DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — There is speculation that a high-profile guest from Washington, D.C. could make a stop at the Daytona 500 this year. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he doesn’t want to get ahead of the White House but said his team is preparing for the race as if President Donald Trump will be in attendance.
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Chitwood was part of that process before when Trump came to the track in 2020.
“Municipal, county, state and federal partners, everybody is here. We are planning that the president is going to be here so that has ramped up security even more,” said Chitwood.
While Chitwood couldn’t discuss specific security plans or the president’s potential schedule, his team did give Eyewitness News video of the mobile command center at the speedway. The sheriff said attendees will see a lot of heavily armed law enforcement, but there will also be a large undercover presence. Plus, patrols will be in places one may not expect, like the sky.
Chitwood let Eyewitness News go up in his helicopter to learn what law enforcement might be looking out for ahead of the president’s potential arrival.
“What’s his movements going to be? What does the Secret Service need from us? How many snipers do you need? How many armored vehicles do you need? How are we going to target harden the airport? How are we going to target harden the route?” he said.
Read: NASCAR’s lone Black Cup driver Bubba Wallace ‘couldn’t care less’ if Trump attends Daytona 500
When it comes to safety, the sheriff can’t take his foot off the gas, so he needs everyone else to. He suggests showing up early to get the best experience.
“You’re going to want to see Air Force One, you’re going to want to see the beast on the track, and because of the heightened levels of security, everybody’s getting searched. I mean let’s face it, in the world we live in today,” said Chitwood.
Eyewitness News’ coverage of the race will continue over the next few days. We will be at the track when the green flag drops on Sunday.
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