COLUMBIA, Ill. – It may have been Monday, but luckily it was a holiday, so fans could fill the Daytona 500 watch parties at the World Wide Technology Raceway and at Top Shooters Sports Bar.
“It is one of the bigger races; it’s a watch party, something that we put on every year,” Mary Mantz, Top Shooters general manager, said. “It’s actually a really good turnout for it being President’s Day and for it moving to Monday so I do not have any complaints.”
Fans got a chance to also win some tickets to the upcoming Enjoy Illinois 300 coming on June 2.
“It’s unbelievable,” Decklin O’Neill, vice president of business development at World Wide Technology Raceway, said. “100,000 fans over the weekend. For us to have NASCAR in St. Louis, it’s a huge deal.”
The race usually runs on a Sunday, but due to rain, it was pushed to Monday afternoon.
“You know, kind of unique, but we made it work and showed up and had a good time,” Blake Hartin, attendee, said.
Kyle Larson seemed to be a fan favorite at the Columbia bar, with some fans even putting down a wager on the driver.
“What I know is (that) Kyle Larson needs to win this race,” Bub Grasle, attendee, said. “We’ve got big money on it and we are going to take the week off if he wins.”
William Byron ended up winning the race after a massive crash took out several drivers with fewer than 10 laps to go.