This 60,000 square foot area has several things to entertain you, from a tour of the track and infield of the Daytona race track to the Richard Petty driving experience and to an interactive area where you can ride in the cars, work in the pits, and watch the NASCAR movie. There is a great store to purchase all that NASCAR merchandise that you want and a small café to top it off. It is perfect for the whole family. This year, 2004, they had Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning Daytona 500 car on display directly from the track.

The third NASCAR movie is wonderful. I have seen it twice. They have a NASCAR experience where you get to drive your own race car around the track in your own race against others. Beware of some of the drivers. There are a lot of exhibits dedicated to the great ones, like Richard Petty, as well.

Open Daily 9am to 7pm, except Christmas; there are extended hours during peak seasons.

Cost: Adults, $21.50
Seniors, $18.50
Children (6 to12), $15.50
Children under 6 are FREE
Speedway Tours, $7.50
DAYTONA USA Annual Pass, $49
Richard Petty Driving Experience, $134
All of these tickets can be ordered online at daytonausa.com. Check it out when you are in the area.

When you first walk in there is a large area that celebrates the history of auto racing with memorabilia and lots of pictures and old racing cars. It was very interesting to see how racing in Daytona has emerged from racing on the beach to the current facility they use now. Being non-race fans, we learned a lot about the need for speed. In the main area you can volunteer to be part of a pit crew and change tires, play several X-Box racing games, see the winning car from the previous year, see some of the confiscated, illegal devices used to "help" drivers win races, and see a life-size model of the 31-degree banked curve.

Next, we took the tram ride into the infield of the speedway. There was a motorcycle race going on at the time so we got to see what 150 miles-per-hour looks like close up. The narrated tour is about 30 minutes long. This is a scheduled tram so you may want to be there about 15 minutes early. After the tram we went on the ride simulators, Daytona Dream Laps, and Acceleration Alley. Acceleration Alley is an extra $5 (coupons for $2 off are available in many tourist magazines), but well worth it. You sit in a "car" and race against other people. The bumping and speed was almost too much to take for me (it made me nervous to drive my own car later).

If you are into racing this is a must-see, and if your not into racing (like us) it's still worth the money. Check out Daytona USA for more details.