WF Floriday Info Thread

Here is most of the important info you need if interested in WF FL:

When: Friday March 22 -24, 2024
Where: Daytona International Speedway Infield during the Spring Turkey Run car show.
Why: Cuz we love wagons and cars...

HOTEL is the Best Western right by I-95.
Call hotel Directly Best Western phone number: 386-258-6333. Tell them you are with the group Wagonfest to get the discounted rate. details are $261 King room (total price) and $281 two doubles (total price) for the two nights 22/23

BACKGROUND:

For those not in the know, Wagonfest started in 2006 (I think) in upstate New York. There is a separate thread about it and you can look at that for more info.

Wagonfest FL was born out of the SOFASST and GOFASST joint event at the Daytona Beach Spring Car Show. This show is now known as the Spring Turkey Run. This is by no means a full fledged shindig. It's a grassroots get together to celebrate GM's genius in creating the B-Body. While primarily a wagon event, anyone with a love of B or D bodies is more than welcome.

In order to attend the Wagonfest get together/show (your wagon/B-Body does NOT have to be show quality).
YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE TURKEY RUN. . We have NO AFFILIATION with the Turkey Run. THERE NO LONGER IS PRE-REGISTRATION, it is pay the day of. and is $50 this year. The parking slab is an additional $10 per car (Payable to me as I pre-bought them all).

Despite what the website says, they like our wagons and even some fairly rough looking ones have been allowed in. We have never had a b-body wagon turned away at the gate. We do meet up at 8AM and arrive as a group so safety in numbers lol. (you don't have to arrive with the group).

If you have been to a show here, the venue is HUGE. Really one day is not enough to see everything.


So on to the good part

LIST OF ACTIVITIES:

FRIDAY:

The show is open and runs from 8-4 although it's lightly attended. May be a good time to hit the vendor area if you get in early enough.
Also there is a junkyard about a mile or two from the hotel if you like that (LKQ). They usually update their inventory online.
Usually, as people arrive and get settled, we either head to a local car wash (this can be it's own adventure) and then dinner.
I'm putting it out there if some want to head to the beach for an on the sand photo shoot, I would be up for that (beach driving shuts down at sunset so some advance planning is necessary).
Friday night back at the hotel, is usually an early night as we start fairly early in the morning, but there are usually old friends and new friends hanging out in the parking lot (or in the lobby).

SATURDAY:

We meet up at 8AM in the shopping center parking lot just east of the hotel in order to meet up with the local day-trippers from Orlando, Tampa, and Jax. Just behind the Krystals Hamburger. We then head out enmasse and drive around the backside of the track to the entry gate. It's an impressive site to see over a dozen b-bodies rolling in together. We park together on reserved slabs and we are there until the end of the day. The show is huge with thousands of cars. You will be hard pressed to see every car in 8hrs. I pack a lunch and drinks in a cooler, it gets HOT out there. I will probably bring my grill and cook hot dogs for lunch.

SAT NITE:
No one seems to want to take up the reigns for the BBQ, so we all walk down the way to BJs Brewhouse or the Longhorn next door. Afterwards is parking lot shenanigans.

SUNDAY :
Many go back over to the show, however, attendance is ALOT lighter than Saturday. I usually hit the vendors now as it's alot lighter crowd. If you stay long enough you get to drive a lap on the track and get a photo.


What should you bring you might ask?
A Few things we found were helpful on the infield:

SUNBLOCK - you'll be sorry if you don't

A small cooler with water and snacks - it's FLORIDA and it's hot. I pack a picnic lunch so I can spend more money in the vendor area, lol.

A couple of folding chairs - long day and sitting on the tailgate gets old - I'll bring a few as I understand the long haulers don't have lots of space.

Pop up sunshade tent (EZ-Up of the like) - If the sun's out, it gets roasty toasty out there, and there is not many spots to hide from it. ( 3 or 4 were brought last year and it was enough). - I have one I'm bringing.

Comfy shoes, you'll be walking....ALOT.

Camera, lot's of cool rods to take pics of.

Had a great time last year, planning to return. Beach drive is tempting, nobody joined me last year. We only took a short ride to get a beach photo, but a wagon parade video would be cool. Is there a car wash near by that does underbody wash? last year I drove quite a ways to get the sand/salt washed out from underneath the car.

Isurf wrote:

Had a great time last year, planning to return. Beach drive is tempting, nobody joined me last year. We only took a short ride to get a beach photo, but a wagon parade video would be cool. Is there a car wash near by that does underbody wash? last year I drove quite a ways to get the sand/salt washed out from underneath the car.

There are 3 7-11 gas stations around the track. They normally have a car wash that includes an undercarriage spray.