While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competes 38 times a year across the country, race fans can always get a taste of the fastest growing sport in America at DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE, "The Official Attraction of NASCAR."

Packed with a variety of high-energy thrills from performing a pit stop on an actual Sprint Cup Series race car to motion simulators and the Coca-Cola 3D IMAX Theatre, Daytona 500 Experience formally known as Daytona USA gives an up close and personal look of racing at NASCAR's most storied venue - Daytona International Speedway.

"We invested a great deal of thought and creativity to develop an exciting environment that appeals to the entire family - both hard core race fans and casual observers of the sport," explains Lesa France Kennedy, President and Vice Chairperson of International Speedway Corporation and the driving force behind the venture. “Even if you've never attended a motorsports event or watched one on TV, you can still come to Daytona Beach, spend several action-packed hours at Daytona 500 Experience and come away with a truly enjoyable and memorable experience.”

DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE which opened July 1996 is home to the Coca-Cola 3D IMAX Theatre, which shows both NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience and the award-winning “Daytona 500: The Movie.”

NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience, a 45-minute film narrated by Golden Globe Award-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland and gives an inside look at the world of NASCAR’s elite teams and drivers.

An exciting addition to DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE show floor is the winning car from the Daytona 500. In 2009, this history-making vehicle – fresh from Gatorade Victory Lane with every race-related scratch and dent – will replace Ryan Newman’s No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge, which took its position in the attraction’s Gatorade Victory Lane immediately following the historic 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Besides viewing the exhilarating movies or checking out the winning Daytona 500 car, there are plenty of other family activities to do inside the 60,000-square foot attraction.

For the ultimate head-to-head racing experience, guests can visit Acceleration Alley (additional $5 charge) and race each other in 80 percent scale NASCAR simulators on the world famous 31-degree high banks.

Feel and experience the excitement of the final lap of the Daytona 500 in Daytona Dream Laps, an IWERKS motion simulator that puts guests in the middle of NASCAR’s signature event – the Daytona 500.

The newest simulator added to DAYTONA 500 Experience in the summer of 2008 is the ARCA Driver Development Program simulator.

The exhibit consists of four racing cockpits with 42 Inch LCD screens, professional simulation controls and will be powered by the newly released ARCA SIM RACING 08 software. Visitors of DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE can taste the excitement of racing at “The World Center or Racing” in an ARCA RE/MAX Series car. A rather unique part of this exhibit will be the Virtual Spotter’s Stand, where visitors can experience the full immersion of spotter-to-driver communications.

DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE also transports visitors back to the early days of beach racing, even before Speedway founder Bill France Sr. was a race promoter on the area’s hard-packed beaches. Authentic sets include Sir Malcolm Campbell’s original Bluebird V, a car which set the world land speed record on Daytona Beach in 1935. A full-scale replica of the Daytona Beach gas station that “Big Bill” France once owned is part of the Goodyear “Heritage of Daytona exhibit and visitors actually enter DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE via a walk-through replica of the Speedway’s famed twin tunnels.

Visitors moving through the attraction will experience first-hand the universal appeal of America’s fastest-growing sport. They can test their skills as a pit crew member in the 16-Second Pit Stop Challenge, examine the design features of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car at DuPont’s “Technology of Speed,” get up close and personal with the Speedway’s daunting 31-degree turns at “High Banks of Daytona,” test their racing knowledge at “Trilon Trivia Tower and have an opportunity to “converse” through video with top NASCAR drivers at the “Heroes of the Track” exhibit.

Following the visit inside the DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE, visitors can also check out the additional elements such as the “Speed Play” video entertainment area, the 4th Turn Grill and Pit Shop Souvenir and Apparel Store, which features official Speedway and NASCAR souvenirs, collectibles and sportswear.

Located just outside the attraction near the Dale Earnhardt Statue is the Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame, a new amenity unveiled during DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE’s 10th anniversary celebration in 2006. The Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame features 3x3 cement blocks with autograph, right foot and signature of the winning drivers of the Daytona 500 since 1996. The late Dale Earnhardt is honored with a plague and luck 1998 penny.

Visitors to Daytona 500 Experience also can enjoy a 30-minute, guided tour of the Speedway on an open-air tram through Daytona International Speedway's garages, pit road, world-famous 31-degree high banks and Gatorade Victory Lane.

To be part of an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Daytona International Speedway, guests should make reservations for the VIP Hot Pass Tours. Available for $50, the VIP Hot Pass Tour provides admission to Daytona 500 Experience, a two-hour plus hour track tour aboard air-conditioned bus, lunch and beverages, pit shop discount and two Acceleration Alley rides.

Other interactive activities include “Heroes of the Track,” an opportunity to “converse,” through video with top NASCAR drivers.

Be sure to visit DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE in 2009 to enjoy the new exciting additions. For more information on DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE, call (386) 947-6530 or visit www.DAYTONA500EXPERIENCE.com.