Charlotte Motor Speedway Tours

Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord — 15 minutes northeast of Charlotte — is one of the most storied venues in American motorsports. The 1.5-mile oval hosts multiple NASCAR Cup Series events per year including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 (the longest race in NASCAR), and the adjacent ZMax Dragway is the premier drag racing facility in the country.

Guided tours run on non-race days and take families through spaces typically reserved for team members and media: pit road, the infield, victory lane, and the media center. Pit road is the most impactful stop — standing in the actual 60-foot pit box where a tire change team operates during a race gives kids a concrete sense of the precision and speed involved in NASCAR racing. Victory lane, where every winning driver celebrates, is recognizable from thousands of television broadcasts.

The speedway also houses the Richard Petty Driving Experience — a program that lets participants either ride as a passenger in a NASCAR stock car at race speeds, or actually drive one. The passenger ride is available for families with teens (minimum age varies; check current requirements). The drive experience is adult-only but a memorable add-on for parents.

For NASCAR fans of any age, Charlotte Motor Speedway is a pilgrimage destination. For families who aren't particularly into racing, the tour is still a fascinating piece of American sports history — the engineering, the spectacle, and the scale of an 86,000-seat oval dedicated to going very fast are worth experiencing regardless of fan status.