Race Week, Charlotte, NC

NASCAR Takes Over the Town

by Ericka Foster | April 18, 2010

This year's Race Week begins with the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 22 and ends with the Coca-Cola 600, which takes place on May 28, 2010. Between these two races is the 16th Annual Food Lion Speed Street.

The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on kicks off with a pre-race concert starring rock band Creed. This year, they've added a twist to the 10-lap race, which will consist of four segments, concluding with a 10-lap sprint and a $1 million payout to the race winner. Once the field takes a lap behind the pace car, before the green flag drops for the final segment, all cars must enter pit road for a four-tire stop.

Country singer Josh Turner will be performing for the 16th Annual Food Lion Speed Street. The free event features food, entertainment and racing fun. The event takes place in a new location this year, in closer proximity to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opens May 11.

For fans attending the festival and visiting the NASCAR Hall of Fame, guests are encouraged to utilize Tryon Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard as the safest route to reach the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Race Week concludes with the Coca-Cola 600, the only 600-mile race this season, testing the drivers' endurance.

More than 50 hotels within approximately one hour of the 1.5-mile superspeedway have agreed to reduce their race week room rates by 15 percent and waive the minimum stay requirements.