The wide smooth sands of Daytona Beach were open to drivers for many years and also used for high-speed testing and racing of cars. This made the beach a mecca for racing enthusiasts and the city is now the site of the Daytona International Speedway (a conventional racetrack, which replaced the famous beach course in 1959).

Close to the Speedway and adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The city is a popular vacation destination, especially for college students on spring break. Today auto driving and parking is still allowed on certain sections of the beach. There is a wide variety of accommodations in all price ranges. Rooms are typically plentiful except for those weeks when the racing or motorcycle special events are in town.

Daytona Beach was named for its founder, Matthias Day. Daytona was incorporated in 1876. The towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach and Seabreeze combined to form Daytona Beach in 1926. Daytona Beach was the birthplace of musical theater writer Robert Wright. On March 8, 1936 the first stock car race was held here and has continued to be the place of the famous Daytona 500 though now known as the Firecracker 400 because of the race being held on the 4th of July.