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Charlotte Motor Speedway
“I’ll be frank. Your ‘competitors’ have no future.”
Michael Konik |
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Charlotte Motor Speedway, a top destination for motorsports entertainment, is located
in Concord, North Carolina, just north of Charlotte. Charlotte boasts a fast track and
the nickname “The Beast of the Southeast.” H.A. “Humpy Wheeler,” president
and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, states that the racetrack is “narrow,
uphill on the frontstretch and downhill on the backstretch” and that it has “a very
mysterious entrance to Turn 1” plus “a fourth turn so tight it has scared even the
sport’s toughest drivers.”
Wheeler points out that after the track was repaved in 2006 using computer technology,
“we got perhaps the smoothest surface in racing history,” and “with this smooth
surface came more grip, and our races were really close and competitive.”
The track is labeled “mean” because it is “fast, racy, unpredictable, subject
to huge changes in temperature and one that requires a gifted driver to get to victory
lane.”
Dale Jarrett won at Charlotte in 1994, 1996, and 1997. Racing fans may remember
Charlotte as the site of Days of Thunder and the world premier of the animated movie CARS.
Racetrack Specifications Completed: 1959
Length: 1.5 miles
Shape: Quad-oval
Banking: 24° turns, 5° straightaways
Frontstretch length: 1,980 feet
Backstretch length: 1,500 feet
Seating capacity: 165,000
Location:
Driving Directions:
Take I-395 S to I-95 S
Merge onto I-85 S via Exit 51 toward Durham/Atlanta
Take Speedway Blvd. Exit, Exit 49
Turn left onto Speedway Blvd.
Turn left onto Concord Pkwy S/US-29 N
Charlotte Motor Speedway is at 5555 Concord Pkwy S.
TRAVELING NORTH:
Take I-95 N to Exit 35B on the left toward International Airport/Savannah
Merge onto I-26 W via Exit 86B toward Columbia
Merge onto I-77 N via Exit 116 toward Charlotte
Merge onto I-85 N via Exit 13A toward Greensboro
Take the Speedway Blvd. Exit, Exit 49 toward Concord Mills Blvd.
Turn right onto Speedway Blvd.
Turn left onto Concord Pkwy S/US-29 N.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is at 5555 Concord Pkwy S.
“The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure was an absolute thrill. The staff was fantastic. My heart almost pounded a hole in my chest. I’ll see you again next year.”
Craig Holmes
Description of Concord, North Carolina:
Accommodations:
Hotels:
Transportation:
Charlotte Douglas International Airport, CLT (35 minutes)
Limousine service can be arranged
Amtrak to Concord
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Restaurants:
Afton Village restaurants:
- Back Yard Burgers
- E. Noodles & Co.
- Joe’s Sports Bar & Grill
- Max’s Ally
- The Gateway to Athens
- The Ground Floor Coffee House
Bob Evans
Chuck E Cheese
Cracker Barrel
Olive Garden
TGI Friday
The Cookout |
Things To See and Do:
History:
In addition to its main oval, the speedway has a 2.25-mile road course, and a 0.6-mile kart course in the infield, as well as a 0.4-mile dirt track across U.S. Highway 29 that opened in May 2000. The 0.6-mile oval short track located between the track’s frontstretch and pit road was built in 1991 for a Legends race as part of the Winston weekend and was designed after Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which is one of stock car racing’s legendary venues.
The racetrack’s surface had started wearing down since its 1994 paving, and in 2005, it was treated with a diamond-grinding process termed “levigation” to smooth out the bumps. This process caused significant tire problems, however, which were in evidence at both NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events there and resulted in a record 22 cautions at the showcase Coca-Cola 600, which ended up going over five hours¾the first time this happened at any Sprint Cup Series event in 25 years. The levigation also caused speed increases. Because of these problems, the speedway was repaved in 2006.
Charlotte is regarded as NASCAR’s home base, since 90% of NASCAR teams are based within 50 miles of it. Charlotte Motor Speedway holds more than 380 events per year, including numerous races and events such as the Food Lion Auto Fair, one of the largest car shows in the country.
Charlotte is still evolving, however. O. Bruton Smith has now unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art drag racing facility, a 46.5-acre track/pit area/midway, scheduled to be completed in September 2008.
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