Sports Bars in South Jersey to Watch the Daytona 500

Come February 15, 2009, you're going to have to make a decision. First, you could be down in Daytona Beach getting ready to see 200 laps of restrictor plate racing. Second, you could be on your couch, watching the race with a few friends, making bets on who is going to win the Sprint Cup this year. Or, you could be at one of a few great bars with those friends, watching the big race on some big screens as you kick down some brews.

Sadly, chances are you're not going to be Daytona Beach. So you've got to choose between the couch and the bar-and that's no choice at all. If you're in South Jersey, in the Atlantic City area, here are a few great sports bars to spend your day watching the Daytona 500 at.

A Dam Good Sports Bar

This one is obvious, and if you're near Atlantic City it should be at the top of your list. They've got 15 high definition TVs and three 110' Mega Screens. And on Sundays, 40oz beers are only $5.00. And, of course, they have a billiards and pretty good food, too. It's also attached to The Tropicana, so if a Red Flag comes out you'll be able to keep yourself busy until the race starts up again.

Since A Dam Good Sports Bar is attached to a casino, chances are it'll be crowded. If you're looking for a quieter establishment this bar probably won't suit your tastes.

The Irish Pub

If Dam Good Sport Bar's atmosphere and crowd aren't your cup of tea (or, rather, mug of beer) you might want to consider The Irish Pub. This place isn't really a sports bar-it's just a great bar with a pair of High Definition flat screens, great prices, and amazing atmosphere.

The great prices also extend to the food-the most expensive thing on the menu is $7.95. The Irish Pub is highly recommended if you're in Atlantic City and looking for a quieter place to watch the Daytona 500.

The Blue Marlin Café

The Blue Marlin Café, formerly The Pitney Tavern is located a few minutes off Route 30 in Galloway, NJ. The Blue Marlin makes some good food at pretty affordable prices-assuming you're not ordering from the dinner menu. They've recently renovated the interior and added about six or seven HDTVs.

While the TVs are nice, the food is good, and the service can't be faulted, the real reason to way the Daytona 500 at The Blue Marlin is because February 15 is a Sunday. And all drafts pints are only $2.00 on Sundays at The Blue Marlin-that includes Guinness, Samuel Adam's, and any other craft beers that are on tap (and there are usually two or three of them).

JR's Tavern

JR's Tavern is right on Route 9 in Somers Point, on your way to (or coming from) Atlantic City. JR's Tavern offers some excellent food at reasonable prices and features twelve plasma HDTVs

Sunday's at JR's Tavern feature free pool as well as $2 Bud Lite Lime bottles, $1.5 Bud Lite bottles, and $1 Bud Lite mugs-not quite the potential $2 Guinness you can get from The Blue Marlin, but still respectable.

The Tun Tavern

My final recommendation is hardly a Sports Bar, however if you're making a list of Bars in South Jersey you've got to include The Tun Tavern. They're also located in Atlantic City and happen to be a brew-pub. The beer that they brew is uniformly excellent-and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The focus at Tun's isn't the TVs or the food, although the food is pretty good-the focus is on the beer. If you're a big fan of beer and want to have some excellent microbrews while watching the race The Tun Tavern is one of your few options.