Race Tracks Near Charlotte
Charlotte is the capital of American stock car racing, and it shows: Charlotte Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile quad-oval, its companion zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte sit just 25 minutes from downtown in Concord, alongside most NASCAR teams' race shops. Push out an hour or two and the density only grows - Bowman Gray Stadium's flat quarter-mile in Winston-Salem, the recently revived North Wilkesboro Speedway and Rockingham Speedway, and NASCAR's oldest track, Martinsville Speedway, just across the Virginia line. Darlington Raceway, the sport's original superspeedway, is under an hour and a half southeast. Beneath the NASCAR-famous venues sits one of the country's thickest grassroots short-track scenes: weekly dirt ovals like Millbridge, Carolina Speedway and Cherokee Speedway, plus drag strips at zMAX, Mooresville and Piedmont. Trackhouse Motorplex in Mooresville and Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC give road racers and karters somewhere to run too. Few metros anywhere pack in this much active and historic motorsport within a two-hour drive.
27 venues listed across 6 categories. Venues with a full RaceTrackWorld guide are linked.
Road courses in Charlotte
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Motorsports Park | Kershaw, SC | 55 min | 2.3 mi | 2.3-mile road course southeast of Charlotte used for SCCA, NASA and motorcycle club racing and track days. |
Ovals and speedways in Charlotte
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Motor Speedway | Concord, NC | 25 min | 1.5 mi | 1.5-mile quad-oval hosting the Coca-Cola 600 and NASCAR All-Star Race, with the adjoining Roval road course used for a Cup playoff race. |
| Lancaster Speedway | Lancaster, SC | 40 min | — | Weekly dirt oval south of Charlotte running Late Model and crate divisions. |
| Hickory Motor Speedway | Newton, NC | 55 min | 0.363 mi | The 'Birthplace of NASCAR Stars,' a banked paved short track that launched the careers of numerous Cup champions and still runs weekly Late Model racing. |
| Ace Speedway | Altamahaw, NC | 1 h 5 min | 0.4 mi | Historic four-tenths-mile paved oval northeast of Charlotte running weekly Late Model and stock car racing. |
| Caraway Speedway | Sophia, NC | 1 h 5 min | 0.455 mi | Banked asphalt short track east of Charlotte hosting weekly Late Model and CARS Tour events. |
| Bowman Gray Stadium | Winston-Salem, NC | 1 h 10 min | 0.25 mi | Flat quarter-mile stadium track that has run weekly NASCAR-sanctioned racing every summer since 1949, the longest-running weekly NASCAR program in the country. |
| North Wilkesboro Speedway | North Wilkesboro, NC | 1 h 15 min | 0.625 mi | Historic five-eighths-mile oval revived by Speedway Motorsports in 2023 and now host to the NASCAR All-Star Race. |
| Darlington Raceway | Darlington, SC | 1 h 25 min | 1.366 mi | NASCAR's oldest superspeedway, the egg-shaped 'Lady in Black,' hosting the Southern 500 Labor Day weekend each year. |
| Rockingham Speedway | Rockingham, NC | 1 h 35 min | 1.017 mi | One-mile oval known as 'The Rock,' reopened after renovation and now hosting NASCAR Truck Series and short-track events. |
| Martinsville Speedway | Ridgeway, VA | 1 h 35 min | 0.526 mi | NASCAR's oldest and shortest track still on the Cup schedule, a flat half-mile paperclip that has hosted NASCAR racing since 1949. |
| South Boston Speedway | South Boston, VA | 1 h 40 min | 0.4 mi | Four-tenths-mile paved oval near the North Carolina line running weekly Late Model Stock and CARS Tour racing. |
Drag strips in Charlotte
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| zMAX Dragway | Concord, NC | 25 min | 0.25 mi | Four-lane, all-concrete NHRA national-event dragstrip on the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex, hosting the NHRA Carolina Nationals. |
| Mooresville Dragway | Mooresville, NC | 30 min | 0.25 mi | Local quarter-mile drag strip north of Charlotte running weekly test-and-tune and bracket racing. |
| Farmington Dragway | Mocksville, NC | 55 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile bracket drag strip west of Winston-Salem running weekly test-and-tune and points racing. |
| Piedmont Dragway | Julian, NC | 1 h 5 min | 0.25 mi | IHRA-affiliated quarter-mile strip east of Greensboro hosting regular bracket and index racing. |
Dirt tracks in Charlotte
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dirt Track at Charlotte | Concord, NC | 25 min | 0.4 mi | Clay oval on the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex hosting World of Outlaws and Charlotte Dirt Nationals events. |
| East Lincoln Speedway | Stanley, NC | 30 min | — | Weekly dirt oval west of Charlotte running street stock and crate late model divisions. |
| Carolina Speedway | Gastonia, NC | 30 min | 0.333 mi | One-third-mile dirt oval west of Charlotte with a decades-long weekly Late Model program. |
