NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The return of NASCAR to North Wilkesboro is more than just race cars speeding around the track.
It's also about the money thousands of racing fans spend when they visit the town.
WFMY News 2 spoke a local businesses near the North Wilkesboro Speedway about the economic boost from fans.
Although the rainy weekend put a damper on racing, nothing could put the brakes on hungry patrons at The Lost Wombat.
"Due to the races unfortunately being canceled yesterday due to the weather, we did have a big influx of people from out-of-town and out-of-state," Owner Mick Zulpo recalled.
He owns several businesses in Downtown Wilkesboro, he said people come for the race but he hopes to see them stay and enjoy his beautiful city.
"The race brings traffic to town and it's a great opportunity for us to expose Wilkes County," Zuplo said.
Some locals said it's exciting to see their city filled with tourists, Austin Holloway said it wasn't always like this.
"It's a good source of economy for the town, it helps bring a lot more people to North Wilkesboro. It used to be pretty dead around here until they brought the race back," he shared.
One local believes it's more than just visitors, he said some folks are choosing to stay in Wilkesboro.
"A lot of people who visit Wilkes seem to like it and we definitely have a lot of folks moving into the area,"
Jacob Osborne said.
Whether it's to see the city or stop by for a bite to eat. Zulpo said he wants to make a lasting impression.
"They might come for race week, but if we give them a good experience it might give them the chance to come back to Wilkes outside of race week," he shared.
A recent study by the state said visitors to the North Wilkesboro Speedway brought in nearly $29 million last year.