The Turn 1 gate at Daytona International Speedway will be sponsored by Florida Hospital, which also is becoming the Speedways official health care provider.

DAYTONA BEACH Florida Hospital has been named the exclusive health care provider of Daytona International Speedway, replacing a public hospital that has had a long relationship with racing and the family that built NASCAR.

Florida Hospital and the Speedway have signed a 12-year partnership that will give the not-for-profit health care system branding rights to one of five remodeled entrances, a concourse, the infield care center and first-aid stations.

The partnership is a great way for Florida Hospital to reach a wide audience and promote its brand at the Speedway, which is in the midst of a $400 million renovation that will be completed in 2016, said Daryl Tol, a regional CEO for the Volusia-Flagler market.

We need to get out of the four walls of the hospital and get out into our communities, he said. We need to be there close to peoples homes where they celebrate, where they work, where they live rather than waiting for them to come to us.

Halifax Health, down the street from the Speedway, previously served as the tracks official health care provider.

Florida Hospital and the Speedway announced the partnership Thursday morning outside Turn 1 before an audience of cheering nurses, doctors and hospital staff. The agreement will take effect Jan. 1. Florida Hospital officials did not disclose how much they paid for the sponsorship.

During the ceremony, Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III presented Tol with a racing helmet autographed by racing star Dale Earnhardt Jr. In exchange, Tol gave a white lab coat to Chitwood.

Florida Hospitals competitor Halifax Health, a 678-bed public hospital system, has worked closely with the Speedway through the years. In a prepared statement, Halifax Health CEO Jeff Feasel said the hospital is proud of the long history of exceptional care provided to competitors, crew and fans at the Speedway, and that the move was strictly a business decision by the Speedway.

Halifax Health will continue to support Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, the NASCAR Nation and the many fans who frequent our community for many years to come, Feasel said.

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Daytona International Speedway switches health care sponsor