Daytona Beach, FL - It looks like the country music festival designed to be a staple of Memorial Day weekend in the Daytona Beach area fizzles out after three years.
Daytona International Speedway announced yesterday (November 28th) that the Country 500 will not return to its infield in 2019.
DIS spokesperson Andrew Booth says the Speedway remains open to the idea of a music festival in the future, but only if a successful business model can be developed.
"We are in the midst of negotiations right now for a new music opportunity for the future," Booth added.
Speedway officials did not elaborate further on those negotiations or the reasons for ending its relationship with the Country 500, but last year's event drew fewer people than the two years prior, mostly due to rain which led to some artist performance cancellations.
Roughly 75,000 attended during the 2016 and 2017 editions, according to show producers. Attendance figures for 2018 were not formally released per Speedway policy, but DIS officials at the time estimated the crowd in the "tens of thousands".
DIS also plans to push for more "non-traditional events" at the historic motorsports venue. Some which are currently scheduled for this fall and winter include an e-sports tournament, an international middle-distance triathlon known as "Challenge Daytona" and the "Magic of Lights" holiday display which is currently running until the New Year.
