auto racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
track located in northeast
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
The track, also known as Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway', was 1/2 mile (.804 km) in length and had a clay surface. It was paved for a short time in the 1970s to allow the
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
circuit to hold races there. Many racers have raced at Metrolina Speedway, including Dale Earnhardt Sr.,
Brad Teague
Brad Teague (born December 9, 1947) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a veteran of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series.
Personal life
Teague was born in Buladean, North Caroli ...
, and
Harry Gant
Harold Phil Gant"Harry P. Gant" (born January 10, 1940) is an American former
Metrolina
The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and R ...
region of
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
and
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
.
In 2009, plans were announced to reopen the track as the Metrolina Speed and Sport Center. The track was to be repaved and the plans included a Go-Kart track, outdoor RC racing track, a hotel, and roof-top skate park but the proposal failed to move forward.
The track was the subject of the first episode of '' Lost Speedways'' on
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
hosted by
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster. A third-generation driver, he is the son of the late 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and relative ...
A FedEx logistics center now sits next to the site.