Mark Lamping Explains Why Daytona International Speedway Could Be Option for Jaguars' Temporary Site

The Jaguars will potentially need to find a new playing site for two years, so why is Daytona National Speedway a potential option?

The idea of the Jacksonville Jaguars playing at the site of the Daytona 500 has been an interesting subplot to the Jaguars' stadium conversation, but what exactly interests the Jaguars about the potential site? 

Speaking with Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Jaguars president Mark Lamping went over a number of topics in regard to the Jaguars' stadium renovation proposal. Among those was the Daytona International Speedway, which could be a potential site for Jaguars games in the near-future if plans for a stadium renovation are approved by the city and NFL.

“They have had football down there,” Lamping told Breer. “The University of Tennessee played at Bristol [Motor Speedway]. And keep in mind, that facility is probably the closest of those three facilities to Jacksonville. From where I live, it’s 60 miles down to Daytona. And they’re used to handling crowds of over 100,000. So the traffic and the parking and all of that, they handle in a major way twice a year with their two NASCAR races."

Last week, Don Muret of VenuesNow reported officials from the racetrack are set to meet with Jaguars officials to discuss a potential plan to host Jaguars home games -- a report that Lamping has since confirmed. 

Other potential sites for the Jaguars in the event they are forced out of their home stadium due to construction include in Gainesville, Orlando, or a current non-NFL site in Jacksonville. 

"The most efficient and the cheapest route is to do it over two years and go to a stadium that you don't have to add a lot to, which would either be Florida Field [in Gainesville] or Camping World," Jaguars president Mark Lamping said last week, per ESPN. "We've had conversations with both. We've given them the specs and I think it's fair to say that both would be interested, assuming that the schedules would work."

Jaguars officials expect the proposed stadium renovations to take two years if the Jaguars play outside of their home stadium. If the Jaguars continue to play at home, the project would take four years. 

The potential $2 billion project would require an investment of 50% from Jaguars owner Shad Khan and 50% from the City of Jacksonville. Along with the stadium, areas around the site will also be developed. The Jaguars' current stadium lease ends after the 2029 season.