NASCAR, the premier stock car organization in the US, holds some of its most important races on this track. This includes competitions in the Le Mans series, the Craftsman Truck Series (where pickup trucks are raced), the Busch Series (the stock car junior league), and the NASCAR Championship (the Nextel cup series).

The NASCAR Championship's most important race, the Daytona 500, is held annually in the Daytona International Speedway. It is a 200-lap, 500-mile stock car race. The list of Daytona 500 winners is very long dating back to the inaugural race in 1959, and includes "The King" Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt.

So far in the history of NASCAR only two people have been killed at Daytona International Speedway: Neil Bonnett, who was killed in a practice session for the Daytona 500; and Dale Earnhardt (who was the first person ever to be killed in the Daytona 500), killed on the final lap in 2001.

The racing season begins at Daytona starting with the testing sessions. The year's racing begins with the 24 Hours of Daytona race in the Le Mans series. Then the racing begins for the Nextel Cup with the Budweiser shootout and the Gatorade 125. The Craftsman truck series begins with the Daytona Dodge Dealers 250. The Busch series begins with the Hershey's 300, and then it is back to the Nextel Cup in "The Great American Race," the Daytona 500. The Nextel Cup also features the Pepsi 400 in July at Daytona.

Daytona can be a place where your career can be made or broken. A place where your heart can be broken in "The Great American Race." You have to follow the draft in order to master Daytona. You also have to prove yourself several times in order to participate in the big show.

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