Travel It was the first road and beach course; the racers drove in a counter-clockwise direction. Of course, the most exciting place to watch a race was sitting in the corner stands. The local Hamilton County Hospital received a lot of business from these high-speed, non-banked areas where the racing surface changed from tarmac to sand and back again. This also became the era of the “rattlesnake” signs. Some spectators found that they could slip across the beach scrubland and reach the stands without paying. Bill France, Sr. (later of NASCAR fame) came up with a brilliant idea. He posted “Rattlesnake Warning” signs among the Palmetto scrubs and these effectively kept his non-paying guests out.The locals of course knew better, but all of those Yankees from the North – they paid! This course turn became known as “Rattlesnake Corner”! By 1948, interest in the local road/beach racing had increased so much that the events had to be moved to a larger venue. A fourmile road/beach course was built south of Daytona near Ponce Inlet. Bill France, Sr., whomoved to the area in 1935 and worked in a local car repair garage, was so enthusiastic about car racing that he formed theNational Association of Stock Car Auto Racingand the first NASCAR races took place on this course until 1958. Looking ahead, France, Sr. knew that racing would grow in popularity, so he started to look for suitable land on which to build a new track. He was able to lease 447 acres beside the Daytona Beach Municipal Airport on a 50-year lease, and commenced work on the Daytona Beach International Speedway. It opened on Feb 22, 1959, with 47,000 fans attending the inaugural Daytona 500. Today, more than 102,000 NASCAR fans enjoy the venue. The fastest speed recorded at the Speedway is 205.936 mph (331.42 km/h), by Martin Truex, Jr. on July 4, 2019. Looking back into the mists of time, I wonder if those early 1903 speed pioneers − Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton − had ever envisioned such speeds being attainable in Daytona Beach. Information Resources Ormond Beach Historical Society, MacDonald House 38 East Granada Blvd, Ormond Beach, FL 32176, Phone: 386-677-7005 Halifax County Historical Museum 252 South Beach Street, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, Phone: 386-255-6976. Excellent displays of early racing gear, scenes and photos. Birthplace of Speed Park Northeast corner of E. Granada Blvd & S. Atlantic Ave. (Rt A1A). Full-sized reproductions of Ormond Garage, Olds’ Pirate & Winton’s Bullet. “Daytona Beach, 100 Years of Racing”by Harold Cardwell, Arcadia Publishing. How to enjoy driving the beach today, visit... www.volusia.org/services/public-protection/ beach-safety/beach-driving-and-parking.stml CSANews | WINTER 2019 | 31
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