Funny stuff.  I've never been to the 500, but I was at the Pepsi 400 this past summer which is held at Daytona (and was the closest finish ever at Daytona).  Of course you'll find your die hard embarassing rednecks, but the crowd was actually more diverse than I thought it'd be.  For those who enjoy irony, theres a Barnes and Noble bookstore right across from the speedway.

Thankfully I didn't see any of my relatives........