DIS Sells Out For Third Consecutive Time Since Renovation

Daytona Int'l Speedway announced its third consecutive sellout for the Daytona 500 since its $400M Daytona Rising project was completed in '16. DIS has 101,000 grandstand seats, though the track said tickets remain for premium hospitality, infield admissions and fanzone/pre-race access. ISC tracks have to be within 1.5% of a total sellout in order to announce a sellout, a source said. Meanwhile, NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France attended the pre-race drivers meeting along with Peyton Manning, who drove the pace car.

With NASCAR’s season starting, the mainstream media’s narrative is whether the sport’s next gen can jumpstart interest -- among the weekend’s headlines: 

• NASCAR awaiting the emergence of leaders from its next generation.
• Can racing's youth cultivate a generational rivalry with the old guard?
• Virtual reality is helping to develop NASCAR's stars of the future.
• Which driver can take Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s place as the most popular?
• A look at females who could join NASCAR after Danica Patrick's departure.
• A review of "what really happened" during Patrick's NASCAR career.
• What sort of effect will Earnhardt's retirement have on the sport?
• NASCAR should "embrace and encourage" gambling on races.