Daytona president confirms talks with Jacksonville Jaguars, makes statement

Daytona International Speedway president Frank Kelleher confirmed Friday that track officials met with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week to discuss the possibility of the NFL franchise temporarily playing their home games at the track should they strike a deal with the city to renovate their home stadium of TIAA Bank Field.

Kelleher issued a statement, via Daren Stoltzfus of WESH 2 Orlando.

UPDATE: @DAYTONA confirms talks with #Jaguars about potentially hosting home games during renovations in #DUUUVAL

But it is “too soon to provide updates on the progress of the talks” pic.twitter.com/A5jX6PN8ui

— Daren Stoltzfus WESH (@DarenStoltzfus) June 16, 2023

“Daytona International Speedway met with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week to begin to learn about their possible future facility need and DIS’ ability to potentially support them,” Kelleher said. “It is too soon to provide updates on the progress of the talks, nor forecast the likelihood of a potential collaboration. Our two organizations are key partners in the Florida sports community and we look forward to continuing to explore possibilities with the Jaguars, all while we prepare for the upcoming Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the end of August.”

Jaguars president Mark Lamping discussed the possibility of turning the 101,500-capacity racetrack into a football stadium earlier this week.

“They have had football down there,” Lamping said. “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.

“So they’re going to be interesting.”

Multiple options exist for Jaguars’ temporary home

Camping World Stadium in Orlando and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville have been floated as additional possibilities. Lamping mentioned a couple of temporary sites in the Jacksonville area that could become options, though they come with a caveat.

“There could also be a temporary solution in Jacksonville, adding seats to the [city’s minor league] baseball stadium or the track stadium at the University of North Florida,” Lamping said. “Both options come with a big [retrofit] of $125 million.”

Jacksonville’s best-case scenario is to begin construction after the 2025 season for a completion date of 2028. A full makeover of TIAA Bank Field with a roof canopy will cost between $1.3 to $1.4 billion. The addition of the roof canopy would help reduce heat retention by more than 70%, lowering temperatures by 10-15 degrees.

Lamping argued the renovations are necessary to attract significant events such as the College Football Playoff. With the team’s current lease expiring after the 2029 season, the deal for financing the renovation tied to a lease extension would require 75% approval among the NFL’s 32 team owners