Before Daytona became famous for its oval track, the beach at Ormond Beach was where the world's land speed records were set. From 1902 through 1935, early automotive pioneers including Ransom E. Olds, Alexander Winton, Henry Ford, and eventually Malcolm Campbell brought their machines to the hard Atlantic sand, which proved an ideal surface for high-speed runs. The stretch between Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach became the premier destination for speed trials anywhere in the world.
Today the beach retains no physical trace of those records, but the Birthplace of Speed Park near the Granada Bridge commemorates the era with markers and historical information. A small monument and informational display sit at the site of the original Ormond Garage on East Granada Boulevard, where the racing cars were housed. The beach itself is still wide, flat, and impressive — and still legal to drive on in certain areas south of Granada, though the days of land speed records are long past.