JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway isn’t slowing down on its study and research to understand the feasibility of hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars during their stadium renovations.
On Thursday, Speedway president Frank Kelleher hit on a number of topics, from next February’s Daytona 500 and ticket sales that begin Friday, to the flexibility of NASCAR in exploring out-of-the-oval ideas for broadening the reach of the sport.
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One big topic of interest for non-race fans remains the Jaguars and the possible alliance with the Speedway during a renovation of TIAA Bank Field. The team is exploring all options for its home away from home during a proposed 30-month upgrade. Daytona’s iconic venue is one of the potential sites to house the Jaguars for the 2026 and ‘27 seasons, should Jacksonville and the city come to an agreement on a project that could top $2 billion.
Kelleher said that Daytona has studied the framework and structure of what a potential football setup would be. He not only thinks it could work, but that pro football and NASCAR could be a “compelling story.”
“Myself personally and our team we’ve spent some time in Jacksonville meeting with their leadership and a variety of follow-up phone calls with architects and engineers and design firms, you know, really looking at our property, our footprint and understanding what is available,” he said.
Can the track accommodate an NFL team? It’s not as outlandish as one might think. The Speedway first hosted its first-ever football game on Oct. 9, 1959, a game between Daytona Beach’s Father Lopez and Taylor Pierson high schools.
In 1974, Bethune-Cookman hosted Florida A&M at the Speedway, a game won 6-0 by the Rattlers in front of 32,000 fans. Last year, Daytona hosted the Soccer Fest, which put a pitch in the area between the racing track and the infield, a design that showcased Daytona’s versatility. The Speedway has also served as host to the major musical festival, “Welcome to Rockville.”
“So, it’s kind of gone from, ‘Yeah, I think we can do non-stick and ball sports at Daytona,’ to ‘Here’s images of what we pulled off and it was a world-class event a world-class pitch,’” Kelleher said. “So, we absolutely have the acreage and I feel like we offer things that other venues don’t.”
A NASCAR-NFL marriage would no doubt be unique and a bit out of the typical arrangement that other NFL teams have taken during stadium renovations. Numerous NFL teams (Bears, Panthers, Seahawks and Vikings to name a few) have played in college stadiums. The Chargers were an outlier, playing three years in a 30,000-seat soccer stadium.
Kelleher pointed to NASCAR’s July 2 street course setup in Chicago, the Grant Park 220, as the sport thinking outside the traditional racing box.
“We own an oval in Chicago. We could have gone there and we did it. We went to downtown [Chicago]. We also raced at the LA Coliseum this year and last year. The LA Coliseum was not a paved oval surface. We went in and did that,” Kelleher said.
“So, I think when you look at what NASCAR has been doing in the world of sports, I think other sports entities like the Jags and like the NFL are noticing. And I think that’s what makes this Jags conversation probably a little bit more real than maybe some are considering.”
The Jaguars wrapped up a series of 14 community events about the stadium renovations last month and answered hundreds of questions from those in the community. Team president Mark Lamping said that the Jaguars would release a wrapup of what they learned from those meetings in July. Kelleher and Daytona representatives met with the Jaguars prior to one of those community events.
“Neither organization has any time to waste and it’s a big situation for the Jags to solve for. So again, we’re grateful to be in the consideration set. And yes, I mean, the Jags having a conversation with a football stadium, you know, is less wonky, less work than talking with a 2.5-highbank mile race track,” Kelleher said. “However though, with that comes a lot of unique opportunities and unique storylines, that, again, from an acreage standpoint and visibility standpoint, we can satisfy and solve and if not bring more than the others can bring.”
Other venues that have been mentioned as potential temporary homes for Jacksonville are the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
There are issues with both of those venues. Florida just announced its intention for a massive overhaul of its stadium, which could exceed $400 million. Florida Citrus Sports has made its case to Orange County officials that Camping World Stadium needs $800 million in renovations and upgrades. Local options for keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville during renovations include UNF’s Hodges Stadium, 121 Financial Ballpark and potentially JAXUSL’s still-to-be-built soccer facility.
“We do have overnight camping in our infield. We just talked about Rockville. We have the ability to host music festivals and events,” Kelleher said. “So, I think when you kind of put all of that in a blender and you add the Jags and talk about what could be I think we have a real compelling story.”