Daytona International Speedway

Daytona International Speedway
1801 W. Int'l. Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(800)PITSHOP
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

I had the opportunity to go to the Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway last Saturday and had a great time. It was a little bit cool out, but overall it was a wonderful day. I was there with my buddies Kraig, Fourth Meal and Whitmer. We try to take in a couple of races during Speedweeks each year and it is always a lot of fun.

I had worn a jacket over a polo shirt and quickly found out that there was no way that was going to be enough to keep me warm. Luckily, Fourth Meal had an extra fleece in his car and that seemed to help me immensely. However, after standing on top of the garage and watching the ARCA race, I knew I had to get something to eat. Whitmer was all about trying to get a hot pretzel and that turned out to be a lesson in futility as every time he went to the pretzel stand they told him to come back. On the one hand, you have to appreciate the vendor's honesty in telling him they weren't that hot yet, but on the other hand, how long does it take to warm a pretzel? We found out they were having problems with their sterno and finally got it corrected. Whitmer finally got his pretzel and said it was all right.

I decided to venture further and see if I could find a good hot dog or bratwurst. As it turns out, I was able to find both. I ventured to a hot dog stand located not far from the Budweiser Bistro in the Sprint Fan Zone. It was not crowded when I got there, so they were able to assist me right away. The hot dogs and brats were sizzling on the grill when I approached and looked really good. Part of me wanted to go brat and the other part hot dog. I finally decided to go Daytona Dog and skip the brat. I got one plain and one with sauerkraut. On the plain dog, I put mustard, ketchup and pickle relish and mustard on the dog with sauerkraut. Now I had to decide where to eat these beauties.

Many of the tables nearby were not taken, so I saddled up to one of them and started to get after it. If you have read this blog for a while, you know I do not like to eat outside. Mainly because it can be too cold and my food gets cold quickly, but also because of the heat of Florida in the summer and because of flies. I am not a good picnic guy. Because it was so cold this night, I knew I had to scarf these dogs like nobody's business if I was to enjoy them to their fullest potential.

Before I go on about these dogs, let me tell you that they are not your average hot dogs. While they were not foot longs, they had to be at least seven or eight inches long with a bun to match. These are only estimates by me as I am sure you are aware that men often have a hard time correctly guessing the length of tubular meat. We often make the mistake of saying a hot dog is eight inches long, when it is really about five, but I am telling you these are bigger than your normal hot dog.

I bite into the dog and it is really good. It was nice and hot and full of flavor. Now if you have never been to a race track before, you should know the one thing they don't have is napkins. Napkins at a race track eventually end up out on the track and covering the grills of the cars on the tracks. That in turn causes overheating of the cars and is not a good thing. If you forget this fact and load your hot dog up in the manner that I did, you are in a world of hurt.

Probably into my second or third bite of my first dog, I hear someone yelling, "Harry, Harry!" Turns out to be Michael who runs all of the concessions for International Speedway Corporation. He asks me how my dogs are and I give him thumbs up as I cannot talk to him with my mouth full. The man knows how to make a great hot dog. The only thing I would hope for is to have the buns steamed. My guess is it is too difficult to steam the buns with the huge crowds and need to serve so many people. The steamer would have to be huge. Still, these were great hot dogs. I really loved the crunchy, tangy sauerkraut on my second dog as well. I am looking forward to getting back out there and getting after a brat.

If you go to the track and find yourself in the Sprint Fan Zone, I would also recommend you get something to eat at the Bud Bistro. They have great sandwiches as well as tasty salads. This is not food you would expect to get at a race track.

For my visit to the speedway last weekend, I have to give the hot dogs four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry