Things To Do In North Carolina During The October NASCAR Race

For all you crazy and excited NASCAR fans coming to Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina October 8 - October 11, I hope to help make your stay in beautiful North Carolina more enjoyable while you are here.

Below is a basic schedule of what the track has planned courtesy of www.lowesmotorspeedway.com:

Wednesday, October 8: Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown-Presented by Ferris Mower
This proves to be a very exciting event at the Lowe's Dirt Track where all the cars will be racing "topless" meaning they will have to compete without their fiberglass tops.
Start time: 7:30pm
Pricing: $25 Adults
$ 5 12-under kids

Thursday, October 9: Bojangles Pole Night
Watch as each driver takes the track to secure their spot in the Bank of America 500 race on Saturday
Start Time: 3:00-4:30 (Practice)
4:40-5:45 (Legends Race)
6:00-7:00 (Final Practice)
7:10 (Qualifying)
9:00 (approx) Mascot Mania
Pricing: Adults-Advance $12
Adults-Day of $20
Age 6-12 $1
Age 5-Under Free

Friday, October 10, Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series
Start Time: 3:05pm Qualifying Begins
5:00pm - 5:45pm Practice
6:20-7:20 Final Practice
8:00 Dollar General 300
Pricing: Varies, visit website for more information
Saturday, October 11, Bank of America 500
This will be race 5 in the 10-race Chase for the Championship
Start Time: Green Flag drops at 7:25pm
Pricing: Varies, visit website for more information

Lowe's Motor Speedway is offering for the first time this year, where fans can purchase their race tickets and will be seated around fans of their favorite driver. They are calling this "Driver Select Seating Sections". For $69, you will get a ticket to both the Dollar General 300 and the Bank of America 500 seated in a specific area surrounded by your favorite driver's fans. The drivers available for this option are: Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kyle Bush and Kasey Kahne.

There are also other options available for special purchasing and packages. See the website for more information.

What can you do outside the track?

There is always Concord Mills Mall that is just up the street from the track. It has a variety of Outlets and Stores available for browsing or shopping. You have everything from Bass Pro Shops, Burlington Coat Factory, Circuit City, Books A Million, TJ Maxx, Gap, Aeropostle and many more.
Concord Mills also offers several venues for entertainment such as Dave & Busters which has video games, bowling, pool tables, big screen TV's a bar and restaurant. There is also NASCAR Speedpark which also has a variety of video games. It also has both indoor and outdoor go kart tracks. There is laser tag available as well as putt putt golf. If you are interested in catching a movie, there is the AMC 24 Theatre attached to the Mall as well.

If the mall is not your choice of atmosphere, you can drive around and visit many of the Racing Team shops. Some allow public tours and have gift shops available for purchases.
www.raceshoptours.net is a website that offers a structured tour of many of the race shops at a reasonable rate. Check out her website and I am sure you will find a tour that suits your wants. Lowes Motor Speedway also offer "Feel the Thrill" tour where you get to shop in the gift shop and take a van ride around the track and on the 24 degree banking. You will get to see the Garage area, Victory Circle and Pit Road.

If you are looking for something else outside of racing to adventure in during your visit,
Downtown Charlotte is just 30 minutes away with many great restaurants, Bank of America Stadium and Time Warner Cable Arena.
There is also the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte that is only minutes away. Check out their website for more information: www.usnwc.org

If animals is more your cup of tea, Lazy 5 Ranch is just up the road outside of Mooresville (home to a lot of the Racing Shops). Lazy 5 Ranch is a drive through park with exotic animals. You can either drive through the 3.5 mile tour in your own vehicle or for a small additional price, you can ride a horse drawn wagon for the tour. Either tour allows you to get up close and personal with most of these exotic animals and even allows you to feed most of them. It is quite interesting and fun when an animal eats directly out of your hand. Check out their website for more information on this fun and exciting adventure: www.lazyfiveranch.com

I hope this helps you to enjoy your stay while in Concord/Charlotte, North Carolina and will encourage you to return in the future.