NASCAR starts it's season every year with it's biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500. Speed Weeks leads up to the Great American Race starting with the ROLEX 24 followed by several NASCAR events including the Budwieser Shootout and Gatorade Duels with lots of practice in between. With NASCAR eliminating the ability to test on tracks they race on these practice sessions have become more important than ever as it's really the first time the teams get to take all that research and development from the off season to the high banks of Daytona.
It's hard to explain just how exciting it is to see the cars back on the track and going to Daytona for Speed weeks is always on the top of my to do list. Before the start of the first practice all the cars are lined up nose to tail from the entrance to pit road all the way back into the garage area. When the official gives the signal to begin practice all the cars start at once and accelerate out onto the track. The sound is incredible and amplified throughout a mostly empty track making every race junkie giddy with excitement. Drivers are more relaxed and walk around freely making themselves accessible to the lucky fans that make it to the track. Practice is open to the public and with a fanzone ticket you can get really close to the action in the garage. You can also walk around the inside of the track, get close to the high bank turns and get a look at some of the outrageous campsites race fans build for their stay at Speed weeks. Here's a few galleries from my free roam around the track during the 500 practice.
