Things to Do at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Complete Guide to Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte
About Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway sits just northeast of Charlotte proper, in Concord, and the moment you pull onto the approach road the sheer scale of the place hits you. The grandstands rise like a concrete canyon above the 1.5-mile quad-oval, banked at 24 degrees through the turns, steep enough that standing on the apron and looking up at the high line feels mildly vertiginous.
The complex broke ground in 1959 and held its first race, the World 600, on June 19, 1960, a race now known as the Coca-Cola 600. O. Bruton Smith built it, and H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, who became general manager in 1975, oversaw decades of grandstand and suite expansions that turned it into the large motorsport campus it is today.
What tends to surprise first-time visitors is the variety packed into the property. Beyond the main oval you'll find a 2.28-mile road course called the Roval, a quarter-mile flat oval, a dedicated dirt track, and the zMAX Dragway across the way for NHRA drag racing. In 1992 the speedway installed a 1,200-fixture permanent lighting system developed by Musco, making it the first modern superspeedway to host night racing, and the warm glow of those lights against the North Carolina dusk is still one of the best atmospheres in American motorsport.
Then there is the backstretch video board, installed in 2011, stretching 200 feet wide by 80 feet tall. Even on a quiet non-race day, its idle screen dominates the skyline like a drive-in movie theater for giants.
The speedway hosts around 380 events a year, so there is almost always something rumbling through the complex: the throaty idle of stock cars on a test day, the crackle and pop of dragsters warming up, or the bass thump of a concert echoing off the grandstands. Charlotte might be known for banking and barbecue. But this place is the heartbeat of American racing culture, and it earns that reputation not just through its two marquee NASCAR weekends but through year-round access that lets anyone walk the same concrete the crews walk on race morning.
What to See & Do
The Main Oval and Banked Turns
Standing trackside on the 1.5-mile quad-oval gives you a feel for the geometry that makes Charlotte Motor Speedway a signature NASCAR venue. The corners bank at 24 degrees while the straights flatten to just 5 degrees, and when you look across from the infield the asphalt seems to tilt upward like a skatepark wall. On tour days you can often hear the distant whine of engines from the garage area bouncing off the grandstand steel, and the smell of old rubber and hot asphalt clings to the air even when no cars are running.
The Backstretch Video Board
Installed in 2011 and measuring 200 feet wide by 80 feet tall, this screen was billed as the world's largest HDTV at the time. During races it dominates your peripheral vision no matter where you sit, and on event nights the glow is visible from the highway. On non-race visits, guides often fire up highlight reels so you can hear archived engine noise reverberating across the empty grandstands, which is an oddly cinematic experience.
zMAX Dragway
Sitting across the road from the main oval, zMAX is a concrete-surfaced four-lane drag strip that hosts NHRA events and weekly bracket racing. The sensory experience here is different from the oval: shorter, sharper, louder. A Top Fuel pass rattles your chest cavity and leaves a faint nitromethane tang in your sinuses for minutes afterward. Even if drag racing is not your thing, the concussive force of a launch is worth experiencing once.
The Dirt Track
The quarter-mile clay oval on the property runs a regular schedule of late-model and modified races. It is a throwback to a grittier era of motorsport, and on warm evenings the red Carolina clay dust hangs in the floodlights like fog. The crowd here tends to be smaller and more local, the concession stands simpler, and the action closer. You can feel the rumble of the cars through the aluminum bleacher seats.
The Roval Road Course
The 2.28-mile Roval weaves through the infield and onto sections of the oval, combining tight hairpns with high-speed banked sweeps. It hosts the Bank of America ROVAL 400 each October, and race weekends here have a different flavor from the traditional oval events. The infield sections bring cars close enough that you can hear tire squeal and see brake rotors glowing orange at dusk.
Practical Information
Opening Hours
The speedway grounds host events year-round and tour schedules vary by season and race calendar. On non-event days, the Feel the Thrill Speedway Tour and the Infield Experience run on a set schedule, though it is worth confirming times before you drive out. Tours operate rain or shine, so a drizzly Tuesday will not cancel your visit, though it might dampen the atmosphere somewhat.
