Motorsports History Runs Deep in Daytona Beach

"Gentlemen start your engines" those four words excite race fans everywhere. We here in Florida are lucky to have several venues where those words are spoken but none more famously crowd pleasing then our own Daytona Speedway.

Daytona Speedway has many different kinds of races throughout the year for many different kinds of race fans. Bike Week and Biketoberfest, held in the winter and fall respectively, feature mostly motorcycle races and shows; then in the winter again Speed Week happens and other popular races such as the Rolex 24 hour race and the Daytona 500 are run.

Now, NASCAR was born from stock car racing which was born from boot legging in the Appalachians during prohibition. Bootleggers, as they were called, needed fast car to outrun the cops as they made their deliveries, many drivers did their own modification to their cars to increase the cars speed and handling. It all started back in 1947 when a gentleman named William France Sr. and some friends founded a small organization they called NASCAR.

When prohibition ended in 1933 the need for bootleggers dried up but some of these guys came to love the speed and excitement of driving down twisty mountain roads. They continued to work on and improve their cars and by the late 1940's the races for bragging rights and money began. These races were held mostly in rural North Carolina run using modified street cars.

Daytona Beach didn't sit idly by while all this was going on. In 1903 there was a historic race run between Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton on the beach here that started it all. Between 1905 and 1935 fifteen speed records were set and the Daytona Beach road course, as it came to be known, became a Mecca for racing enthusiasts. Daytona Beach became known as the place to set world speed records in the 1920s and 1930s,

In the 1920s and 1930s, Daytona Beach became known as the place to set world land speed records, supplanting France and Belgium as the preferred location for speed records, with 8 consecutive world records set between 1927 and 1935, Daytona Beach had become synonymous with fast cars.

These days Daytona still means speed no matter if you prefer motorcycles or cars. During Bike Week you can enjoy all sorts of weight class and engine size motorcycling races. In the fall they also have motor bike races, classes that you can sign up to take and exhibition and proto type motorcycles, both weeks feature amateur and pro series.

There are several events throughout the year that the Daytona International Speedway is known for, one such event is the Rolex 24. The Rolex 24 is a race that lasts 24 hours; teams of drivers take shifts behind the wheel and drive all day and night racing towards the finish line, I've been its fun. You wouldn't think people would stay for the whole race but they do, there are fun things to do around the infield during the race to that helps.

Speed Week is another draw to the Speedway it's the start of the ARCA series and NASCAR season. There are two events that kick off the season; first event is the ARCA series Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, a 80 lap 200 mile race.

The Budweiser Shootout features top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars racing around the 31-degree high banks. From there we go onto the biggie, the main event - The Daytona 500. There are two days of qualifying events for the Daytona 500, the first is just called Daytona 500 Qualifying where qualifying for the front row takes place. The second is the Gatorade Duel which consists of two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500.

There are also several truck races and events that take place during the week but theses are the main racing events. Then at week after the qualifying events the Daytona 500 is run. The Daytona 500 is run for 200 laps, 500 miles on the two and a half a mile long track of the Daytona International Speedway and it's considered the biggest, richest and most prestigious race of the NASCAR series. Touted as "The Great American Race" families save of all year and make the week their traditional family vacation. I've been to the infield after Speed Week and have been amazed by all the things left behind, arm chairs, sofas and all sorts of other things, it's an awesome sight.

Another fan favorite race is run on the 4th of July the Coke Zero 400 this is also a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that is run for 160 laps, 400 miles. After the race they normally have fireworks and there are fun things for the whole family to do all day.

Pack those coolers, grab those ear plugs and race on down for some good old fashion family fun things to do in Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach is also one of the most popular Florida beaches to take a trip with beaches to drive on and plenty of lifeguards and people to watch.

