Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

By Gary Van Voorhis -I; • There IS perhaps no other race like Daytona and definitely no other place in the world like Daytona Beach during Speed Week. For a short one week period early inMarch of each year Daytona becomes THE place to be. In that brief time Daytona swells with upwards of 100,000 sou s from near and far intent on competing or spectating or lying on t~ beach o~ seeing and being seen or partying or whatever. There are a ldt of what evers. There are a lot more.partiers. J 1 Da ytona during Speed W eek is m ore th an just a pl ace, more than just a name a nd a red dot on the m a p. It is a h ap pening and a state of mind. And the aura of this has been drawing people back every year so m uch so that people pl an their annual vacation around it. For the newcomer Daytona is a time of ' discovery and, for the veteran Daytona visitor, it is a time to renew past memories a nd add new ones. How to get there Logistically, Daytona Beach is easily reached either by air or Interstate travel. If you are flying, you are in for a treat since the Daytona Beach Municipal Airport lies in close proximity to the Speedway as well as the beach. Passengers should be able to get a seagull's eye view of th e surrounding areas. Daytona is serviced by many regi onal carriers as well as Eastern and National Airl ines , 24 W h ile flyin g is quicker, it tends to take some of the fun out of the t ransition from your point of departure. There just isn't anything to quite compare with stopping at a Florida Welcome Station (loca ted on the Interstates near th e Florida state line) after leaving the snow , slush , cold weather and whatever else behind you to bask in th e sun while sipping th e fr ee orange juice. Florida then bec omes not so much a place as a state of mind . It is this state of mind and th e anticipation of the activities of Speed Week that accounts for the aura which surrounds D a yto na and makes it unique. • For those ' people in the great northeast, Daytona is just a day away (of almost straight driving) on that great ribbon of concrete called 1-95 . You simply follow the signs until you reach one saying Daytona Beach. Avoid downtown Washington like the plague. Us 1-495 (south and east) to bypass the nation's Capital and save time and frustration . 1-95 through Washington looks shorter on a map, but it funnels you right into th e center of town and drops you there. You might want to take five a t a place called South of the Border wh ich lies just offI-95 on the border of North a nd South Ca rolin a . As the name implies , it h a s a pseudo -Mexican atmosphere and is a souv enir shopper's paradise. You'll find it hard to miss since the catchy billboard ad vert ising starts a hundred or so miles before you reach the place. If you' re going to boogie to Day from somewhere in the mi dwest the re a bou ts, it is advised t hat you select the most direct ro ute to Atlanta, Georgia and follow 1-75 from t he re to Florida. Approximately 50 m iles into Florida on 1-75 you will come to the junction with 1-10 which you should take east towards Jacksonville . Once you reach 1-295 which bypasses Jacksonville and funnels you over to 195 , Daytona is just a short hop down the road. For those who live out west , following 1-10 along the Gulf from Houston is the short est route. New sections of the Interstate have been completed m inimizing the time spent on other than limited access highways. However, there are still sections of 1-\0 that appear to have been bu ilt by a frust rated motocrosser and include enough rough stuff to make your teeth chatter. As in the above directions follow 1-10 to 1-295 bypass at Jacksonville , Florida and pick up 1-95 sou th . From there Da yton a is just a ' short- short down the su pe r-sla b. If you want to break th e monotony of Interstate travel we suggest that you exit 1-75 at Lake City just below th e I10 interchange and take Route 100 th rough th e middle of th e sta te to Starke and Pal atka . Be careful a t Pa latka' to remain on Rou tes 20 -100 wh ich will th en funnel you to Bunnell a nd Rou te 1 about 20 m iles n orth of Da ytona. T he ride is scenic a nd gi ves you a ch a nce to ca tch your brea th before kic king it int o to p gea r . Bits an d pieces: The police are everywhere and speeders take a definite risk. There are, however , some states that are more lenient than others as to what constitutesrt.a violation of the 55 mph national speed limit. Use you r CB , but don't abuse it . Spend some time listening rather taan playing ratchet jaw and you may hit Da ytona with all you r spending mO'ley still in you r pocket. Lodging "" Daytona is a resort area and , as ' - such , d epends heavil y on tourism for its income. There are enough hotel rooms in Daytona to take care of everybody during Sp eed Week md then some. You may hav e to 10 a little or travel a sh ort distance from the center of town , but you can be lure you 'll find lodging. The best pla te s, those nea r eit he r the b ea ch or speed wa y and those that are favo ntes with certain groups, are already full, but if you 're arriving early without a reservation, check when you get there anyway. un Advance reservatio~s are a m~~t if you wish to stay at a certain motel , with th e most popula r pla ces fin ding people ma king th eir reserva tions up to six months ahead . If you' re arrivi ng late in the week (T hursday or later), th en your best bet might be to ta ke a

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