Tickets & Pricing
For tours, you can reserve by phone or walk up to the Tour Desk on the second floor of Smith Tower. The Feel the Thrill tour is the flagship option and takes you through the NASCAR Cup Series garage area with a ride through two infield race tracks. The Infield Experience has a van ride around the inside and outside of the NASCAR infield at a gentler pace, better suited for families with young children or visitors who want the scenery without the speed. Costs are modest for both, well below what you would pay for a theme park admission. Race tickets are a different matter entirely: the Coca-Cola 600 in May and the Bank of America ROVAL 400 in October sell briskly, and good seats for the 600 in particular tend to move early. Booking well in advance is the difference between sitting in the upper grandstands and sitting where you can smell the exhaust.
Best Time to Visit
May race week, anchored by the Coca-Cola 600, is the signature Charlotte Motor Speedway experience. It is also the most crowded and expensive window of the year. October for the Roval race is a strong alternative, with cooler weather and slightly thinner crowds. For a quieter visit, midweek non-race-day tours in spring or early fall let you explore the facility without fighting for parking or competing with 80,000 other fans for elbow room. Summer tours can be brutally hot on the exposed asphalt. Plan for the morning if you are visiting between June and August.
Suggested Duration
A single tour runs roughly 60 to 90 minutes. If you want to pair the Feel the Thrill tour with a walk around the public areas and a stop at the gift shop, budget half a day. On race weekends, most fans arrive early and stay late. Plan for a full-day commitment that includes tailgating, pre-race festivities, and the race itself.
Getting There
Charlotte Motor Speedway sits off Interstate 85 in Concord, about 20 minutes northeast of Uptown Charlotte with clear traffic. From I-85, Exit 49 puts you onto Bruton Smith Boulevard, and from there it is roughly a mile to the speedway entrance at US 29. If you are coming from south of Charlotte or from South Carolina, I-77 North to the I-485 outer loop, then U.S.
29 North or N.C. 49 North will get you there without cutting through downtown. Free parking is available in the northwest lot near the dirt track, across US-29, while closer paid lots are available at a premium on race days. Public transit to the speedway is limited and not convenient. Ride-share services, hotel shuttles, and driving remain the practical options.
On race weekends, traffic on Bruton Smith Boulevard and the surrounding roads backs up considerably. Arriving well before the green flag is not just a suggestion. It is the difference between a relaxed tailgate and sitting in a crawl on the highway. ADA-accessible parking is available via Entrance T off Bruton Smith Boulevard on a first-come, first-served basis.
Things to Do Nearby
Located in Uptown Charlotte, about 20 minutes from the speedway, the Hall of Fame pairs well with a speedway visit because it provides the historical and cultural context for what you just walked through. It is the kind of place that converts skeptics. Even if you think you do not care about stock car racing, the storytelling and artifacts tend to pull you in.
One of the largest outlet malls in the Southeast, Concord Mills sits just a few minutes from the speedway and makes for an easy add-on, if you have non-motorsport fans in your group who need something to do. The SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium is inside the mall, with underwater tunnels that kids tend to love.
Union Street in downtown Concord has a walkable stretch of boutiques, galleries, and restaurants that feels like a different planet from the speedway. The old brick storefronts and shaded sidewalks offer a quiet counterpoint to an afternoon spent listening to engines. There are enough local dining spots to make an evening of it.
Several NASCAR teams base their operations in the Charlotte area, and a handful of team shops along the Concord corridor welcome visitors. Race week tours from the speedway sometimes include stops at these shops. But you can also visit independently. Seeing fabrication bays and transporters up close adds a layer of appreciation for the engineering side of the sport.
If you are traveling with children, the year-round indoor water park at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord is a reliable fallback for a rainy day or a post-speedway cooldown. It is squarely a family resort, not a thrill destination for adults. It keeps younger visitors happy while the grown-ups recover from a long day in the sun.
Tips & Advice
Tours & Activities at Charlotte Motor Speedway
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