VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Great American Race brings in hundreds of thousands of people from across the country to Daytona Beach for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

But what makes this race so special for NASCAR fans?

For most fans, they say it is tradition, especially for one fan where the sport spans generations.

What You Need To Know

  • Hundreds of thousands of fans travel to see the Daytona 500 every year

  • Despite several rain delays, fans found themselves excited to stick around and see a night race for the 67th running of the Daytona 500

  • Fans and drivers like Greg Van Alst say the memories that are created at the Daytona International Speedway are what makes it so special

A lot of NASCAR followers say they have been fans ever since they were little kids, and they call the Daytona 500 the mecca of racing.

And a lot of the race’s biggest fans gather in the infield.

Just like the Great American Race itself, the infield of the Daytona International Speedway has intrigue at every turn.

It also hosts fans who travel from all over to be a part of it.

“This place is just got a special feel to it when you come in,” explained Greg Van Alst. “There’s just no place like it in the world. I compare it to a kid walking into Disney World, you know? It kind of gives you that same feeling.”

Van Alst said one of his earliest memories as a child was watching the Daytona 500 in his hometown of Indiana. He said it became a tradition for him and his family.

“We used to have Daytona 500 parties, right? You know, a group of guys, my dad and all of his buddies, would all just get together and have a bunch of food and sit down and watch the Daytona 500,” Van Alst said.

Now, Van Alst gets to experience it in person with his sons and he gets to do so not only as a fan, but as a driver.

Van Alst is a pro stock car racer and raced Saturday night as a part of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) series.

Daytona 500 pit stalls (Spectrum News/Nick Allen)

He said his family has come to the Daytona International Speedway for the last five years, and since Sunday was full of rain delays, he was glad he could utilize his new RV for the first time.

“We usually have tickets, so this year is the first year we’ve had an RV, so we’re just kind of living the RV life,” Van Alst said. “We got up this morning and made some breakfast, made some burgers a little bit ago. I mean, the longer it goes, the longer we just get to hang out.”

And while he looks to create his own memories with his kids, Van Alst can’t help but think about the memories he made with his late father at the Daytona 500. 

He said he made his dream a reality with his dad right by his side.

“And his last race that he ever got to see was the race we won here. And when we won, we had no idea that was going to be his last race,” Van Alst shared. “So, the accumulation of things stack up to make this place even more special year after year.”

Van Alst said that the memories he and others create at the Daytona International Speedway are what makes it so great. 

And he hopes by bringing his boys along for the ride, he can keep the tradition going and create new fans in the process.