"Miniland 400" Event to Be Held at LEGOLAND Florida

On June 20, LEGOLAND Florida Guests will have the chance to celebrate to the sound of roaring engines and cheering fans during the “Miniland 400,” a special, one-day-only race. NASCAR driver Casey Mears will visit the park to preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ return to the Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 on July 2, 2016. Mears will be seated in a kid-size vehicle racing against a 10-year-old girl representing the Make-A-Wish foundation.

All LEGOLAND Florida Guests are welcome to witness the fun, which will start at around 11:30 a.m.

With a wave of the green flag, the two drivers will take off from between the Statue of Liberty and U.S. Capitol, zoom past the New York City skyline and barrel down the Las Vegas Strip before reaching the finish line at the giant new Daytona International Speedway model.

Here you are some fun facts about the model representing the new Daytona International Speedway:

• Designed by Merlin Magic Making, the new Daytona International Speedway display took a team of more than a dozen Master Model Builders to create out of 282,384 LEGO bricks.
• The new stadium model stretches 31 feet and weighs more than 1,400 lbs.
• The project required approximately 250 design hours and 2,100 build hours to complete.
• Look for the word “Daytona” spelled out on fans’ shirts, a group of spectators holding letters that spell TURN LEFT and misdirected soccer fans using their G-O-A-L signs to cheer on racers.
• Sharp-eyed guests might also spot a cheeky nod to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s recent heart-stopping moment when his steering wheel came off during a race.

Afterward, Mears will be greeting fans in the newly re-imagined Imagination Zone. Using his years of competitive driving expertise, he’ll help kids build and test creative LEGO vehicles before sending them zooming down timed ramps in the racing-themed Wheels Zone.