CONCORD, N.C. — The long-running uptown street festival that’s celebrated NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 each May has found a new home. Circle K Speed Street will be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway May 27-29.
Grammy-nominated rapper Flo Rida will headline festivities on Friday, while Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller will take the stage on Saturday.
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On Thursday, the main entrance to Speed Street was already set up. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to tour it prior to the Coca-Cola 600.
The event will also include a 10-acre fan zone where there will be driver appearances by some of NASCAR’s biggest names, interactive games and displays, food trucks, souvenir haulers and other activities.
The festival opens at 2 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
“The pandemic gave us a great opportunity to look at Speed Street in an effort to reinvent the experience and bring even more entertainment to the fans,” said Jay Howard, executive director of the 600 Festival, the nonprofit organization that has produced Speed Street for more than 25 years. “As we invest in growing the festival to make it an even bigger draw, working alongside our partners Charlotte Motor Speedway to create a one-stop party spot on Memorial Day weekend, just makes a lot of sense.”
Speed Street will be open each day to fans with a ticket to any of the weekend’s three NASCAR events on May 27-29, including Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 and Sunday’s Cola-Cola 600.
Single-day tickets for Speed Street access will also be available for $20 at the gate.
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“Our grandstand tickets (for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600) are already sold out. We still have standing-only tickets,” Scott Cooper with Charlotte Motor Speedway told Channel 9 on Wednesday. “Certainly, tickets for Friday and Saturday are still available. But Sunday looks like a tremendous day to celebrate Memorial Day weekend, celebrate the troops and a great 600 mile race.”
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Traffic Team 9 has alternate routes to get around Speed Street traffic
People heading to Concord this week may have to allocate some extra time for traffic.
>> In the video below, Traffic Team 9′s Mark Taylor has some suggestions to get there faster and alternate routes to get around the traffic.
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