Memorial Day Weekend Daytona Speedway
Heroes Honor Festival 2022- We were there all weekend, camping in the Owner Driver lot. Learn what worked, what didn’t and what you should know for Heroes Honor Festival 2023.
We found out about the Heroes Honor Festival about a month before it happened and immediately purchased tickets and camping. Then we called my dad, a retired Air Force veteran and invited him to tag along. We purchased general admission tickets and offered him the free ticket option but he opted for the VIP ticket experience.
This puts us in a unique situation of being able to share our experience from several different angles. There is already talk of a Heroes Honor Festival 2023 so we hope our experience inspires you to attend. Enjoy!
Honoring our Heroes
Heroes Honor Festival is a patriotic event meant to honor Vietnam Veterans and their families and provide the long overdue welcome that they deserved. The event is also meant to connect those in need to support, services and other resources.
Heroes Honor Festival was created by U.S. Army Veteran Ben Peterson, founder of the faith based, non-profit organization Engage Your Destiny.
Full disclosure: we have no idea if there will be a Heroes Honor Festival 2023 and if so, will it held at Daytona Speedway? Will it be held over Memorial Day Weekend in 2023? Stay tuned here and we will keep you updated.
So what actually was this event? One of the big wins for this event was that it successfully connected seasoned military veterans to younger active military, paving the way for a greater support system. Event founder Ben Peterson shared a message inspiring a changing of the guard and passionately challenged the younger generation of military service men and women to take up the mantle of serving as guardians of honor for future military generations to come.
Heroes Honor Festival 2022
The inaugural Heroes Honor Festival was held May 27-29, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway. Country music star Toby Keith was the headline performer. Other country music performers included Craig Morgan and Justin Moore. Guest speakers included General Boykin, Lt. Colonel Oliver North and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Over 30,000 people attended the event. The event was free for veterans and their spouses, widows of veterans, and active military.
Friday Night Opening Ceremony
The Friday night opening ceremony was rained out. Much to everyone’s disappointment. Sigh, sigh. But whatta ya goin’ do?? You can always count on Florida weather to be unpredictable. One thing that I will say here is that you have to give Ben Peterson some respect here, he showed up in person at the gates to deliver the bad news in person.
Heroes Honor Festival Main Event
The gates opened reopened at 10am on Saturday and lines were very long so we decided to hang out at the camper and wait things out. By noon the lines were much shorter and we sailed right in and dropped off our chairs pretty close to the front, parallel to the VIP tent so that we were nearby if dad needed anything, which he didn’t. I mentioned he was retired Air Force, right?
Events started promptly at 12:30pm with a countdown timer prominently displayed on the big screen and a fly over by a single A10 Warthog. Dad said this part was a bit disappointing as most Nascar races usually have several Warthogs kick off the event. We figured that the we were probably lucky to see one, considering the opening ceremony was postponed.
Opening festivities included an arial event featuring an airshow by the Patriotic Parachute Team, a professional skydive team owned and operated by former Navy Seals. There was multiple flybys of Huey helicopters, and other demonstration planes. It was a pretty spectacular opening.
After the pledge of allegiance there was a flyover by Clark the Bald eagle. Clark is one of only four Bald eagles that travels for event performances. Clark was part of a breeding program by the World Bird Sanctuary but was born with webbed feet and was not a candidate for release.
Camping Daytona Speedway During Heroes Honor Festival
RV camping was available at Daytona Speedway either in the Owner/Driver lot or the Lake Lloyd camping lot. Campers were allowed entrance on Thursday beginning at 1pm. Although camping didn’t officially open until at 1pm on many folks arrived earlier and were allowed to enter.
Getting to Your Campsite
Entering the camping areas at Daytona Speedway is a multi-step process. We videotaped the whole process.
Daytona Speedway infield camping entrance was via Gate 40, off Williamson road. This gate is the first checkpoint, basically a pre-check area just to make sure you are in the right place.
After you go through the gate, they will start the queue lines. Be prepared to show your tickets at multiple stops along the way. There are generally 3-4 waiting lines at this point. In the video. I incorrectly state that there was camping outside the gates, this was just the line of campers.
Security checks for camping at Daytona Speedway varies based on the event and current state of world affairs. Sometimes there are no searches but sometimes there are more thorough screenings. In the past, we’ve waited as long as three hours to get through security.
At Heroes Honor Festival 2022 there were no vehicle security screenings for infield camping.
Post security check, if any, you will then be directed to go through the main infield camping checkpoint. This is where you will receive your event bands and infield camping permit. At Heroes Honor Festival 2022, it was a simple mark on the windshield.
Next you get to go through the tunnel.
Through the tunnel and then to your designated Daytona Speedway camping lot. There were two camping areas open for Heroes Honor Festival 2022. Owner Driver Lot or Lake Lloyd.
Owner Driver Lot Camping
At Heroes Honor Festival 2022 we reserved a spot in the Owner Driver lot. There is one more checkpoint before entering the area. Spaces were first come, pick your own spot.
Owner Driver lot has water and power. Be sure to bring your own Y for water connection if you get there early. There were none available when we first go there but they brought them later that day.
