what the fans can expect. It's going to put pressure on the other tracks.
"This is going to be the Ritz-Carlton of race tracks in terms of amenities. It's what you see at the finest NFL stadiums and NHL arenas. And it's money spent for the fans. I couldn't be happier for what it's going to do for our fans and for our sport. People are going to be talking about their experience as a fan at Daytona."
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series teams will return the final week of January for qualifying and the 54th running of the twice around-the-clock race which kicks off Speedweeks at new-look Daytona International Speedway.