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All the Different Kinds of Go-Kart Seats

When you build your own go-kart, one of the most important parts of the vehicle is the seat. After all, that's where the rider is going to be sitting to operate the kart, and it needs to be both functional and comfortable. Face it, if the seat isn't comfortable, no one is going to want to spend a great deal of time sitting in it. To make sure that the go-kart you're building gets all the use it deserves, make sure to buy a seat that is going to serve the rider well.

The online marketplace has opened up many resources to people everywhere. You no longer have to rely on the limited supplies in local shops when it comes to buying parts and supplies for your go-kart. Instead you can browse through dozens of stores and read lots of reviews and commentary on the ideal go-kart seats. A great deal will depend on the amount of money you want to spend and how the go-kart will be used. You will also need to decide if your go-kart is going to have a single or double seat.

If you're only building the go-kart for your child to use to putt up and down the driveway, you don't need a fancy go-kart seat. You will find several websites online that give you directions for building your own seat out of wood, foam, and vinyl which will probably suffice for as long as your child will be riding in that particular go-kart. However, if you're building a more durable kart to be used at a racetrack, you will want to find commercial seats that are built ergonomically for driver safety and comfort.

You will find commercially-built go-kart seats in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are covered in leather, while others have vinyl, fabric, or mesh covers. Naturally, the type of cover the seat has will determine how long the seat will stay serviceable without needing to be recovered, so if you're planning on a lot of heavy use, go with leather or vinyl. One of the concerns of go-kart racing is bruising of the ribs, and some of the seats you will find were designed with protecting the ribs and driver safety in mind.

Go Kart racing is one of the fastest growing sports - learn more about build a go kart and kart racing parts and get involved today.

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Is Carl Edwards a Sponsor's Dream Driver For Nascar?

Carl Edwards is a NASCAR Sprint cup driver and is a sponsor's dream. He is one of those super marketable people that everyone responds to. Carl has had some of the really big name sponsors like AFLAC, Office Depot and Scott's Fertilizer on the side of his car. Carl has even including been on the cover of several magazines such as Men's Health, NASCAR Illustrated and has even been on several television shows such as "24" and "The Bill Engvall Show". He is a well known name with those 30 million plus fans that follow Nascar.

He has been on the cover of the Men's Health Magazine and those issues was extremely popular with the ladies who follow Nascar as it showed off his very well-defined abs. Carl Edwards is extremely fit and at 6'1", 185 pounds and there is absolutely no fat on his body. He works out multiple times a day because he has stated that working out is something a person can do by himself to invest in himself and thereby investing in his racing career. I would imagine that would hold true for most professions, staying in shape would benefit you to handle the stress of the job.

Another reason to keep your body in the best physical shape possible for these races is some of these races last up to five hours and are run in extremely hot conditions. There is no air-conditioning inside a NASCAR Sprint cup car except for the helmet and even sometimes that fails. The inside of the car can get up to 130 degrees on a hot summer day. Some drivers have been known to lose up to 10 pounds of water weight during a race at one of the summer races at the Super Speedways. Most drivers like Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart make sure that they hydrate really well before each and every race. Some of them even going to the Infield Care Center of whichever racetrack they are at for the week to have IV's of fluid inserted before the race just to make sure.

It could potentially be a very bad situation for a driver to become extremely dehydrated and disoriented driving 200 miles an hour with another car racing just 4 to 6 inches off your bumper. When Nascar drivers are driving that close one slight movement can trigger a very large wreck which is usually called "The Big One" and only happens at super speedways like Daytona or Talladega, but wrecks happen at all of the racetracks but most of the time it is just involving a few cars. These race cars cost upwards of $100,000 to build and what one gets crumpled up and have to rebuild it from the ground up. There is no patching up the body of the racecar like we do having our street cars repaired when they get wrecked.

