Here in Florida without a doubt the biggest show each year is the Daytona Turkey Run, with the 33rd Annual happening on November 23-26, 2006. Heck, it’s actually the largest show in the southeast, and the world famous Daytona International Speedway’s infield is the exciting setting that provides a great backdrop for the four days of action. Participants and spectators come from all over the sunshine state to attend, and due to Florida having typically mild weather during November compared to just about any other part of the country it draws participants from many other states as well. So there you have it, the recipe for success that once again came to fruition much to the delight of auto enthusiasts looking to celebrate Thanksgiving Weekend in their own traditional way!

Speaking of lots of show cars, this year there were over 5,200 on hand. They packed the entire east side of the Speedway’s infield area, and were also lined up near the Superstretch area between turns two and three. It doesn’t take much thought to realize that with so many cool cars and trucks on display it took a long time to get around to seeing them all....if you ever did. But hey, stumbling across one cool car after another is great motivation to keep exploring, and there are four days to carry on the expedition. There were over 100,000 spectators making their way around the infield, and big crowds gathered around some of the jaw-dropping vehicles on display.
One aspect of the Turkey Run that certainly draws attention is also the car corral area. If you were in the market for a new ride, or were looking to sell one, you couldn’t find a better place to do it in person. And since the new layout following the infield’s remodeling a couple years ago the car corral area is easy to navigate these days. There were approximately 1,500 cars and trucks for sale, which equates to over one mile of aisles to walk while viewing them all! That kind of puts the large scope into perspective, doesn’t it?!?!

Just in case you still didn’t think a comfortable pair of shoes was a good idea, if you ventured over into the famous swap meet area you could certainly break in some shoe leather while navigating the entire west side of the Speedway. We’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again....if you need to find used parts for your car, even obscure ones, the Turkey Run’s swap meet is the best place to find them in person. Of course there are also new parts vendors on site too, located near the NASCAR garage areas, that were doing a brisk business all weekend long as well.

The weather this year cooperated pretty well, with Thursday and Friday being clear and sunny. Saturday was overcast and a little windy with some light sprinkles, but as it turned out nothing to really worry about. On Sunday it took a little while for the clouds to burn off in the morning, but after that it was nice.

The night time activities were also hopping once again, regardless of where you chose to go. The official activities were just outside the Speedway at the corner of Midway and International Speedway Boulevard, where you could watch or participate in the Slow Drags, Flame Thrower, Teeter Totter or Trike Races, with cash prizes going to the respective winners each night. Plus there were lots of people just hanging out and admiring the cool cars. This was also the location for the Giveaway Car drawing at 9:00pm on Saturday night, which I didn’t manage to win, again. However, Terry Lykens from Honaka, Kentucky did win, and took home a beautiful black 1962 Chevy Impala 2-Door Hardtop.

For several other nights we also took in the unofficial nighttime activities going on over by the beach, which included lots of cruising and hanging out along A1A. Good shoe leather is valuable inside the Speedway, but along A1A your best bet is to bring a lawn chair and relax along the side of the road. Bench racing with buddies and watching the cool cars drive by is a pretty fun way to spend an evening, if you ask me. Obviously tons of other people agree, as there is certainly no shortage of cruisers and spectators along A1A on any given night.

The Daytona Beach Street Rods host club and the Daytona Beach Racing & Recreational Facilities District came through again to make the Turkey Run the best way to spend Thanksgiving weekend that I can think of! Just around the corner is the 18th Annual Spring Daytona Beach Car Show & Swap Meet on March 23-25, 2007, and we hope to see you all there too. For more info on the Spring Daytona Show or the Turkey Run you can visit www.daytonabeachcarshows.com or www.turkeyrun.com. Plan early for both, and get ready to smile! CN