For several years, Daytona was a world championship GP event for 250s and 500s so top riders in those classes came to FL. I can't remember why they stopped that?
The last time I went was in the mid-80s, when they had short track races for multiple nights at a local fairgrounds, the Alligator Enduro (guaranteed to ruin a bike!), the supercross, and road races which went on for 3-5 days, culminating with the 200 on Sunday. It was really a big deal although by that time, the drunks on Main Street had already rivaled the number of people there to watch races.
After my motocross support duties were over, I had to score for Mike Baldwin in the 200. It was the year of the dreaded Honda FWS V4 monsters that ate rear tires. Sitting next to me in the scoring stand was the mother of Miles Baldwin, a Canadian, and no relation to Mike. Each rider had to provide 3 lap scorers, situated at different places around the track and factory riders had plenty of warm bodies around but privateers had to enlist family members to score for them.
On an aside, some of the neer-do-wells in that race are still entering the 200 each year which gives you some idea of the quality level of American road racing! I'm pulling for Wayne to attract new blood into road racing and gradually get us back to the Roberts-Rainey-Schwantz-Lawson days when European factory teams actually came here to look for new riders.