Another one of the really nice things about Carl Edwards is that when the media stops in to interview him he always remembers to remove his sunglasses. Even some of the retired drivers, who have become award winning commentators (Darrell Waltrip), have complimented Carl about removing his sunglasses. Some drivers act like it's too much of an effort to talk to the media, not Carl. While some of the drivers in Nascar don't stop to sign autographs for fans or stop for just a moment and take a photo with the people that have been waiting for hours before the race starts just to try and get an up close view of their favorite driver, Carl Edwards always seems to try and make time for us fans. The drivers need to remember that this is a fan driven sport and without us they wouldn't be able to afford the luxuries that they do. Carl Edwards has always been very gracious about stopping and taking photos and signing autographs. Richard Petty and his son Kyle Petty were the same way. They appreciated the fans and it showed. For a number of people, Carl Edwards is fast becoming a fan favorite, and as a fan we like to be treated like they appreciate us also. It makes us scream and holler for our favorite drivers and help support them by buying their sponsors advertised goods. When Carl's sponsor was Office Depot, there wasn't once that I didn't go into and Office Depot and not think about Carl Edwards.

For more information of Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart please read the following articles http://hubpages.com/hub/Is-Carl-Edwards-the-Most-Physically-Fit-Man-in-Nascar - http://hubpages.com/hub/Tony-Stewart-Man-of-Many-Faces

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Jeff Gordon - A NASCAR Superstar and Humanitarian

Granted Jeff Gordon hasn't always been one of the fans favorite drivers. He has passed the late legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. in wins and he is still racing, much to the dismay of diehard Dale Sr. fans. Who knows how many races the man may end up winning before he decides to retire from Nascar Sprint Cup Racing. He just turned 38 this month (August 4th, 2009).

The man has won 82 Cup races in his career and 4 Championships in the Nascar Series. He has had 257 top fives and 351 top ten finishes in his career so far. So far. Including a second place finish today in the race at Michigan International Speedway. Not bad for a 38 year old man. He was the first driver to win over $1 million dollars in race winnings. That does not include his salary or his sponsor deals. When a Nascar driver wins a race, he personally does not get to keep all of the purse winnings. He gets a percentage depending on his contract with his team owner. The purse money is split between the driver, the team, and the owner. I have heard that some of the top named drivers receive up to 35% of the purse. But in racing, it really is all about the trophy and not so much the money, at least not in the Cup Series.

Jeff started his foundations; The Jeff Gordon Foundation in 1999. Jeff was driven to start his organization when he watched his former crew chief and friend, Ray Evernham, go through many years of treatment of cancer on his young son, Ray J. That experience helped convince Jeff Gordon to make it his personal mission to provide support for children facing cancer. Over the years his foundation has raised over $7 million for charities benefiting children. All of this started because of one child.

Since then Jeff and his wife Ingrid have had a daughter of their own, Ella Sophia. She has come to the racetrack numerous times and has even been to Victory Lane with her dad. Jeff Gordon is also slated to receive this year The Silver Buffalo Award, the Boy Scouts highest award for his work as a Boy Scout Recruiter and for his humanitarian work. Jeff's foundation lends support to The Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital which is located in Concord, North Carolina.

Even though I don't cheer for Jeff Gordon on race day, I still admire the man for all that he has accomplished and continues to do for kids. Plus, he is a pretty darn good racecar driver, smart, precise and fast. OK, maybe I do root for him sometimes, after all he does do a lot for childrens charities.

For more interesting information and some insight to Jeff Gordon please read http://hubpages.com/hub/Jeff-Gordon-Not-Just-a-Nascar-Drivers.

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Another Fun Activity - Riding Go Karts

Riding go karts is one of the most fun activities that one can do. Whether you are just a kid starting out or an adult hobbyist, or even a professional go kart racer it is just simply a great time to zip around a street or a track. So in this article we are going to explore some different facets of the sport; from buying the right vehicle for you and where to get that all the way out to professional go kart racing. We will give a good, concise introductory overview here.

First of all, let me tell you that the Internet is the best place to find cheap go karts. They are literally all over the place. Here you get access to all the different vendors and ones that you would have never heard of any other way. There are often great deals to be found online.

