Gentleman, start your engines, the “Great American Race” is on it’s way…The “Daytona 500″ is coming to Daytona Florida’s International Speedway February 15th. This race is the first race to start off the season, and is considered one of the greatest achievements to win. If you haven’t made your way to a Nascar race, you should check it out this year. But if you do, here are a few things to keep in mind…

First off, if your not a fan of rubber getting splattered in your face and getting your ears blasted with horsepower, you may not want to sit in the front row. Surprisingly, the front row is the worst seats you could ask for. The best seats at a Nascar Race are the ones towards the top. In fact, the higher up the seats are, the more expensive they get. This sport is definately different then a football game when it comes to the preferred seating.

Not only will sitting up high keep the rubber out of your face and the roar of the engines from making your ears hurt, you’ll also get the benefit of seeing the whole track. When sitting down low, it’s hard to get a good view of the racers as they round the corner. The best seats in the entire place are up high and bin front of the finish line.

Another thing to keep in mind is traffic. Traffic at the 500 is insane. My suggestion is to go down before the day of the race and stay at a close by hotel that can shuttle you to the race. This way you’ll avoid the craziness of traffic and finding a place to park (unless you want to pay $40-$75).

Oh, and last but not least, unless you don’t mind paying the price, you may want to grab a bite to eat before hand, and if you’re not driving and plan on having a few drinks, you may want to have some drinks before hand. Food and beverages are pretty darn expensive at a race. I guess it’s comparable to most sports events.

Other then that, have a blast! As long as you prepare yourself for the few things above, it will be pretty darn hard not to have a great time.

Daytona 500 Sunday February 15th