Daytona Rising: Inside the World Center of Racing’s Redevelopment
Projects
The design-build project consisted of a fronstretch grandstand replacement, which included installing 100,000 wider seats for spectator comfort, new club-level seats, new suites, more restroom areas, and more concession stands. Considered the most prestigious race in NASCAR, the Daytona 500 has been held since 1959 and has officially kicked off the NASCAR Cup season since 1982.
Held at what’s known as “The World Center of Racing,” the Daytona International Speedway is among the largest outdoor stadiums in the nation – and following its latest redevelopment project that concluded in 2016 – the venue got even bigger.
Barton Malow broke ground on the “Daytona Rising” project in 2013 to bring some much-needed improvements to the iconic raceway. The design-build project with ROSSETTI consisted of a fronstretch grandstand replacement, which included installing 100,000 wider seats for spectator comfort, new club-level seats, new suites, more restroom areas, and more concession stands. The project also consisted of building expanded and redesigned “injector” entrance spaces that connect race fans to a series of elevators and escalators to help them get to the various concourse levels more easily.
A game-changer project for Barton Malow, the project required careful coordination, scheduling, and, above all, safety throughout the 30 months of construction. With 16 events and over 1,000,000 fans visiting the site during construction, there was zero room for unsafe acts. In addition to safety barriers, wayfinding signs, and turnstiles to enter the site, we used modularization, another significant tool to minimize disruptions. This included the prefabrication of 88 “houses,” averaging approximately 1,500 SF each. The “houses” contained the stadium’s restrooms, concession stands, first aid rooms, and other operations. Each “house’s” exterior took about eight days to complete off-site and then was brought to the site and set in place. Building off-site made the whole project more efficient and minimized the safety issues at the track.
“We want our team to go home the same way they came into work. During the intense planning for this iconic project, it was determined that we needed to protect our team with a portable railing system for roughly five miles of leading edge on all the grandstand levels,” recalls Safety Manager Rome Overmyer. “Another important part of our planning was the ‘Race Ready’ provisions it was going to take to allow Daytona International Speedway (DIS) to continue to operate events during the three-year phased construction project. Each event provided different challenges to get 100,000 plus spectators through our massive construction project safely. City officials, DIS management, and Barton Malow would conduct walk-throughs looking for any potential hazards before the events occurred.”
Barton Malow’s relationship with the International Speedway Corporation started in the early 2000s, thanks in part to a partnership born out of the Richmond, Virginia, office.
A local Richmond firm was selected to perform a small renovation and expansion for the Torque Club at the Richmond International Speedway. This firm partnered with Barton Malow to carry out the job. Not only was this job a success, but it helped foster relationships that would eventually lead to the Daytona International Speedway project.
Even with a great relationship, winning the project was far from simple. The team had to prepare for a grueling three-hour interview with the owner. But in the end, all the preparation and planning paid off.
“The feedback we got from the International Speedway Corporation afterward was that we were so well prepared, so orchestrated, very well delivered,” remembers Barton Malow Vice President Len Moser. “Everything just went perfectly in terms of the delivery of the message that we blew them away. It was a unanimous vote amongst the selection committee.”
One of the most significant projects built in Barton Malow’s 100-year history, the Daytona Rising project has won over 22 awards and accolades, including Sports Business Journal’s 2016 Sports Facility of the Year and Associated Builders and Contractors’ Project of the Year. The project also resulted in more than 700 million media impressions during its three-year construction.
“Today, I stand in front of this mile-long project and say that I am proud of what has been accomplished and what our fans and visitors get to experience at every event,” Derek Muldowney, Vice President of the International Speedway Corporation and President of ISC Design & Development, said following project completion. “The team took our vision back in 2012 and turned it into the first motorsports stadium in the world, and a facility that will be sustainable for years to come.”