| Millbridge Speedway | Salisbury, NC | 35 min | — | Multi-configuration dirt oval northeast of Charlotte that runs UMP and open-wheel Modified events alongside kart racing. |
| Cherokee Speedway | Gaffney, SC | 50 min | 0.375 mi | Three-eighths-mile dirt oval south of Charlotte hosting Late Model and Crate Late Model touring series races. |
| Tri-County Speedway | Granite Falls, NC | 1 h 5 min | — | Weekly dirt oval in the foothills northwest of Charlotte. |
| Friendship Motor Speedway | Elkin, NC | 1 h 10 min | — | Dirt oval near the Virginia foothills running weekly local racing. |
Karting in Charlotte
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trackhouse Motorplex | Mooresville, NC | 30 min | — | Purpose-built karting complex north of Charlotte (formerly GoPro Motorplex) hosting national and regional sprint kart series. |
Closed and historic in Charlotte
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte SpeedwayClosed | Charlotte, NC | 20 min | 0.75 mi | Dirt oval that hosted NASCAR's first-ever Strictly Stock race in 1949; the site is now redeveloped. |
| Metrolina SpeedwayClosed | Charlotte, NC | 20 min | 0.25 mi | Long-running quarter-mile dirt oval inside Charlotte that closed as the surrounding area was redeveloped. |
| Concord SpeedwayClosed | Midland, NC | 25 min | 0.4 mi | Historic dirt/paved oval east of Charlotte that hosted early NASCAR races before closing. |
Major race weekends in Charlotte
| Event | Venue | When | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | May | NASCAR Cup Series |
| NASCAR All-Star Race | North Wilkesboro Speedway | May | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | October | NASCAR Cup Series |
| NHRA Carolina Nationals | zMAX Dragway | September | NHRA |
| Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | September | NASCAR Cup Series |
| NASCAR Cup Series weekend | Martinsville Speedway | April/October | NASCAR Cup Series |
Track days and driving experiences in Charlotte
Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC is the metro's main road course for open HPDE and club racing days, typically $300-$550 depending on organiser and run group. Charlotte Motor Speedway occasionally opens its oval and Roval configurations for driving experiences and corporate events. For weekly grassroots racing rather than open track days, Hickory Motor Speedway, Ace Speedway and the region's dirt ovals welcome licensed cars most Friday and Saturday nights through the season.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest race track to Charlotte?+
Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord is the closest major venue at about 25 minutes from downtown, alongside its companion zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte on the same complex.
Where can I watch NASCAR near Charlotte?+
Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts the Coca-Cola 600 and NASCAR All-Star weekend among other Cup and Xfinity races. Within about 90 minutes you can also reach Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway, and North Wilkesboro Speedway now runs the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Is there horse racing near Charlotte too?+
This guide covers motorsport only. There's no major horse racing track in the immediate Charlotte area to note here.
Where can I do a track day near Charlotte?+
Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC, about 55 minutes southeast, is the region's primary road course for open HPDE and club racing days.
Is North Wilkesboro Speedway open again?+
Yes. North Wilkesboro Speedway, closed for most of the 1990s-2010s, was renovated and reopened by Speedway Motorsports in 2023 and now hosts the NASCAR All-Star Race and other events.
Can I drag race near Charlotte?+
zMAX Dragway in Concord, about 25 minutes from downtown, is an NHRA national-event strip. Mooresville Dragway, Farmington Dragway and Piedmont Dragway offer local test-and-tune and bracket racing further out.
Venue list checked against 11 sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.
Track guides within 120 miles of Charlotte
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Address: 5555 Concord Pkwy S, Concord NC 28027 USA Website: https://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 800-...
Carolina Motorsports Park
Address: PO Box 366, Kershaw SC 29067 USA Website: http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 803 475 2448 ...
Darlington Raceway
Address: 1301 Harry Byrd Hwy Darlington SC, 29532 USA Website: https://www.darlingtonraceway.com/ Phone Number: (+1) 843-395-8900 Hotels Near Darli...
Martinsville Speedway
Address: 340 Speedway Rd Ridgeway, VA 24148 USA Website: https://www.martinsvillespeedway.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: 877-722-3849 ...
Bristol Motor Speedway
Address: 151 Speedway Blvd., Bristol TN, 37620 USA Website: http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 423-989...