Daytona 500

• The speedway sells its own tickets through its site and Ticketmaster, and every guest of any age needs a reserved seat. You can buy the race alone or a 2-day or 4-day Speedweeks package. Fans who went in 2026 got first access to 2027 seats. The 2026 race sold out, so buy months ahead.

  Tickets on Daytona International Speedway (Ticketmaster)

• Grandstand seats for the race usually start between about $100 and $200 and climb past $300 for the best views. Fanzone passes with pre-race access to the frontstretch are sold as an add-on.

  Tickets on Daytona International Speedway (Ticketmaster)

• On Location is the speedway's official travel package seller. Packages bundle race tickets with hotels, pre-race access and track transport.

  Tickets on On Location

Plan three nights, Friday through Monday morning. That covers the truck race Friday night and the doubleheader Saturday, and you avoid driving out in post-race traffic on Sunday night. Add two nights to see qualifying and the Duels earlier in the week.

The area has more than 200 properties and about 12,000 rooms, yet the closest hotels fill months ahead. Rooms in Daytona Beach often cost two to three times the normal weekend rate on race weekend, and many require a multi-night minimum stay. Book as soon as you have tickets.

• ONE DAYTONA

  10 min, walk

  The shopping and dining district across International Speedway Boulevard from the track has two hotels, a 105-room Fairfield Inn and Suites and the 144-room hotel THE DAYTONA. They are the closest beds to the gates and sell out first.

• Beachside Daytona Beach

  20 min, drive

  Most of the area's hotels line A1A along the ocean, near the Main Street Pier and the boardwalk. You get the beach and nightlife, then a drive or rideshare inland on race day.

• Daytona Beach Shores

  25 min, drive

  South of the city along A1A, this strip has quieter oceanfront condos and hotels that often cost less than central beachside.

• Ormond Beach

  25 min, drive

  Just north of Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach has calmer hotels and the spot where beach racing began in 1903.

• Orlando

  75 min, drive

  If Daytona is booked or too expensive, Orlando has far more rooms. Plan on a long drive on I-4 and leave very early on race morning.

• Fly into DAB

  Daytona Beach International sits across from the speedway, about a mile away and five minutes by car outside race-day traffic. It has the fewest flights of the three, so fares run high in race week.

• Fly into MCO

  Orlando International is about 60 miles southwest. Plan on an hour by car on I-4 in light traffic and well over that on race morning.

• Fly into JAX

  Jacksonville International is about 90 miles north on I-95, roughly an hour and a half by car.

• Drive and park free

  Free general parking is in Lot 7, with a shuttle to ONE DAYTONA from Clyde Morris Boulevard and Jimmy Ann Drive, and in the rear of Volusia Mall (Lot 8) on select events. Lots vary by event, so use the speedway's directions page for your race.

• Paid parking

  Lots 1, 3, 4 and part of Lot 8 are paid and closest to the track. Some can be bought ahead, and others sell day-of until full. In 2026, most lots opened at 6 a.m. on race day.

• Rideshare

  The official rideshare pickup and drop-off is near Lot 1, off the frontage road by Cracker Barrel on eastbound International Speedway Boulevard. Expect long waits right after the race.

• Trams on site

  The Lot 1 Tram Plaza near the AdventHealth Injector gate runs trams to the infield, the Fanzone and Lot 6 parking.

• Traffic radio

  Tune to WNDB 1150 AM or 93.5 FM for traffic before and after the race, and to 107.9 FM for the track's public address feed. Florida's 511 line covers I-4 and I-95.

Gates open

In 2026 the Midway opened at 7 a.m., the Fanzone at 8:30 a.m. and the grandstands at 9:30 a.m., with an early afternoon start. Times shift each year, so read the race-week schedule on the NASCAR Tracks app.

Bag policy

You may bring up to two bags, each no larger than 18 by 18 by 14 inches, plus one soft-sided cooler no larger than 14 by 14 by 14 inches. Hard-sided coolers, glass, umbrellas, selfie sticks, collapsible chairs and wagons are not allowed. You can leave and come back in with your ticket.

Food and drink

You may bring your own sealed food and drinks, alcohol included, as long as nothing is glass, plus ice and an insulated cup up to 64 ounces. Concessions run throughout the grandstands and the Fanzone.

Cash or card

All concessions and the ticket office are cashless. They take American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa.

Hearing

Cars are very loud. Earplugs and ear muffs are allowed, and you can rent a scanner to listen to team radios.

What to wear

Dress in layers. February mornings can be cool and the sun on the grandstands is strong by afternoon. Bring sunscreen and a poncho, since umbrellas are banned.

Weather

Daytona Beach in late February usually runs from the low 50s at dawn to around 70 in the afternoon. Rain can delay or move the race, and the track may shift the start time for weather, as it did in 2026.

Seats

Grandstand seats are 20 or 21 inches wide and the frontstretch is smoke free. Use the gate printed for your section to save a long walk.

• Tour, $$

  Speedway tour and Motorsports Hall of Fame

  The hour-long tour takes you through the infield, the steep banking, the garages and pit road, and ends at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. The latest 500-winning car stays on display until race morning.

  1801 W International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

• Landmark, free

  Birthplace of Speed Park

  Cars first raced on the hard sand here in March 1903, decades before the speedway. A small park at the beach holds historical markers on the early beach racers.

  21 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach, FL 32176

• Photo, free

  World's Most Famous Beach sign

  The big sign where International Speedway Boulevard meets the ocean is the classic Daytona selfie. It sits at the beach end of the same road that runs past the track.

  A1A and E International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32118

• Landmark, free

  Daytona Beach Pier

  The 1,000-foot pier at the end of Main Street anchors the boardwalk, and its 1925 casino building now holds a seafood restaurant. Fishing from the end is free and needs no license.

  1200 Main St, Daytona Beach, FL 32118

• Landmark, $

  Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse

  This 1887 lighthouse stands at the inlet south of Daytona, and you can climb the tower for a view down the coast. The museum and the Pacetti Hotel museum share the grounds.

  4931 S Peninsula Dr, Ponce Inlet, FL 32127

• Eat, free

  Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory

  This chocolate maker dates to 1925, and at its downtown factory you can watch candy being made and get a free sample. It sits by the river, a short drive from the track.

  154 S Beach St, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

• Eat, $$

  Aunt Catfish's on the River

  This Port Orange seafood house on the Halifax River has served its cinnamon rolls for more than 45 years. Come for catfish, a big fixings bar and Sunday brunch.

  4009 Halifax Dr, Port Orange, FL 32127

• Outing, $$

  Museum of Arts and Sciences

  The area's largest museum has art, science and children's wings plus a planetarium. It is a good rainy-day plan ten minutes from the track.

  352 S Nova Rd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

• Tour, free

  The Casements

  John D. Rockefeller spent his winters in this Ormond Beach house on the river. Free tours of the restored rooms run on weekdays and Saturday mornings.

  25 Riverside Dr, Ormond Beach, FL 32176

• Tour, free

  Mary McLeod Bethune Home

  The educator and civil rights leader who founded Bethune-Cookman University lived here, and she is buried on the grounds. Free guided tours run by appointment.

  640 Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

• Outing, free

  Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens

  Gardens grow among the ruins of an 1800s sugar mill in Port Orange. It is open daily from dawn to dusk and runs on donations.

  950 Old Sugar Mill Rd, Port Orange, FL 32129

• Drink, $$

  ONE DAYTONA

  The open-air district across from the track has shops, restaurants and bars, and it fills with fans on race week. It stays open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

  1 Daytona Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114