History

Recent History

Today, Daytona Beach thrives on racing- and party-based tourism: it has one of the last great Atlantic Coast Spring Breaks (drunk college kids, arrests, hookers, fire engines) and, during Bike Week, the town goes absolutely insane, as hordes of Harleys - and their remarkably well-behaved owners - roar into town. But the heart and soul of Daytona remain committed to the pursuit of one thing: speed.

Modern Day History

The Florida East Coast Automobile Association was founded in 1903, the Winter Speed Carnival (predecessor to today's Daytona 500) began in 1904, and for the next 30 years, Daytona Beach was where speed records were made and smashed. Stock-car racing came into vogue during the late 1930s, and Race Weeks packed the beaches with fans. On December 14, 1947, at the Streamline Hotel, Bill France Sr founded NASCAR and made the what then seemed unbelievable statement: 'I believe stock-car racing can become a nationally recognised sport'. Civic leaders felt that this was a fine dream, and in 1959 they opened the Daytona Speedway.

Pre 20th Century History

Daytona's early history is typical of Florida: Timucuan Indians had the run of the place until the late 1700s, when European settlers moved in. Henry Flagler built a railroad, Matthias Day (hence Daytona) built a hotel, and the city got a few tourists, though not as many as St Augustine. Then, in 1902, Daytona made a high-speed date with destiny.

Playboy racecar drivers Ransom Olds and Alexander Winston realised that the unusually hard-packed sands of Daytona Beach were good for more than just sunbathing. They waged a high-profile race along the water to prove it, reaching an unheard-of 91.7kph (57mph). Suddenly, it all became clear: nature had created this beach for racing; an epiphany that Daytona's public-relations machinery trumpeted in every national forum they could find.