VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County is going to see a big boom to their local economy this month, and it began Friday night in New Smyrna, a full week before the Daytona 500.

Nine days of racing kicked off over at the New Smyrna Speedway, bringing big business opportunities for the track and its neighbors.

Over the next nine days, about 50,000 race fans are expected on hand for the World Series of Asphalt Racing. They need places to go and places to stay, which has near by business owners excited for the week ahead.

Just one turn from the Speedway on State Road 44, Charlie Lawson is on day one of owning the bar, Mike’s Corner.

We saw him holding a beer, saying hello and smacking bottles with customers. Mike's Corner is a local hangout for beer, chili and this week, race fans.

“About the last week, people been coming in," the new bar owner explained. "It’s been getting busier and busier. The race cars are coming in. Trucks and trailers are coming in.”

With all the locals and tourists flocking to the track, it means more business for the track and local businesses. 

“We both depend on this time of year right now," New Smyrna Speedway General Manager Rusty Marcus said. "It is such an economic boom, not only to us but to our area.”

The track will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next week and a half. For Mike’s Corner, it’s about 10% of their business for the year. A year ago. the bar owner was a bar customer and can see the difference.

“Last year was slow. You had the COVID, everyone was still scared," Lawson recalled. "It is different this year compared to last year.”

The only thing that could slow this place down this week is Mother Nature.

“We are talking big money here. This with a few bad nights with weather, we get killed," Marcus stated. "So we are counting on the weather like today because the weather is great, but a couple of bad nights can knock us right back down again.”

Like the racetrack, Charlie has a seat for anyone.

“I like to get a couple hundred of them every night," Lawson said.  "If we can get 200 of them from the racetrack to stop here have a drink, eat dinner, go somewhere else, it'd be great.”

Before the pandemic in 2019, Volusia County collected $1.4 million in Tourism Development Tax collections. February of last year generated just over a million.