Daytona Receives Approval For Major Remodel

Daytona International Speedway got the go-ahead from the Daytona Beach Planning Board Thursday evening to undertake a complete rebuild of the historic speedway's main grandstand. The board gave unanimous approval to a plan submitted by the speedway and parent company International Speedway Corporation outlining a rebuild of the front stretch grandstand, along with new spectator entrances, vendor areas and restrooms.

The upgrade could also feature a series of new escalators designed to carry fans to the upper levels of the DIS grandstands, and a total reworking of the track’s exterior facade.

The project is Part One of a projected motorsports/retail complex on speedway grounds that could eventually include new hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, movie theatres and approximately two million square feet of retail space; all designed to transform the speedway into a year-round destination. The project would entail the current speedway property and more than 600 additional acres of land on either side of International Speedway Boulevard.

Speedway president Joie Chitwood, III, said the project still needs approval from the ISC Board of Directors, and is unlikely to begin until at least the fall of 2013.