Ok, I just did a quick calculation after I read through all the replies and noticed that you drove an SUV....but still...

Say Daytona is 600 miles from your point in Tennessee, that's 1200 miles round trip. If you were driving a vehicle that averaged 10mpg, you would go through 120 gallons. 120 gallons x $5 a gallong for gas, that's $600 for the entire trip.
Even if Daytona is 800 miles from your location, that's 1600 miles round trip. At 10mpg, that's 160 gallons of fuel. 160 x $5 a gallon is still ONLY (lol) $800. Now granted you'll probably do a little more driving while you're down there, but come on now...that would still pale in comparison to your figures. If your SUV gets that bad gas mileage, go buy a Peterbilt tractor trailer, it'll at least be able to haul more for the same amount spent on gas, lol.
In other news, gas prices are expected to drop dramatically around the end of summer/early fall because several refineries are coming back online from repairs, refineries that aren't controlled by OPEC. Food for thought...

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