Raising Cane’s opens in Daytona Beach with NASCAR ARCA driver Toni Breidinger

This morning, Raising Cane's celebrated the grand opening of its first Volusia County location.

The beloved chain, now with 16 locations across the Sunshine State, welcomed guests to its new Daytona Beach restaurant at 2451 W. International Speedway Blvd., during Tuesday's opening with the help of NASCAR driver and Victoria's Secret model Toni Breidinger.

Breidinger, NASCAR's only Arab American female driver, took part in Raising Cane's "Speed" campaign earlier this year, and, through her partnership with the brand, has made appearances at a plethora of other special events.

“People really underestimate the business aspect of driving. I wouldn’t be here without partnerships from brands like Raising Cane’s and Victoria’s Secret,” Breidinger said in a release. “I’m so excited about this new location — I’m going to be here every day come January!”

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The new restaurant, just down the road from the Daytona International Speedway, is decked out in race-themed décor, pit crew memorabilia and even Breidinger's own race suit — not to mention, the drive-thru is designed to replicate a finish line.

With a show-stopping line that began at the eatery's door and stretched down the boulevard, it seemed as though some guests stopped by out of pure curiosity, while others willfully braced the record heat and camped outside the restaurant for more than 20 hours in anticipation of its long-awaited opening.

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Eli Chivington, 16, of Deltona, traveled an hour from home to get to the restaurant early, in hopes of being the first of many drive-thru customers. He arrived at the drive-thru just after 4 a.m., where he remained, first in line, until its 10 a.m. opening.

“I heard Cane's was opening and I love Cane's. My whole family loves Cane's,” he said. “I go with The Caniac Combo, with six fingers. I like to swap out the coleslaw for an extra piece of Texas toast.”

The all-day “block party” got things started at 8 a.m. with live DJ entertainment, an appearance from Daytona Tortugas mascot Shelldon, and free Raising Cane’s handheld fans given to customers to help them cool off while they waited. Though the temperatures had already hit the mid 80s before 9 a.m., it was certainly no deterrent for eager guests in line, many hoping to be among the day’s lucky prize winners.

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University senior Sam Burrows and junior Bryan Wiebe were among the dozens who took on the Florida heat with high spirits.

“We’ve been in line since 5:30 this morning,” Burrows laughed.

“I already expected this massive line, just based off of what Orlando constantly sees over there, but I really wanted some Cane’s chicken fingers. So, why not?” Wiebe added.

The day’s prizes included a commemorative hat and free Box Combo card, awarded to the first 100 customers to purchase a Box Combo, as well as an entire year of free Cane’s for the 20 customers selected during the “Lucky 20” drawing, of which Breidinger did the honors.

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Among the winners was 20-year-old Embry-Riddle student Vincent Fedele, who was joined by his roommates during the grand-opening celebration.

“I’m feeling great — a lot of hard work put into it,” Fedele said with a smile. “I was here since 3 a.m., through the hot weather, through the sweating. It was a great time.”

Breidinger, alongside representatives from the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, commemorated Raising Cane’s opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held just before 10 a.m. in front of the restaurant.

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“This is positive growth,” said Ken Phelps of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce.

To the social media “haters," he went on to note, “Don’t let the people saying something can’t be done get in the way of the people doing it, period. Raising Cane's, welcome to Daytona Beach. We're glad to have you in the community and looking forward to some great food."

The ever-growing chain got its start in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996, where founder Todd Graves opened the first shop, and has since expanded to more than 800 stores across the nation. The restaurant's menu includes a variety of chicken finger combo meals, like the six-finger Caniac Combo, The Box Combo and two-finger kids' combo, alongside crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and, of course, Cane's sauce.

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“It’s incredible to see the community show up and show out for us. It’s just really rewarding,” said Raising Cane’s restaurant leader Joseph Halloran. “I can't wait to get this open across the finish line and really show Daytona what Raising Cane's is all about, because we’re here for Daytona."

Raising Cane's is located at 2451 W. International Speedway Blvd. in Daytona Beach and is open 10 a.m. - 1 a.m. Sunday - Thursday and 10 a.m. - 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant offers dine in, carry-out and online ordering through the Cane's mobile app. For information, call 386-223-2294 or visit raisingcanes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Raising Cane’s opens in Daytona Beach with NASCAR ARCA driver Toni Breidinger