January 28, 2014
In NASCAR, there is one race that matters more than any other, the Daytona 500. This race has become synonymous with glory and champions since the race was first run on the Daytona International Speedway in 1959 and has since become known as “The Great American Race.” And rather than having its biggest event at the end of the season like most other sports, NASCAR has its biggest race to start their season.
This year the Daytona 500 will be run on February 23rd with qualifying taking place the week before on February 16th. Tickets are available for the big race, as well as all qualifying stages. The Daytona 500 carries the biggest purse of any single race on the NASCAR schedule ($19+ million purse in 2013) but that doesn’t mean that tickets are going to be outrageously expensive.
In actuality, Daytona 500 tickets for the race are going for an average of $254, an increase of $2 from last year’s race ($252) and up $84 from 2010 ($171). That makes it the most expensive average ticket price for the Daytona 500 in the past five years. Nonetheless, there are still a multitude of tickets available for well below the average as racing fans can get-in to this race for just $71. The event is only a few weeks away, so expect ticket prices to slowly decline over the next few weeks and perhaps even get closer to a $50 get-in price.
NASCAR also offers a hospitality ticket package for next month’s Daytona 500 which ranges anywhere from $545 to $585. These tickets may be twice as much as the average Daytona 500 ticket, but it will include admission to the Taste of The 24, a weekend pass to the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, Sprint FANZONE access, Budweiser Party Porch access on Saturday, Free Premier Parking through Gate 70 on Saturday and a chance to win a genuine Rolex watch.
