Daytona International Speedway Tag

History was made this weekend when Danica Patrick became the first woman to qualify on the pole position for the Daytona 500 or any other NASCAR Sprint Cup race.  Her first full Sprint Cup season could not be starting out any better.  Congrats to Danica and hopefully this serves as inspiration to women everywhere.  The racing world has been waiting for Danica to make her big splash and it might finally be here.  She has a realistic shot at winning the Daytona 500 and what a story that would be.  It seems her goal is to be good enough to challenge for a championship but her next hurdle is just to finish consistently in the Sprint and possibly win a race.  Thankfully Danica has a great team and owner  who has knowledge of what it takes to be successful in open and closed wheel racing.

Danica won't want to hear this but history tells us she won't win on Sunday.  Winning the pole is normally a nice accomplishment and comes with a nice paycheck but it is by no means a indicator of who will win the race.  The last Daytona 500 pole winner to win the race was current ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett in 2000.  That was DJ's third and he is one of just 5 drivers to win the 500 3 times (Petty, Gordon, Allison, Yarborough).  Since the opening race in 1959, the pole winner has only won the actual race on 8 occasions.

Every year NASCAR features 2 races at Daytona International Speedway.  One of course is the Daytona 500, and the other is the upcoming Coke Zero 400 in July.  These 2 races at Daytona represent half of the superspeedway races on the NASCAR circuit.  The other two races are held at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

Superspeedway races are just  different monster than any other.  Nothing can compare to the soaring speeds and close quarters of a superspeedway race.  Tempers are easily flared and even the smallest of errors can cause "the big one".  The only tracks where you hear about the big one is Daytona and Talladega.

Starting planning your trip to the 2011 Daytona 500 with Daytona 500 Travel Packages. Low deposits are now available for all packages. Sports Traveler is offerring many different options for the Great American Race including lodging in the Daytona and Orlando area. You can choose from attending the Sprint Cup race only, Nationwide Series & Sprint Cup, or all four weekend races including the Gatorade Duels 150 and Truck Series.

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Start purchasing tickets for the 2010 Daytona 500 NASCAR Race. This historic race will be held on February 14. Since the race is on Valentines Day (hint), Daytona 500 Tickets are a great idea for the special person in your life.

Daytona 500 Ticketscan be purchased at various areas of Daytona International Speedway. Choose from our extensive inventory to make your visit at this race a memorable one. These tickets can be purchased securely online or by calling our office.

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Mike