Could The Jacksonville Jaguars Play Home Games At Daytona Speedway? There's A Chance, But What About Georgia, Florida
Could the Jacksonville Jaguars play at Daytona International Speedway? There's a chance, now that the gigantic track is being looked at as a temporary home for the Jaguars.
What about the Georgia-Florida game that's every year in Jacksonville?
There are a number of stadiums the Jaguars could play football in while their stadium undergoes renovations for two years. But the latest venue to throw its name into the fold is Daytona Speedway, according to a report.
Daytona International Speedway president Frank Kelleher is ready to make his case. Would this mean that Georgia and Florida could play its annual rivalry at the Mecca of motorsports?
There's at least a small chance, given that both schools just agreed to extend its contract with the City of Jacksonville.
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: A general view of the start of the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
This would be a long shot, given that both teams could just play each-other at home venues. But in terms of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Daytona president Frank Kelleher is ready to discuss the future.
"Daytona International Speedway is a world-renowned sports and entertainment venue and hosts a full schedule of events each year," Kelleher said. "As good neighbors in the Florida sports community, DIS will be speaking with the Jacksonville Jaguars to see if we can assist them with their potential upcoming facility needs around our scheduled events."
Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping has mentioned Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or Orlando’s Camping World Stadium as possible hosts. So, Daytona would have to make a compelling case.
"It would be an interesting solution but would also require significant investment in terms of infrastructure,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping told VenuesNow. “It can accommodate a big crowd. It would be a little wonky, but it’s worth considering."
Could Georgia, Florida Potentially Play At Daytona? Long-Shot
I wouldn't hold my breath on this happening at the moment. We've seen recently where a football game has taken place inside a racetrack. Tennessee and Virginia Tech were part of the 'Battle at Bristol' in 2017, which put over 170,000 fans inside Bristol Motor Speedway.
![Could Florida-Georgia play at Daytona? Tennessee and Virginia Tech pulled off a racetrack game in 2016](http://images.outkick.com/static.outkick.com/www.outkick.com/content/uploads/2024/01/668/376/9F1E33D8-3F1F-4556-B7D8-310AB9329695.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1)
A general view of Bristol Motor Speedway during the national anthem of the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers on September 10, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
Even though it would be an interesting venue to hold the annual Georgia-Florida game, the stadium configuration could be a problem. Also, we know that Kirby Smart would love to have this game played in Athens.
But, it has been done before at Daytona. Bethune-Cookman has played four games at the speedway, packing in over 30,000 fans in 1974.
If the Jaguars present each team an opportunity to play a home game in this series, I don't imagine they'd pass it up. There's also a long ways to go before the City of Jacksonville decides on stadium renovations, which the city is still waiting to vote on.
Either way, it's going to be hard for Daytona to land NFL games. I'd imagine the Jaguars would rather play in a stadium suited for football, especially if it's nine games a year.