Daytona 500 turnout lifts spirits, boosts local economy after hurricanes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Sunday was race day at the Daytona International Speedway, and more than 100,000 people watched the “Great American Race” in person.

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This is the eighth consecutive year that the speedway has been completely sold out.

Thousands of fans at the track helped to fuel the Central Florida economy by spending money at local businesses and hotels.

Read: Volusia County businesses ready for the start of the Daytona 500

But hundreds of families still live in hotels after back-to-back hurricanes slammed into our coast last year.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency told Channel 9 that Hurricanes Ian and Nicole impacted more than 30,000 households in Volusia County.

Read: FEMA to send trailers to Volusia County, help displaced hurricane victims

FEMA is still paying for families living in hotels, which has made it difficult to find places to stay for big events like the Daytona 500.

But fans from all over the country said they had not noticed any significant race changes because of the hurricanes.

Read: Daytona Beach kicks off $12M project to improve a major corridor

One group came from Baltimore to celebrate a bachelorette party. They said finding somewhere to stay was a challenge, but once they got to the track, it was business as usual.

Trisha Bryant and Sarah Wahl said their friends are Florida locals and business owners in the area.

They said the past few months have been a challenge for everyone on the coast, which is why the race day has a special meaning for them.

“Finally having fun,” Chris Wahl said. “Thank God for the Daytona 500. We’re all here having fun.”

Bryant said the commraderie and patriotism is what she enjoys the most about the Daytona 500.

Read: Backup of rental car reservations leaves travelers stranded at Orlando International Airport

The busy season at the beaches shows just the beginning of things returning to normal for Volusia County.

Staff from Area Hotels said they are ready for what is to come, despite current conditions on the coast. Androse Bell said the hotels are already showing a promising outlook on the amount of people showing up.

Androse Bell said seeing the number of people buying tickets at the track and the number of rooms booked up shows a promising outlook and a strong comeback for businesses.

And more than a dozen beachside structures are still deemed unsafe.

Volusia County Emergency Management will host mitigation meetings next week before the next hurricane season.

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