Daytona International Speedway Safety Teams Honored for 2020 Actions

As Daytona International Speedway gets ready to kick off the 2021 Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth, which will culminate with next Sunday’s 63rd DAYTONA 500, its medical and track services teams were honored last week during the annual NASCAR Safety and Operations Summit powered by Verizon.

The conference, held virtually for the first time, on BlueJeans by Verizon, featured numerous presentations and small-group discussions, addressing best practices in the medical, track services, security, and track operations.

Awards for 2020 were presented in different categories, and Daytona International Speedway took home the honors in two – the Teamwork Award, which was presented to the track’s emergency services medical team for its work with Ryan Newman’s accident a year ago at the end of the DAYTONA 500. The second was the Mission Award for track services for its actions during the 2020 DAYTONA 500 and all of Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth.

“All of us at the Speedway are so proud of both of these incredible teams who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make our races the safest they can be for our competitors and fans alike,” said Andrew Gurtis, NASCAR Southeast Region Vice President, Track Operations. “They train countless hours and are some of the most dedicated people in all of sports. They prepare to be ready for any situation. We rely on them on all events we host at Daytona.”

The NASCAR Safety ad Operations staff faced unprecedented challenges during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was largely responsible for a safe return to racing while NASCAR worked closely with federal, state and local officials to ensure that guidelines were followed.

For information on the 2021 DAYTONA 500 and all Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth events, which kicks off this Tuesday, Feb. 9 with the 43rd Annual Busch Clash on the DAYTONA Road Course under the lights, fans can visit www.DAYTONA500.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.

Tickets for Speedweeks events, excluding the DAYTONA 500 in which Denny Hamlin goes for a record third straight win, are still available. Fans wishing to attend are encouraged to quickly secure their seats. Excluding the DAYTONA 500, children 12 and under are FREE in the 100 level seating and $10 in all other reserved seating. Tickets start at $49 for adults for the Busch Clash, Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel At DAYTONA, Friday’s Nextera Energy 250 and Saturday’s doubleheader featuring the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ® 300 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire for the ARCA Menards Series.

All Speedweeks events will be conducted in accordance with enhanced safety protocols and procedures to provide a safe environment for guests, NASCAR competitors, employees and the local community. All guests will be screened before entering the facility and will be required to wear face coverings while maintaining six feet social distancing throughout their visit.

For a schedule of on-track activities and protocols, logo onto www.DAYTONA500.com. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

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