Spring brings with it many things; the warming of the air, green grass, flowers blooming, birds chirping, or maybe even a “spring cleaning” of the house. While those are all certainly splendid things associated with the spring season (well, the last one is debatable, depending on how much cleaning needs to be done), but for those of us that enjoy car shows one thing is sure to come to mind: The Spring Daytona Beach Car Show & Swap Meet held inside the world famous Daytona International Speedway. 2006 marked the 17th Anniversary for this annual event, held on March 24-26, and with pleasant weather it was once again a very enjoyable weekend filled with plenty of things to see and do.

With around 1,600 show vehicles, the Spring Daytona Show is certainly among the biggest in the state. If tons of cool cars and trucks are what you want to see, all you have to do is lace up your walking shoes and strike out in every direction on the east side of the Speedway to find more than enough to peak your interest. The Spring Daytona show also has some unique features, such as several “shows within the show” that take place. Those include ones catering specifically to the Mercury Cougar, Impala SS, Pontiac Fiero, AMC, and even new generation Mopars. Roaming through the show vehicles it is neat to see these groups coming together for a fun weekend, and sharing it with anyone who wants to admire their cool cars.

On the west side of the Speedway you have the swap meet section that has made the Daytona shows legendary. Isle after isle is packed with vendors selling everything from brand new parts, useful used items, and even odd items you might not find anywhere else. Take the time to roam the 1,800 or so filled spaces and you’ll be surprised at what you might find.

With the recent additions and renovations having been done inside the Speedway for about a year now, everyone seems to have settled in. That included us here at Mike Kelly’s Cruise News, and our booth located at the corner of the food vendors and the car corral - an area where one way or another you’ll likely pass....be it to get a delicious bite to eat, or sample the variety of vehicles being bought and sold.

As all of you are probably aware, the Spring Daytona Show is the smaller sister to the monstrously successful Turkey Run, which takes place inside the Speedway over Thanksgiving weekend. The 2006 dates for the 33rd Annual Turkey Run are November 23-26, and we hope to see you there as well. It promises to once again pack in more than 5,000 show cars, tons of vendors, and all the fun that makes the Daytona shows so cool. For the latest info as it approaches you can visit www.TurkeyRun.com. CN