USA 2006

Daytona Beach

The last day before heading back. It’s only about 130 km (80 mi) from Cocoa Beach to Daytona Beach. We have a hotel right on the beach there. We also associate Daytona with the Speedway—an oval track famous for NASCAR races and, of course, from the movie *Days of Thunder* starring a young Tom Cruise. More on that below...

As mentioned, our hotel is right on the beach. We take advantage of this, of course, to jump into the Atlantic one last time and let the waves wash over us. Depending on the water level, this part of the beach is also accessible by car, which Americans love to do. In the evening, we treat ourselves to one last steak, this time at Hooters. But first, we head back to the supermarket to pick up a few things that weren’t available in Germany at the time, such as certain BBQ sauces.

Daytona Speedway

As previously mentioned, we also visited the Daytona International Speedway. It features a small museum dedicated to racing history and the track itself. Visitors also have access to the grandstands and the inner area of the track, including the winner’s podium.

Vinzent and René treat themselves to a special highlight. For $150, they get to ride three laps as passengers in a NASCAR. This way, we also have the pleasure of hearing and feeling the V8 roar of the race cars, since we’re right next to the pit wall. Today (2025), the fun starts at $230.

I’ve put together a short video for you. Please don’t laugh—in 2006, this was the quality of home video systems, but the sound is actually pretty good. So turn it up...

...and here are a few more photos of Daytona Speedway.