Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [27]
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Admit it: you’ve been fascinated with stock car racing since Kenny Rogers’ 1982 film, Six Pack. Or maybe it was more recently, when you rooted on Ricky Bobby to whup Borat’s ass in Talladega Nights. Or maybe you just think Tom Cruise looked cute in his fire suit in Days of Thunder. Point being, unless you already spend your Saturday afternoons glued to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, you probably owe the full sum of your NASCAR knowledge to Hollywood. Well, it ain’t like that. NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is a well-oiled machine that employs mechanics with engineering degrees from MIT, boasts 75 million fans, counts $3 billion in licensing revenue, and is the second most popular sport on American TV. Start your engines: it’s time to see what all the fuss is about.
The Charlotte area is the undisputed capital of NASCAR, where the majority of teams, owners, governing bodies and fans are based. Memory Lane Motorsports & Historic Automotive Museum in nearby Mooresville, north of Charlotte, is a good spot to brush up on a little car history – it features one of the largest private collections of retired NASCAR vehicles. Pay homage to NASCAR’s most revered driver, the late Dale Earnhardt, at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., about 9-miles southeast. Earnhardt was killed when he slammed into the wall at the Daytona 500 in 2001. This is the corporate headquarters of all things Earnhardt, but the showroom, museum and store are open to the public.
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TIME
8 days
DISTANCE
1120 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Feb – Nov
START
Mooresville, NC
END
Daytona Beach, FL
ALSO GOOD FOR
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Head back to I-85 (south bound) to exit 49 for Speedway Blvd to Concord, and stop in for some hot wings at Quaker Steak & Lube. It claims to be America’s number-one motorsports-themed family restaurant (but competition is surely clamoring to dethrone them soon). At any rate, it’s full of race fans and 21 different hot wing sauces ranging from Ranch to Atomic. There are also plenty of beers and margaritas flowing, so we’re questioning that family claim.
From Quaker, it’s 2 miles to Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Catching a race here is like watching the Joga Bonito in Brazil. Getting out on the track yourself is like jumping in the goal for penalty kicks against Ronaldinho, so ditch your car keys and get suited up for the Richard Petty Driving Experience. You can book a ride-along experience on race weekends that could soon have you riding shotgun in a two-seat stock car pushing speeds upwards of 150mph. If you’ve got the cash, you can get behind the wheel and roar off into the sunset yourself (the sunset to the left). Another interesting stop near the track is the Sam Bass Gallery, home to the gallery of NASCAR’s first sanctioned artist. Tired of driving? Good thing the Embassy Suites is here, a 10-minute walk from the track. Location, location, location. Don’t leave the area without stopping into Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s sleek bar and live-music venue Whiskey River, in Uptown Charlotte.
From Charlotte, head on 150 miles north on I-77 and east on Hwy 421 to Johnson City, TN and drop your bags at the Carnegie, the nicest hotel in town and nearest to the Bristol Motor Speedway, your next pit stop. The track is located 20 miles north in Bristol, where the curvy hills of Eastern Tennessee will do little to prepare you for the drama elicited from this driver-favorite track and the steepest banking in NASCAR. A night race here is said to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can tour the track here, which includes a lap around the “world’s fastest half mile,” a visit to Pit Road, and a tour of the Dragway.
Sustenance in these parts means barbecue. Four miles south of the track is Ridgewood Barbecue in Bluff City, a Tennessee institution and road-food classic. It’s all about the pork – fresh ham