On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially classified COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Shortly thereafter, the entertainment industry – along with nearly every other facet of life – came to a screeching halt. Staying true to its motto of putting fans first, Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) shifted gears from its traditional schedule of events to focus on serving the community, CMS orchestrated a number of community service initiatives to support recovery efforts and produced a variety of COVID-safe entertainment options to give people a sense of normalcy during times that were anything but normal.
“The past year has been a tremendous challenge for all of us in the entertainment business,” said Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter. “But from those challenges came great opportunities to serve and I cannot be prouder of the efforts our team put forth to work for the greater good of our community.
“As we continue to see trends moving in a positive direction, all of us at America’s Home for Racing join our fans in looking forward to days filled with packed grandstands at events like those that defined us long before anyone knew about COVID-19.”
Highlights of the speedway’s COVID-related community efforts since the pandemic began:
- Distributed 32,000 vaccinations during two (three-day) mass vaccination events in partnership with Atrium Health, Tepper Sports and Entertainment and Honeywell
- Served 202 consecutive days as a drive-thru COVID testing facility with Atrium Health
- Hosted socially distanced drive-thru commencement exercises for 2,800 area high school seniors
- Packaged and distributed 32,000+ meals to families in need in support of Esther’s Heart, BlueCross Blue Shield of North Carolina, the Latin American Chamber of Commerce-Charlotte and Coca-Cola
- Produced nine nights of live drive-in concerts including a 1,500-car Avett Brothers event that sold out in seven minutes
- Partnered with Coca-Cola and the Carolina Panthers to host Joy to the Carolinas, sharing food, clothes and toys with 1,500 local families in need
- Executed a COVID-safe Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 NASCAR playoff race with 6,600 fans on-site and millions more tuned in across the globe
Click here for more information on the speedway’s community service and entertainment initiatives during the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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