A college football game at Daytona Int'l Speedway is "very likely going to happen" following the completion of the Daytona Rising project, according to George Diaz of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. DIS President Joie Chitwood III said, "We talked to a number of athletic directors and we've talked to some TV partners and I do believe we've got great potential to add a college football game in 2016. ... We've gotten great interest so far from a number of schools." Diaz notes Bristol Motor Speedway "will be a neutral site" for the "Battle of Bristol" between Tennessee and Virginia Tech on Sept. 10, 2016. But hosting a college football game at an "iconic site such as Daytona would certainly create more of a national buzz, and likely raise the bar for the attendance record if the right two teams are in the mix" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/20). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Don Muret reports the track has not "come up with a total seat number for its football game." However, Chitwood said, "With all of our camping options in the infield, there is no other venue that can offer this (amount of space)." Chitwood: "When you tell people that in Daytona you could have the world’s biggest tailgate party in the infield as part of the college football experience, it seems to catch their attention" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/18 issue).
