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The new Daytona International Speedway is complete and ready for this weekend’s Daytona 500®!
Daytona International Speedway (DIS) is the home of “The Great American Race” — the DAYTONA 500®. More than 100,000 fans attend the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup each year.
Detroit-based architects and planners with a global focus on sports and entertainment, ROSSETTI, partnered with the International Speedway Corporation, the owners of DIS, to strategically create a new value proposition for the venue. The result was DAYTONA Rising, the USD$400m reimagining of DIS into the first Motorsports Stadium.
Images courtesy: ROSSETTI
The Speedway has been an iconic venue for 50 years, but had not received significant enhancements since it opened. ROSSETTI was challenged to blend the modern amenities of what today’s sports fans demand with the heritage that NASCAR fans expect from the Speedway. In addition, the Speedway was missing opportunities to work with its corporate partners. ROSSETTI started with the vision of ‘what a race experience can be’ for the next five decades. The incredible scale of the 500-acre Speedway complex also drove many of the strategic design decisions. The stadium itself is nearly a mile long. Every stadium in Florida can fit inside its oval track.
International Speedway Corporation and ROSSETTI partnered through immersive Discovery Workshops, extensive design ideation, studies of other NASCAR tracks and research of NASCAR fans. ROSSETTI also studied the historic context of racing on the beach and the conceptual elements of NASCAR racing that led to the Design Parti: Machine on the beach.
ROSSETTI’s innovative design transformed Daytona International Speedway into the first Motorsports Stadium.
The corporate value proposition is a new model for corporate sponsorship and immersive brand activation.
International Speedway Corporation and Sunoco have entered a multi-year partnership that will make Sunoco the fourth Founding Partner at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) as part of its historic $400 million DAYTONA Rising redevelopment project.
The DAYTONA Rising project, encompassing the Speedway’s nearly one-mile long frontstretch, will be complete by January 2016. DAYTONA Rising will transform DIS into the world’s first motorsports stadium with premium amenities and attractions. ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy said:
Sunoco is a long-time partner of ISC and we’re excited to further develop our relationship. A brand synonymous with motorsports for many years, Sunoco will continue to be a great asset across the ISC enterprise adding to the overall fan experience.
The multi-year agreement will provide Sunoco with naming rights for one of five fan injectors. The massive, new and redesigned entry statement includes over 20,000 square feet of Sunoco engagement and fan experiences that vertically span four concourse levels. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Sunoco Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Cynthia Archer said:
This represents the next chapter of our long-term partnership with ISC. ISC is taking the motorsports experience to new heights by creating a visually-compelling facility. Fans will be amazed when they see the new motorsports stadium and Sunoco’s engaging injector experience for the first time in 2016.
Additionally, Sunoco will have branding rights for one of the fan “neighborhoods” located near its injector. A total of 11 football field-size neighborhoods will be located throughout the new frontstretch, each featuring custom bar, retail and dining areas, as well as dozens of video screens.
Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said:
We’re thrilled to welcome Sunoco as a DAYTONA Rising Founding Partner. With a rich history and commitment to customers, Sunoco will enhance the race day experience for fans at the Speedway for years to come.
DAYTONA Rising is a $400 million reimagining of an American icon – Daytona International Speedway. Five expanded and redesigned entrances, or “injectors,” will lead fans to a series of escalators and elevators, transporting them to three different concourse levels. Each level features spacious social areas, or “neighborhoods,” along the nearly mile-long frontstretch. At the conclusion of the redevelopment, Daytona International Speedway will have approximately 101,500 permanent, wider and more comfortable seats, twice as many restrooms and three times as many concession stands. In addition, the Speedway will feature over 60 luxury suites with trackside views and a completely revamped hospitality experience for corporate guests. DAYTONA Rising: Reimagining an American Icon, expected to create 6,300 jobs, $300 million in labor income and over $85 million in tax revenue, will be completed in time for the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona and DAYTONA 500.
Barton Malow is serving as the design-builder for the project. In addition to DAYTONA Rising, Barton Malow has renovated the University of Michigan “Big House” and the Rose Bowl.
ROSSETTI is the architect for DAYTONA Rising. ROSSETTI is an award-winning architectural design and planning firm with 46 years of expertise in sports and entertainment projects including the Green Bay Packers Titletown, renovations for the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field, a new headquarters for the LA Lakers, five MLS stadiums and the new retractable roof over the USTA’s Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Photo: A concept image of the Sunoco injector at Daytona International Speedway. (PRNewsFoto/Daytona International Speedway)
