1 best of : Sunshine State of Mind: Daytona Beach, 200 mph, and Cheese Fries

David, the friendly guy who delivered the 2016 Chevrolet SS to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, handed me the key and asked for my John Hancock on the loan agreement. “Going for a cool drive nearby?” he said. “I’m actually driving to Daytona, to see the 500,” I said, excited that I was finally checking the so-called Great American Race off my bucket list. The look he gave me mirrored what immediately dawned on me: Why hadn’t I just flown directly to Daytona Beach? The answer, of course, was the 415-horsepower four-door sitting next to me, the one whose name is placarded all over the 725-horsepower “stock” cars that Chevrolet races in the NASCAR Spring Cup series (restrictor plates at superspeedways such as Daytona cut power to around 425). Chevy sold only 2,895 SS sedans in 2015, so it jumps at any chance to tie in the nameplate with the series. Thus, my options were to drive an SS from Detroit or Charlotte. As much as I love long road trips—and the SS for that matter—I chose Charlotte.

2016 Chevrolet SS front three quarter in motion 02

2016 Chevrolet SS front end in motion 02

2016 Chevrolet SS front three quarter in motion

A dual-mode exhaust is new for the 2016 SS, and while it’s pedestrian under light throttle, it’s downright rip-roaring when you put the spurs to the 6.2-liter LS3 V-8. Plus, it goes all snap-crackle-pop when coming off throttle. Intoxicating. Every few miles I’d do a WOT-then-coast two-step just to get my auditory fill. As I made my way from Georgia to Florida, feeling good about the salad, dark chocolate, and kombucha I downed at the Whole Foods in Savannah, I pondered the SS—an Australian-built rear-drive V-8 sedan that offers European dynamics and American muscle car music—and couldn’t help but think globalization ain’t all that bad.

I’ll never know what Daytona International Speedway was really like, given that my visit to the 59th running followed a $400 million off-season renovation that rendered the first “Motorsports Stadium” replete with five four-level “injectors,” or title-sponsored main entrances, 101,000 new grandstand seats, 40 new escalators, and more than 900 additional bathrooms. The last proved especially useful since Daytona fans appeared to chug more beer during the race than the 5,400 gallons of fuel the drivers used. Speaking of beer, nearly every fan was holding a Bud Light, Miller Lite, or Coors Light, nestled securely in a cold-keeping koozie, of course, and usually accompanied by a Camel Light or Winston Light in the other hand. More than just refreshment, the beer serves another important purpose: wash down the hearty grub sold at the infield food stands. One particular purveyor had attracted long lines with this menu: Philly cheesesteak, cheese fries, foot-long corn dog, loaded cheese fries with steak, Philly cheesesteak, Italian sausage, Polish sausage, breakfast steak burrito (and yes, Philly cheesesteak was listed twice).

The 30-plus cars stayed in a big 200-mph pack, mere inches from one another, traveling a football field every second.

Despite the food and beer, most fans seemed to stay awake during the race, even if it wasn’t the action-packed event it often is. There were a handful of wrecks, including incidents that ate up Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr., but none of the flipping-through-the-air multicar pileups Daytona is famous for. Throughout most the race, the 30-plus cars stayed in a big 200-mph pack, mere inches from one another, traveling a football field every second, drafting and jockeying for position. On the last corner of the last lap, the jockeying got fierce, with leader Matt Kenseth relinquishing the lead after a failed block of Denny Hamlin, who went on to edge out Martin Truex Jr. by 0.01 second, the slimmest margin in Daytona 500 history.

Over my leisurely 497.2-mile trip, the stock 415-hp SS drank 23.7 gallons of 93-octane Sunoco unleaded at a cost of $53.79, all while averaging 21.0 mpg and 66.1 mph. Total time: eight hours, including that 40-minute stop at Whole Foods. Hamlin’s intense 500-mile journey, on the other hand, in his 425-hp stock car Camry, required 57 gallons of 98-octane Sunoco Green E15 race fuel (dubbed “green” because it’s green in color) at a cost of around $600. Thus, his averages came in at 8.8 mpg and 157.5 mph with a total time of 3:10:25, including six cautions.

The tagline for Wrangler jeans, which I saw plenty of at the track, is “Real. Comfortable. Jeans.” In that spirit, I’ll say this about my first Daytona 500: Great. American. Race.

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