Daytona International Speedway – Photographers Guide
Report By David Harbey

It’s 1998 and an article in Autosport is extolling the virtues of the Daytona 24 Hour race. Run in late January in Florida, it promised sunshine, 24 hours of sportscar and GT racing and a beachfront hotel all for a reasonable price. So, we booked flight, car hire and hotel and off we went, we saw, we enjoyed.
Readers may be more familiar with the NASCAR Daytona 500 race or perhaps even Bike Week. The 24 Hours runs on a mixture of the oval and road course as can be seen below. It has been sponsored by Rolex for many years and is colloquially known as the Rolex 24.
The grandstands on the start / finish curve tower over the track and provided a view of all the action. The start image is from the support race on the Friday afternoon. The main race started at 1pm and was preceded by an excellent selection of American stadium rock over the PA.
Although the racing was good, it was a pretty low-key affair and the crowd was modest, to say the least. At night, there were some excellent views from the grandstand.
The following year, in an effort to broaden our experience of US tracks, we headed to Sebring and for various reasons did not head back to Daytona until 2017 and 2018 – the former being the first year of the current top class of cars in the US known as DPi’s.
These were supported by GTs – giving the same mix as Le Mans – prototypes and GTs across three classes.
A few things had changed – for one, the large grandstand had been demolished and replaced by a bigger, longer, higher structure. For another, the crowd was bigger and there was much more of a buzz around the place.
It will never be as big as the NASCAR races but the ability to get around and watch from different places is a huge benefit. Some other tracks might debate the claim that Daytona is the “World Center of Racing” !
Location A – the pits / FanZone area – in common with most US racing, there is lots of access, except for pit lane itself during the race. The Rolex 24 was supported by the Continental Tire Sportscar Championship 4 hour race on the Friday afternoon.
Prior to the start, the pit lane is open (Location A on track map above) to see the cars and meet the drivers.
It’s also possible to walk across to the track and see just how steep the banking is at start / finish – 18 degrees to be precise. For the Rolex 24 pit lane walk, there is less access to the cars as they are roped off, but as you can see lots of fans head down there.
You can also see the scrutineering bay, the podium if you are there early or see the drivers – here, Britain’s Oliver Gavin and ex-F1 racer Juan Pablo Montoya reflect on their race.
For the race start, the exit of the International Horseshoe aka Turn 3 (Location B) is a good spot. You can see the cars all the way back to Turn 1, through the kink at Turn 2 and into the hairpin bend at Turn 3 with the multi-coloured seats in the grandstand as a backdrop.
The ST class (Street Tuning) class for the Conti races in 2017 and 2018 featured Minis and MX5s – with both marques leading the class at different times. For two very different configurations, they were surprisingly evenly matched.
As the cars exit Turn 3, there’s a nice panning shot day or night – and the winners can be saluted by the crowd. In common with most of the locations from B to G, there is a fence c. 2 m high so a double step / small step ladder is a must for clear shots, but see our final thoughts. The main infield catering is also near B.
The track map shows that there are a couple of sets of open bleachers / seating on the stretch between Turn 3 and 5. They are not that tall, so not really helpful for photos, but good to be able to rest the weary limbs from time to time.
Location C – through Turn 4 – sees overtaking as drivers seek to make up positions before the Turn 5 hairpin.
Moving down to Location D, gives the option of side or rear shots of the cars. In common with many US racetracks, spectators can park their motorhomes on the infield and close to the track which makes for a different backdrop to somewhere like Silverstone.
From time to time, there’s also a dramatic sequence to capture – in this case, a damaged rear wheel caused problems for this Audi R8 LMS in the 2018 Conti race.
Heading through the campsite to Location E there’s a small bleacher facing Turn 7. It’s like a wall in front of you at 31 degrees; I have yet to see a NASCAR race at Daytona but can only imagine how dramatic forty-odd cars in a pack look (and sound !) through here.
It is worth returning at night. The track is illuminated during the hours of darkness and provides some good reflections on the track.
There is a panning shot as the cars brake for Turn 6.
As darkness falls, glowing brake discs come to life.
A little Dutch Tilt can add some drama to the rear shot of the cars head into Turn 6.
The iconic Rolex 24 shot however is probably obtained at Location G. Again, you will need the step to get above the fence but see our final thoughts. With the big wheel in the background and brake discs glowing, it can only be Daytona !
All you need to do then is match the green, red and white lights on the big wheel to the Ferrari …
It’s not possible to get close to the Bus Stop chicane at Turns 9-11 on the track map, so the remaining spot inside the track is Location H. This is the same as E with the chance to get cars as they run round the banking.
This leaves two locations on the outside of the track. There are access tunnels at each end of the main grandstand. There is a concourse that runs the full length with concessions and access to all seating.
The view is spectacular ! There’s also the chance to get shots of the pit lane action (Location I). In 2017 this was during the rain … and there is shelter here, which is more than can be said for the infield.
On Saturday evening there is a firework display.
Moving to Location J at the other end of the grandstand provides a shot back towards Turn 12 (Turn 4 on the oval).
There’s the usual NASCAR-style scoring display – here seen reflected in the large lake in the infield. There is also the big wheel – this is as close as you will get me !
Some final thoughts
- This guide is based on visits in 2017/18 and I am not aware of significant changes – but clearly nothing is guaranteed
- Even though it is Florida it can get cool, or even chilly - take layers
- It can also be very sunny, take and use your sun block
- It rains sometimes – but it’s generally warmer rain
- You may find photos online showing sunrise or sunset – they usually look fabulous – I have never been there at the right time with clear skies …
- Go and drive on Daytona Beach – where NASCAR started out
- You can order tickets online and collect when you get there using “Will Call”
- There’s lots of walking – if you get infield parking then go for it (usually sold out pretty quickly though) – if not try and get parking near the Turn 12 tunnel. There’s other parking behind the Bus Stop served by shuttles
- There is quite tight security and you may be asked to leave your step (see below) or other large items at the entrance to the pits / FanZone
- The photos here were taken in 2017 / 2018 using 70-200mm and 70-300mm zooms. A 200-500mm would also be useful
Update December 2022
- We are hearing that, for 2023, step ladders are off limits unless you are accredited media. There also seems to be limitations on tripods and monopods
- We also know that, from time to time, such rules are often not enforced so would recommend that you check with the track before the event
Useful links
Daytona International Speedway
IMSA TV – live streaming race - 25/26 January2020
Radio commentary on-site usually on FM / or stream via IMSA website
Any questions – contact us through our Facebook page
Previous PistonClick Daytona Reports
2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona - 7 February 2024
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Photography by Cornell Chu, Mark Robertson, and Mark Roden
The 2024 racing season begins with the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, held each year in January at the Daytona International Speedway. This year’s 62nd Rolex was the second iteration of the famous race in the modern GTP era, as well as the second year the event hosted the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge, which included the LMP3 (P3) class, dropped from the Weathertech Championship at the end of the ’23 season. Click the image for more.
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