CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — As North Carolina communities recover from the pandemic, motorsports venues help enhance local tourism, travel, and the hospitality industry.
The Charlotte Motor Speedway and Coca-Cola 600 expect to bring an economic boost to Cabarrus County.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway announced that fans will be visiting us from all 50 states and I believe 12 foreign countries," Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau Communications Manager Julie Hinson said.
When thousands of spectators come to the speedway, they are expected to bring with them a boost to the region's economy.
“Visitor spending in 2020 actually reached over $287-million,” Hinson.
Now that events like Coca-Cola 600 are happening in full force, there's hope that number will be even higher.
“The pandemic certainly impacted the hospitality industry here in Cabarrus County," Hinson said. “We’re thrilled to move forward and be looking ahead.”
The weekend of racing is one of the region's biggest tourism draws.
“I think it’s impossible to state the importance of Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Cabarrus Brewing Company Co-Founder Steve Steinbacher said.
Businesses like Cabarrus Brewing Company, look forward to it each year.
“Costs are going up, there is still a lot of uncertainty that we as a business like many other are dealing with," Steinbacher said.
But with more fans, there's hope to get the economy back to driving full throttle.
“It’s always a good turn out and it's always a great driver of not bringing only new people into town but it does a great job of bringing out the people who live here," Steinbacher said.