Daytona 500 Experience

While in Daytona Beach, I experienced the Daytona Speedway "Experience". My main goal was to take the track tour and to see the NASCAR IMAX 3-D movie. The admission price of $24 covers it all.

I got in line for the 4:30pm track tour which turned out to be me and two other young fellows. Since the Sports Car Club Of America (SCCA) was racing that day, we did not get to ride on the track. Our driver stopped at the infield gate and escorted us over to Victory Lane for a photo (which could be purchased once the track tour concluded). I would have preferred the track portion of the tour... maybe next time. Upon the tram's return to the starting point, the queue was full of folks for the 5pm tour. I don't know where they came from and why they missed out on our tour. We had plenty of available seats.

Back inside the building, I stopped by to see Ryan Newman's winning Dodge Charger from this year's Daytona 500. The winner of the race loses his car for the season. They roll it into the building to be displayed just as it came out of Victory Lane... complete with oil, grime, confetti and champagne stains. Several cars were on display including Malcolm Campbell's Bluebird and one of Dale Earnhardt's #3 GM Goodwrench cars. I ended my day with the 3-D IMAX movie.

A stop by the gift shop was mandatory. All the major drivers had buttloads of branded merchandise. Put a number and a driver's name on crap and you can sell it... the Jeff Gordon juice box holder, for example. That's why a juice box comes in a box... it doesn't need a second box to hold the first box. Tony Steward, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and a few others had items you could buy for your dog... bowls, leashes, sweaters and dog cookies... all with the driver's number. They had mouse pads and cell phone caddies and shot glasses and window flags (don't you get a thrill from those folks who drive at interstate speeds with their window flags just a flappin'?). I bought son Jonathan a Tony Steward #20 Camry shirt. Jonathan drives a Camry and `Smoke` will be the owner and driver of his own team next year and it won't be in a Camry. Wear a true collector's item. In the mid 90s, Dale Earnhardt would qualify for a race at Talladega and fly in afterwards to our local Chevrolet dealer. He was at that Chevy dealer for several years but later moved on to some other dealer in the state. The year he won the pole and the race at Talladega was the last time we saw him in person. He signed the Dale Earnhardt special edition Monte Carlo on the showroom floor. We spoke to him at the autograph table and got several signed photo cards. Dale noticed that Jonathan was wearing one of his shirts and stood up to lean over the table to sign it. I discouraged that by telling Dale that "if you sign it, he will never be able to wear that shirt again". So it goes.

I left the gift shop a few bucks lighter, resisting the urge to buy needless stuff. I did buy a track pin, but I do have a rather large pin collection from NASCAR tracks I have visited.

I'll be back for a race someday now that I know my way around Daytona. As an added bonus, the Daytona Hooters is across the street from the speedway.

Presidential Lunch - Daytona Beach, FL

I traveled from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach for the day. I met up with President David at BMW Motorcycles Of Daytona (www.BMWCyclesDaytona.com) where he had gone to buy a new battery for his 2004 BMW R1150RT.

I drove along the famous Main Street as he pointed out the sights in Daytona Beach. Our first stop was at the legendary Boot Hill Saloon (www.BootHillSaloon.com) where their slogan is "Order A Drink And Have A Seat... You're Better Off Here Than Across The Street". The cemetery is across the street. They were having a sale on BikeToberfest t-shirts but they did not have one in my size, so I bought a 2008 Bike Week shirt. I have seen many Boot Hill Saloon t-shirts in my travels and now I have one.

Our journey continued along Atlantic Avenue past the gift shops and scooter rental places. I had brought my riding gear and wore my kevlar jeans in case I got the urge to rent a scooter. Rain had fallen and time ran out on me, but I did stop to visit one of the newer rental spots and spoke with the owner. The rates on the 50cc scooters were quite reasonable and Atlantic Avenue is a great street to scooter upon (many others were) so I will make plans to return another Saturday.

President David and I continued on to our Presidential Lunch spot for the day... Racing's North Turn (www.RacingsNorthTurn.com). The restaurant sits at the north turn where the early Daytona Beach stock car track transitioned from the beach to the pavement. Their menu specialty is seafood and I had the bacon-wrapped scallops with a side of onion rings. David had the Mahi Mahi. We sat at the edge of the indoor seating overlooking the deck, the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Toward the end of our lunch, the live musical entertainment commenced with two fellows playing some tunes from the "grooveyard of forgotten favorites". I spotted a bucket on the floor in front of the stage, so David and I left a buck each as we departed. It was worth at least that.

The tour continued south to Ponce de Leon Inlet. The lighthouse, completed in 1887, is Florida's tallest lighthouse. You can read more about it at www.PonceInlet.org . August 7th was National Lighthouse Day, so my August 9th visit "missed it by that much". We toured other neighborhoods and marinas in the area. If I had a spare million or two, the Daytona Beach area would be a nice one in which to retire (as 70% of residents already have).

I returned President David to the BMW dealer for him to retrieve his BMW and I continued on to the Daytona Speedway. David and two other riders from the area will be joining me in two weeks at the next Presidential Wings in Jacksonville.

Hooters I Have Known

July 2008 finds me working in Jacksonville, Florida. While settling on a location for Presidential Wings (among the four Hooters in the area), I stopped by the Jacksonville Southside Boulevard Hooters. Teenie, second from the right, was my HG for the evening. She is a trainer for Hooters and has domain over the Orlando locations. Teenie also planned to participate in a Bikini Bike Wash at Jacksonville Honda the following Saturday. I found her washing bikes on Saturday.

Hooters I Have Known

If one can have a favorite Hooters, mine would have to be the Polaris location in north Columbus, Ohio. I was on assignment in Dublin for fifteen months and visited the Polaris location almost every Thursday evening, sometimes to host a Presidential Wings, other times just to enjoy a dinner that I did not prepare myself. I did visit the other three locations (the Highway 161 location closed soon after I left in 2007). I once put my business card in the Polaris fishbowl and won a wing party which I shared with members of the Buckeye Beemer BMW Club and a few other folks I knew in the area.

Nearly all of the Hooters Girls were local college students representing Ohio State University and Otterbein College. I was served by such standouts as Cassie, Jessica, Heather, Sara, Clarissa, Taylor and Shannon. There were other notables... I was Hannah's first customer on her first day s a Hooters Girl, but a few days later she broke an ankle and I don't think she returned to work. I asked from time to time but Hannah was missing in action. So it goes.

I hope to return someday soon.