CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Originally known as the Charlotte Motor Speedway until February 1999, Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte is one of the busiest sports sites in the country. It organizes more than 380 day and nighttime events every year. The areas adjacent to the tracks are more appealing for TV commercials and movies.

 

Auto manufacturers and race teams, who want to test their new designed cars and various driving schools, also use the 1.5-mile speedway. The track is the largest outdoor stadium in the southeast, stretched to 2,000 acres in Concord, North Carolina, located about 15 miles northeast of Charlotte. Winston Cup series is one of the most integral parts of this speedway, operating from last 40 years holding several NASCAR events and the Coca Cola 600.

 

Lowe's Motor Speedway is a leading promoter and marketer of motor sports activities in the United States, made on the concept of keeping spectator and competitor comfort a high priority.

(Source: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Official Website. NASCAR 2003)

 

HISTORY OF CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

In 1959, for a small sum of $1.9 million, Lowe's Motor Speedway was designed and constructed by promoter Bruton Smith. After the initial construction, the speedway has gone through many renovation phases. Modified by the revolutionary lighting process, (with the total cost of $1.7 million) using mirrors to stimulate daylight without glare or shadows in 1992, the track became the first speedway to host auto racing at night also.

 

In 1995, 40 special 32-seat boxes and 20 new executive suites along with more than 10,000 stadium-style seats were added in turn four. To accommodate, 26,000 race fans for The Winston and Coca-Cola 600, the Diamond Tower Terrace grandstand was opened in May 1997. After two years, in May 1998, the expansion of 11,000-seat was completed at the new Diamond Tower Terrace in order to increase the total seating capacity to approximately 147,000. More than 10,000 new seats were added in the Fourth Turn Terrace grandstand in May 1999. In May 2000, 11,500 -seats were expanded at the Ford grandstand on the front-stretch to make the total seating capacity of approximately 167,000, which became the part of a double deck addition to the track. These new seats featuring grandstand seats and unique open skyboxes facilities have become the envy of racetrack owners everywhere. Presently, Lowe's Motor Speedway features its corporate offices, ticket office, souvenir gift shop, and leased office space with an exclusive dining and entertainment facility at The Speedway Club.

 

The dirt track, four-tenths-mile clay oval at Lowe's Motor Speedway was completed across Highway 29 from the speedway in May 2000. The stadium is also host to the Pennzoil World of Outlaws sprint cars, dirt late model stock cars, the AMA Grand National motorcycles, the Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series and Monster Trucks -style with the seating capacity of nearly 15,000 seats.

 

The track is host to three NASCAR Winston Cup events per season with two NASCAR Busch Series aces, a pair of Automobile Racing Club of America events and a Goodie’s Dash Series race. It also organizes two of the nation's largest car shows and swap meets, the Food Lion Auto Fairs in April and September. Many corporations like IBM, UNOCAL, Miller Brewing, Coca-Cola, Duracell, Wendy's and Lipton Tea have pasteurized the track to film television commercials or to entertain employees and clients with food, music and race car rides. Movies like "Days of Thunder," "Speedway" and "Stroker Ace" and the music video of Tracy Lawrence's "If the Good Die Young" have also been filmed at the speedway. The track became the first sports facility in America, offering living accommodations.

 

SEATING ARRANGEMENTS AND DETAILING

 

Source: Charlotte Motor Speedway. Official Website. NASCAR 2003

Audiences can experience fun and thrill of the race on Quad-Oval track with the seating capacity is 167,000. Over 150 acres, around 9,000 spaces are laid out by thousands of vendors and divided up between four separate fields, the orange and blue markets were on the famous 1.5-mile track's infield, and the green and the red outside of the track.

 

In May 19, 1990, David Gaines, a sportsman division driver was killed in a multi-car crash. Gaines’ death was the seventh among racing participants at the track and the first since 1978, when motorcycle racer Thomas J. DeBlass III was killed. After this tragic incident, three spectators died and eight other fans were injured critically after being hit by debris from a three-car wreck during the Indy Racing League event in May 1, 1999. Again after one year, in May 20, 2000, more than 100 people with 13 critically injured at the concrete pedestrian walkway spanning a four-lane highway in front of the speedway collapsed as they left NASCAR’s The Winston all-star race. A 30-foot section of the 15-foot-high bridge connecting the track to a parking lot broke in half and fell onto U.S. Highway 29.

 

TICKET PRICING AND DETAILS

 

 

PRICING REGULATIONS

It will take you to a page where further instructions will walk you through the process of ordering a ticket for one of our events. Credit card orders are accepted. If purchasing by phone call our ticket office at (704) 455-3200 or (800) 455-FANS during regular business hours. Credit card orders are accepted. If the seats you request have already been sold, we will select seats as close as possible to your request. Ticket office hours are currently 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday -- all hours given are Eastern Time.

 

If purchasing by mail send check or credit card information to Ticket Manager, Lowe's Motor Speedway, P.O. Box 600, Concord, NC 28026-0600. No personal checks accepted after April 1, 2003 for spring 2003 races. No personal checks accepted after September 1, 2003 for fall 2003 races. Race week orders and those paid too late to mail will be held at "Paid Reservations" windows. No orders will be mailed race week and no orders will be mailed without postage enclosed with ticket order.