, the track where the race will be held. Daytona International Speedway is a
race track in
Daytona Beach, Florida, that is one of six
superspeedways to hold
NASCAR races, the others being
Michigan International Speedway,
Auto Club Speedway,
Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
Pocono Raceway and
Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona is a four-turn superspeedway that is long. The track also features two other layouts that utilize portions of the primary high speed
tri-oval, such as a
sports car course and a motorcycle course. The track's infield includes the Lake Lloyd, which has hosted
powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by
International Speedway Corporation. The track was built by NASCAR founder
Bill France Sr. to host racing that was being held at the former
Daytona Beach Road Course and opened with the
first Daytona 500 in 1959. The speedway has been renovated three times, with the infield renovated in 2004, and the track repaved in 1978 and 2010. The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar. It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. Since
1995, U.S.
television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the
Indianapolis 500 which in turn greatly surpasses the Daytona 500 in in-track attendance and international viewing. The
2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers. ==Race results==