Five things about ... Daytona's fireworks show

Originally invented in ancient China used to scare away evil spirits, Americans now use them to celebrate the country's independence.

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Fireworks, with their explosive pyrotechnic personalities, will be shooting off in high style at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday's Fourth of July holiday. But much more than lighting a few fuses on a pack of black cats goes into the fireworks display put on to entertain thousands of NASCAR fans.

So while you're 'oohing' and 'ahhing' from the grandstands Saturday night, read on to ponder Five Things About ... Daytona's fireworks show, maybe the largest pyrotechnic show in the Southeast.

1. Preparation ...

Santore and Sons pyrotechnic company -- contracted to do the show since its inception -- has already started preparations for Saturday night's show.

"They've been here already this week setting up the shells and they will come back the day of the show," said Kenny Kane, vice president of media and communications for Daytona International Speedway. "They call them shells because they actually shoot them like a gun. The shells are put down in a tube and the size of the shell determines the size of the explosion. The bigger the shell is the bigger explosion.

"And there is no fuse lighting, it is all done by computer. They're all pre-wired and the show starts at the touch of a button and can be seen from the beach."

2. Firecracker what ...

In 1959, the Coke Zero 400 was originally 100 laps held Fourth of July weekend and nicknamed the Firecracker 250. In 1963, the race became the Firecracker 400 and remained that until 1985.

From 1959 to 1987, the race was always scheduled for July 4, regardless of the day of the week.

"Back in the day if July 4 was on a Tuesday then we ran the race on Tuesday," Kane said. "I know one year it was ran on a Thursday."

3. Enjoy the show ...

The preparation may take nearly a week to complete but the end result is no longer than a few commercial breaks.

"Our show is 16 minutes long," Kane said. "But it does help with the traffic. It slows the process of people leaving. Some will stay in their seats to watch while others head to their cars, but it slows down the mad rush at the end of the race. The show will shoot off more than 10,000 fireworks."

4. Wait a second ...

Until a few years ago, the fireworks display would begin after the winner of the race crossed the start/finish line.

"Then NASCAR asked us to wait until the last cars crossed so we wouldn't scare some of the drivers who were still racing. We changed the policy about three years ago. And if there was a crash, they didn't want the drivers to be able to blame it on the fireworks."

5. Location, location, location ...

The fireworks are strategically placed around the facility for optimum viewing pleasure.

"We have 26 different locations -- 12 of the locations are at Lake Lloyd. Some are shot from the barge in the middle of the lake and some from the banks. Also, 14 locations are on the high banks outside the track."