Now if you want to buy used go karts then you should also poke around online. But you also might want to hit up your friends who are into racing and driving. Maybe they have an old kart lying around in their garage. Or maybe they know someone else who has the same. You really have to network a little bit. Then you can know that you can trust the person who hooked you up with the deal (hopefully).

Now let's touch on go kart racing. A lot of people don't realize that this is actually a very real sporting event. It is even regulated by the same body which regulates Formula One racing, believe it or not. They are over in Italy.

It is not just a kids' sport by any means. Go karts also serve to introduce people into other motor sports such as different forms of racing like NASCAR. In my opinion that is a very noble cause, because you can start out with them when you are still little, such as in soapbox derbies and the like, before graduating into more major things. The bottom line is that go karts and racing will be around for a long time to come.

For even more information regarding this up and coming sport please read http://hubpages.com/hub/Go-Karts-A-Beginner-Racers-Choice

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Preparing For Your First Hunt With Your Martin Bow

For over 50 years, Martin Archery has been making high quality, U.S. made bows and archery accessories and the company has a large following of satisfied customers. Whether you're in the market for your first bow or you've been bow hunting for many years, Martin bows are rated as some of the best hunting bows in the world. With the speed and accuracy that you need, Martin bows will help you get the game every time.

When you're a novice and are in the process of finding your first bow you will soon find out that there are so many different manufacturers that offer great quality bows that it can make your search and overwhelming one. Don't get swayed by all the hype about bows that just haven't been proven. So many manufacturers offer low quality, inexpensive bows that it's tempting to move to a name you haven't heard of just to save a few dollars. Although Martin bows aren't the least expensive bows on the market, you won't be disappointed when you bring one home for your first hunt. Martin bows have a proven track record and are preferred by many seasoned hunters so why not just start with one of the best?

Whether it's a compound bow that you're looking for or a traditional bow, Martin Archery has the perfect model for your needs. No matter where your hunt leads you, Martin bows will help make the kill that much smoother with the advanced technology and superior designs that go into each and every bow that they make. If you're a young hunter just getting started, Martin offers some of the best youth bow available to make sure that you get started with a great bow your very first hunt. The Pro Series compound bows made by Martin are exceptional but if you need a custom bow to make your first hunt a memorable one, Martin has you covered as well.

Learn more about Martin Bows and Horton Crossbows.
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Barnett Bows Anti-Vibration Isolator System

Every hunter and competition shooter knows that vibration from a poorly designed bow is a major concern. You know just how frustrating it can be to have that buck in your sights, only to be spooked by noise created by your bow. Maybe you haven't given much thought to reducing the noise and vibration that your bow makes, simply because you didn't know there were other options. The good news is that there are answers to dealing with vibration in your bow and the answer is the purchase one of the many Barnett bows that come with the anti-vibration isolator system.

In early January 2008, Barnett introduced this revolutionary anti-vibration system to the public. Essentially what this system did is take already well equipped bows and make them even better. Using a specially designed soft-touch material, each limb was covered so that when the shot is fired off, this material absorbs all the vibration and shock which in turn also reduces the noise. What ends up happening is that the user gets a nice clean shot, with little noise and vibration, but at lightning fast speeds. This really is a bow that lets you have your cake and eat it too and no other bow claims to do so much.

If you're shopping solely on the basis of price then you by all means, choose another bow, but know that you won't be getting the best there is in anti-vibration technology until you try one. The Anti-Vibration Isolator system, or AVI as it's called is the most advanced that there is. Whether you choose the Barnett Quad AVI, the Barnett Revolution AVI or the Barnett Predator AVI, each is equipped with this groundbreaking technology that will do nothing but improve your shots and ensure that your hunts are successful.

Dan enjoys writing articles about the Barnett Crossbow and the Martin Bow.

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