By Ed Higginbotham
Jan 30, 2015
How do you make a great race like the Rolex 24 At Daytona even better? How about adding a festival for the hardcore fan? The 2015 Grassroots Motorsports Experience at the Rolex 24 At Daytona treated spectators to hospitality, car corrals and behind-the-scenes looks at the 24-hour race. We were excited to see lots of regulars show up alongside many new faces.
Some lucky attendees enjoyed extra excitement, as golden tickets were randomly given out to fans at the Grassroots Motorsports Experience. These tickets were good for participation in hot pit tours, really fast rides around the track, and visits to the starter stand.
Our ever-popular paddock tours were at capacity on Friday and during the big race at midnight. Fans were given an inside look at pro racing while visiting with Dean Case and the SpeedSource Mazda team as well as the Wright Motorsports team.
On Saturday night, Grassroots Motorsports hosted a dinner as cars howled by outside the tent. While attendees ate, event partners such as Continental Tire, Mazda, Battery Tender, EFS Combust and Pagid Racing raffled off some awesome prizes. One fan walked away with a new set of Continental tires, and others went home with brand-new Battery Tender units.
We also hosted an informal dinner across the street from the track at Lime Fresh Mexican Grill on Friday night. The attendance was so great that we spilled out of our reserved room and took up almost half the restaurant.
The Grassroots Motorsports Experience also served as a great place for friends old and new to sit and watch the race unfold on TV. We greatly enjoyed the company of this crowd and hope to see everyone next year.
The action on track also had us excited. The winner of the GTD class was none other than the Dodge Viper GT3-R campaigned by the TI Automotive/ViperExchange.com team. That same car won our Ultimate Track Car Challenge last year with the same driver behind the wheel, though it was running a more restrictive setup for the Rolex 24. It was great to see them on the podium again and we hope to see more cars like this attend this year’s Ultimate Track Car Challenge at VIR.
The Grassroots Motorsports Experience is held every year at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, during the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Next year’s event will take place January 28-31, 2016.
Without our event partners, we wouldn’t have the ability to host such a great gathering. We owe thanks to Continental Tire, Mazda, Battery Tender, EFS Combust, Pagid Racing, Krispy Kreme and Perry’s Ocean Edge Resort.
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