Vacationers have been flocking to the Daytona Beach area for more than a century. The area, with its hard-packed beaches, has been best known for car racing, gaining new ground in 1959 with the opening of the Daytona International Speedway, which satisfies hundreds of thousands of speed-hungry fans each year. The Daytona Beach area entertains approximately 8 million visitors each year, who come from around the world to relax and play on one of the most beautiful, family-friendly beaches in Florida.