The Owner/Driver lot was the more secluded and quieter lot. It had level concrete pads for RV parking and well-manicured grass dividing the campsites. Bathrooms and showers were nearby. Of the two open camping areas it was the furthest from the music stage. It was about a 10-minute walk from our campsite to the main stage.
Lake Lloyd Camping Area
The Lake Lloyd camping lot was more convenient to the music stage but was more crowded and louder. Camping sites were not assigned, it was also first come first serve. The RV sites in this section are situated on an asphalt pavement which tends to get hotter. There is no grass. Some of the lots face Lake Lloyd but there is an iron gate between your camper and the lake.
The Lake Lloyd camping area closest to the stage filled in first and was the raucous party area. The area at the other end was pretty quiet. Many people came as groups, purchasing multiple campsites to form group squares.
We took this video on Sunday morning as we were leaving. It gives you a quick overview of the two camping locations that were available for Heroes Honor Festival 2022. Either is a great option. In general, infield camping at Daytona Speedway is going to be a great experience regardless of your site.
Heroes Honor Festival 2022 General Admission vs VIP Tickets
The event was free for veterans, widows of veterans, active military and kids under 12 years old. General admission tickets were $99, they were running 20% off promotions up until the day before the event. VIP tickets were marketed as a $499 value, but we purchased in advance for $159.
The VIP tent included two tents, VIP seating, a separate bar and bathrooms, complimentary beer, wine, water, and food. Early birds (before 4pm) also had open bar with premium cocktails. The VIP pass was a great value although the food ran out early and the tents got super crowded. The seating area under the tents reached capacity by 3:30pm. The lines for the food, bar and bathrooms were minimal and overall service was excellent.
The VIP tickets were printed as general admission tickets, obviously a mistake. The only way to tell the tickets apart was by looking at the printed cost of the ticket which created several hours of confusion until staff learned how to quickly identify a VIP ticket.
Heroes Honor Festival Exhibits/Vendors
The US Air Force was a premium sponsor. They came with a large tent that was situated in the middle of the grass and were onsite to recruits cadets and hand out free hats and koozies to guests. They get special mention because dad is retired Air Force.
Jeep was not a sponsor, but they were definitely “in the house.” There were plenty of World War II and Vietnam military vehicles on display, including military jeeps, ambulances, and other various troop-carrying vehicles.
The longest line and by far the most popular vendor was the Tasty Freeze food truck with their offerings of various Dole Whip delights. Luckily, we got ours before the line started. Just YUM!
There were many other vendor booths offering everything from service dogs to cowboy hats as well as various veteran support groups and services. The overall feel of the event was a genuine thank you for your service and this is how we can help.
One vendor, Trucking for the Word of God Ministry got there late and unfortunately, due to the large size of their vehicle was not allowed to set up in the exhibit area. We had a great chat with them on Plan Your Trip for Heroes Honor Festival 2023
This is a big deal. If there is lightning the whole track and camping area closes immediately and stays closed for 30 minutes. DO NOT LEAVE or risk not getting back into your campsite. If you do leave be prepared for long lines getting back into your campsite, regardless or not if you’ve already checked in or not. You are going to be in the same queue as everyone else. Unfortunately, this happened on Friday which added to the confusion for those with general admission trying to get into Honors Festival 2022. Daytona Speedway went into full lockdown mode. Plenty of chain restaurants outside Daytona Speedway including Hooters, Bahama Breeze and Outback Steakhouse. Most were on a 1-2 hour wait, so if you go in the future be sure to make reservations early. Target and Big Lots are virtually across the street for incidentals that you may have forgotten such as sunscreen, rain ponchos, bottled water. Skip’s Western Outfitters is a great place for hats, boots, and other country style gear. Ice was not available for Daytona infield camping at this event. Wawa sold out of ice early. 7-11 and Target were the most well-stocked and convenient places to get ice. There are no BBQ’s onsite. Open fires are not permitted. Plan that Memorial Day Weekend Florida will probably consist of both rain and intense heat. Coolers and bottled water were allowed into this event. This is NOT always the case so be sure to check the policies in advance. We didn’t realize this. Water was $5 per bottle. Beer started at $9 per can. Chairs were allowed at this event. Again, not always the case. The event sponsors even gave away free chairs to those that forgot to bring them. Many attendees brought umbrellas that they could clip to their chairs, and many brought chairs with attached canopies. Both of these items were also allowed, again not always the case. Bring sunscreen and don’t forget to reapply often. The crowds enjoyed the entertainment and the genuine appreciation exhibited by all of the staff. “It’s hard to describe and appreciate the overwhelming response of 30,000 veterans and their families with their standing ovations of the performers and speakers. Can’t wait until next year!” There were a few hiccups as would be expected with an inaugural event of this scale. The weather was not a friend, vacillating between rain and intense heat. Overall, a great event. The artists gave top notch performances. The speakers brought their A games. The staff and volunteers put their hearts into making everyone feel welcome. We brought my dad, a retired AirForce veteran. He had a great time, except for the heat and in his words- “It’s hard to describe and appreciate the overwhelming response of 30,000 veterans and their families with their standing ovations of the performers and speakers. Can’t wait until next year!”—Jim Meere, Retired Air Force, Spring Hill, Florida And, we agree, nice job Ben & Team. We hope there’s an Honor Festival 2023 in the works at Daytona Speedway. Lightening & Entrance Closings
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