DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Fans fill Daytona International Speedway before Sunday's race.
This is the ninth consecutive year Daytona 500 tickets have been sold out.
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There are some concerns about rain heading into the weekend, so contingency plans are being worked on.
This includes moving the ARCA race to Friday and preparing for potential changes to the Sunday schedule as well.
Meanwhile, the food, fans and fun are in full force.
The time spent in the city is essential to the region's tourism industry.
Even those who stay at the track play an important role in the area, said Andrews Bell, general manager of the Hard Rock Hotel.
READ: Daytona 500: All eyes will be on Daytona Beach on Sunday
“This shows that we can still invite and host corporate events that attract media crowds and that we have the infrastructure to do so without slowing down the entire city,” Bell said.
Just like the race, rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel sold out months ago, as did other hotels. It's a welcome development after a year of hurricanes and a year of post-storm repairs.
“A lot of our hotels have taken this time over the last couple of years to reinvest in their product, which is a great product, and again for us to hold such a high-profile event, we need a product that will be excellent for those fans coming to stay in the city,” Bell said. “.
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