Daytona International Speedway (DIS)
Our Experience Working in Guest Services

This has been a wonderful experience and we will take away many great times that we shared during this adventure. Since it was our first year we did not get the best gates to work but we were informed that this will improve once they get the information about what type of a workers we are. We had raving reviews because we were on time, not only for the beginning of our shifts but when returning from breaks and we did our job well.

We worked directly for DIS in the Guest Services department and were paid hourly, our pay was Florida’s minimum wage which is $6.67 per hour. We worked a total of 10 days and anywhere from 7 to 12 hours per day. During our work day we usually worked ½ hour on and then ½ hour off so we had some time to see parts of all the races. The work was never really hard, checking and stubbing tickets or credentials or checking bags and advising fans what could or could not be brought into the race track. All of the supervisors we worked with were very nice and wanted to make sure that we were having a good time and all of our co-workers were friendly. There was a wide range of ages for the workers but for the most part they were older and many were retired. Things were a bit unorganized to my way of employment and the supervisors could have been informed better about pertinent information, i.e. types of tickets and items not allowed. Things had a tendency to change depending on the supervisor that was in charge.

This is not a place to make any money so be prepared to be here just to have some fun and enjoy the few perks you may get if you are fortunate enough to be working at a gate where there are personalities, you are allowed to ask for autographs, hats, etc. and even take photos. One of the best perks is free admission, no seats but you are more then welcomed to enjoy the races when you are not at your scheduled gate, even on your off days.

Camping was not included and camping within 30 to 50 miles from the race track more than tripled per night once race weeks began. We were informed that this only happens for the Daytona 500 and not for the Pepsi 400 in July. We camped about 30 miles away, about 30 minutes or so to drive one way which we would not recommend. Even though the money we saved more than made up for the gas we used, it was hard to enjoy the races knowing we would be in the heavy traffic trying to get out in addition to the already long drive if we hung around to the end. Also, we love being around the race fans and would prefer in the future to stay near the race track so we can enjoy the entire lifestyle.

There are many different avenues to find work at the tracks and this is just one of them. As we continue and learn more we will be experiencing some of the better perks we have been hearing about from other veteran workers. They are really tight lipped about sharing the information but we will continue to find out more as we proceed in this adventure of ours and until then we are having a blast!

If you want contact information, please send us an email and we will share all we have.

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