MOTORSPORT: NASCAR - 2011 DAYTONA 500...

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Great expectations of the Great American Race

Daytona president hard at work restoring track's reputation prior to venerable 500

The Daytona 500 is less than four weeks away, but for new Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood III, most of the heavy lifting is out of the way. The new $20 million track surface has drawn rave reviews in testing. Now it's down to fine-tuning the schedule, selecting pre-race entertainment and getting set to wine and dine celebrities and various VIPs on race day.

But first and foremost on Chitwood's mind -- as it has been ever since he was named to replace Robin Braig this past summer -- is restoring Daytona's reputation. After embarrassing track surface issues caused hours of delays during NASCAR's biggest race in front of its biggest television viewing audience this past February, Chitwood is fully aware that regaining the trust of the fan base is imperative.

“

When fans come to Daytona to experience the Daytona 500, they have a certain expectation. ... We have spared no expense.

”

-- JOIE CHITWOOD

1-on-1

Joie Chitwood says the new surface at Daytona should offer a good race to drivers and a thrilling show for fans.

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"When fans come to Daytona to experience the Daytona 500, they have a certain expectation," Chitwood said during a recent visit to CNN Center. "We did not live up to that expectation last year. Shame on us. Yes, we had an issue with the track, but still, that's under our control.

"We have spared no expense. We spent $20 million to repave our property, and I think that shows our commitment to our fans that we're going to fix the problem. We're not going to have another pothole. We re-built that race track from the lime rock and the four layers of asphalt. We can't let it happen again, because if we do, I'm not sure what we would say to our fans to get them to come back."

Chitwood wants to assure fans that the track characteristics that have made Daytona one of most competitive races of the season were left untouched.

"The banking is the same, the measurements are the same, it's just the new asphalt," Chitwood said. "So hopefully our fans realize we realized there was a problem, we stepped to the plate, and I'll tell you what: To repave that track from July to December, we were working seven days a week and we didn't let anything get in the way.

"I think that's a commitment we have to our fans to make sure when they come to Daytona, they get what they expect, which is the Daytona 500, NASCAR's biggest event. If we don't do a good job this year, who knows who's going to be the president next year. I might not be the guy. But I understand that going in."

Chitwood said there are only a few finishing touches to be added to the actual racing surface.

"I think we still have a couple striping lines to put down on the track, but that's a half a day and I think we're going to do that after the open test," Chitwood said. "From a track perspective itself, there's no heavy equipment there, the asphalt plant is gone, so all that is done.

"Now it's just kind of the spit and polish, making sure it's painted well, making sure we paint the word 'Daytona' so it's nice and vibrant, things like that, things that give a property kind of that final buffing to make sure that it looks just right."

The former general manager for Raceway Associates and president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chitwood oversaw the construction of Chicagoland Speedway, so he's experienced the pressure of tight deadlines before.

"A $20 million repave? Yes, it's going to be stressful, but hey, I had to build a $135 million race track," Chitwood said. "I was prepared for it. It doesn't mean I didn't lose sleep about it and I was stressed, but I knew some things from my former experience that helped me focus on the right issues, make sure we were doing the right thing. I think it's important that at every landing spot you learn something new and you take it with you for the next opportunity."

Chitwood's connection to racing began almost from the moment of his birth. His father was driving at Daytona the day he was born in 1969. He's the grandson of Joie Chitwood, who competed in seven Indianapolis 500s and founded the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show. So it was automatic for the third-generation Chitwood to take to the track at an early age.

"At age 5, I was driving a go-kart in a stunt show," Chitwood said. "So for 20 years, I was a traveling performer in the shows. I didn't really know I had a choice.

"I went to the University of Florida and got a finance degree, spent another year on the road and at that point, was kind of like, 'You know, I've done this 20 years. I might want to do something else.' That's when I decided to branch out, get an MBA and then start my path down motorsports management."

Chitwood admits having a racing background gives him a unique perspective on the customer-entertainer relationship.

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"I'm probably more excited, or lucky, that all those experiences growing up have helped me so much today," Chitwood said. "I've probably been to 90 percent of the race tracks in this country, probably 90 percent of the fairgrounds in this country. I know what it's like to entertain customers, to take care of them.

"From an early age, having to get our equipment over the road, the stress of having to do four or five shows a week, so when I think about what we do now, it's, 'OK, I've been in this before. I've been in the pressure cooker.' "

And with the clock ticking toward Feb. 20, the pressure is building.

"The goal right now is to make sure people are excited about what we do, and what we do is host NASCAR's biggest event, the Daytona 500," Chitwood said. "It's pretty neat. We get excited about it, but there are many days I say to myself, 'I wish it were March,' because things get pretty intense.

"You run at a fast clip and try to be in 10 different places at one time. But I'm excited because I think the start of the season is going to be excellent. I think the race is going to be phenomenal with the new surface, so from a fan's perspective, I want the race to be tomorrow so I can see it. I'm glad I still have 30 days to keep promoting and doing all the things we need to do. I'll catch my breath in March."

Chitwood said the greatest satisfaction for a promoter is when the event goes off without a hitch.

"I call it 'taillights in the driveway,' " Chitwood said. "That means people are leaving the property. It means we've completed the event. So when you see all those red taillights leaving the driveway, leaving the property, there's a sense of satisfaction and completion that you accomplished it.

"We got the event over, and it's not just the checkered flag. You've got people on the property that you've got to make sure get on their way home. That, to me, is 'Ah, we did it.' "