Day 1.5: Late night by the lake

Kind of like it used to be here at Daytona International Speedway, once you get by Dale you're going to make some magic happen.

This time around Dale is not the late Dale Earnhardt. Dale is Dale Ross, one of the seasonal employees of the track who wards over the infield gate at the speedway. Roll up in rental car with identification from north of the Mason-Dixon line, and, well -- let's just say you'd better be prepared to catch some flack.

"They let too many of you guys in here," Dale said, referring to media members. "They come from all over the world. What do we need you (northerners) for to cover a southern race?"

It's a very good question. Maybe Dale's heard that NASCAR's popularity spans the globe. Maybe he just doesn't care.

But once you're by Dale, the world of DIS opens up. The massive grandstands, the endless backstretch, the twisting turns of the road course and, of course, Lake Lloyd.

Two things jumped out at me most, my first impressions of one of the world's most famous racing facilities.

First, the grandstands along the backstretch are incredibly expansive, larger than television is able to capture -- in part because the camera angle from the frontstretch tower makes them seem short and also because the cars blur by so fast it makes them seem short.

Second is just how far you have to drive to even get close to turn 3 after entering from the tunnel below turn 1. It seemed that we drove forever, past several different motorhome lots, from one end of Lake Lloyd to the other, by several garages. Heck, we even got lost trying to get out. There really are that many ways to go, the racing surface is so large.

The other thing that caught my attention, of course, were the bass in Lake Lloyd, gurgling to the surface to feed under the lights of the track. Unfortunately, I'm apparently an outdoors writer without an ounce of self-respect -- all this access to water and hungry fish in open water and my fishing gear is almost 1,500 miles away.

Amazing how peaceful such a hornet's nest of activity can be, less than 12 hours before roaring stock cars start piercing through the air and across the pavement.