Free Race Shop Map to NASCAR Country

A new pull-out map featuring all of North Carolina’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race shops is now available from the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau as part of its newly released annual Visitors Guide. The map contains directions to the race shops, a description of each, and the times they are open to visitors. Also included on the map are descriptions of major stops along The Dale Trail, a self-guided tour of landmarks relating to Dale Earnhardt’s life and NASCAR career in and around Kannapolis, the NASCAR legend’s hometown.  Click here to order a free guide.

Cabarrus County is home to the world’s largest concentration of motorsports attractions, including Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the superspeedway most drivers call home. Sprint Cup teams based in Cabarrus County or nearby include Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports (left), Yates Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sebates, Haas CNC Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip’s Raceworld USA, Team Red Bull, Penske Racing and BAM Racing. Still within North Carolina and within an hour’s drive are even more – Richard Childress Racing, Bill Davis Racing, Richard Petty Museum and Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Joey Logano and Chrissy Wallace Autograph Event

As part of its National Tourism Week celebration, the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau will host two of NASCAR’s brightest shooting stars, Joey Logano (below left) and Chrissy Wallace (right), for a FREE autograph event at the Cabarrus County Visitor Center at I-85 Exit 60 on Friday, May 16, 2008, from 11am to 1pm. Local author Anita Rich will also be present for a book signing, and copies of her new book, Portraits of NASCAR (below right), will be available for purchase.

Logano, a 17-year-old racing sensation, turns 18 on May 24, and one week later on May 31 he makes his Nationwide Series debut in Dover, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Mark Martin calls Joey Logano “the real deal.” In fact, Martin says at 17 Joey already has more talent than some of the drivers he regularly competes against in the big leagues of NASCAR. At 17 Logano already has more than a dozen years of driving experience. Logano also did the Cabarrus CVB’s holiday video last year.

Wallace, daughter and niece of the popular Wallace family of NASCAR racers, is another local racing sensation who has been receiving national media attention. The 20-year-old Wallace made her NASCAR debut March 29 in the Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 250 and will drive five Truck races and five ARCA races this season for Germain Racing. Wallace is determined to continue her ground-breaking career as a successful driver and role model for women who want to compete in any environment.

Flowers, Food and Flair: Concord Garden Tour Coming June 7

Six homeowners will open their private gardens to the public during the Garden Tour of Concord on June 7, 2008 from 10am-4pm. The tour will take place in Historic Downtown Concord, a thriving business district and historic neighborhood dating back to 1882. View Flickr Gallery

Visitors are invited to stroll through six unique gardens that range from a Charleston-style landscape to a garden planted in red and white. At each home, garden owners will answer questions about the creation and maintenance of their home landscapes, and visitors can sample food from unique Concord restaurants. View Interactive Map

The self-guided tour begins on the lawn at historic Locke Mill with registration, a silent auction and a raffle, courtesy of Carolina Tree and Turf. It then continues down Union Street and onto Washington Lane in Concord. The Memorial Gardens on Spring Street will also be featured on the tour.

The garden tour celebrates the vitality of downtown Concord by showcasing public and private spaces. Visitors who choose to walk the 2.2-mile route can stroll through downtown Concord, enjoying the gardens and businesses along the way. The Cabarrus Arts Council Galleries at 65 Union St S will be open during the tour with art exhibits echoing the garden theme. The Cannon Memorial Library at 27 Union St N will offer a children’s story hour from 2-3 pm featuring garden stories.

Parking convenient to the registration location is available at Forest Hill United Methodist Church on the corner of Union and Buffalo Streets. The tour, which takes place rain or shine, benefits the Junior Charity League of Concord. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 5-10. For tickets or for more information, contact the Junior Charity League of Concord at 704-652-0669 or visit their website, www.jclofconcord.com.

Fun at and Between the Races

Hundreds of thousands of people come to Concord during the big races - but they sometimes don’t know all the other things they can do when they are here. The great thing about Cabarrus County is that you can come for a big event like a race, then stay another day or two and make a vacation about it. We have all of the Race Shops within short distance, as well as other racing-themed attractions such as Backing Up Classics, Sam Bass Gallery, NASCAR Speedpark, and many others. We also have NC’s #1 tourist attraction just down the street from the Speedway - Concord Mills. Add to that a few more fun activities like Reed Gold Mine, Cannon Village (with the wonderful Gem Theatre) in Kannapolis, and Historic Downtown Concord, and you have a well-rounded vacation for all ages and interests!

Foot Fist Way Momentum Building

Copies of The Foot Fist Way (filmed right here in Concord, NC) must already be circulating, because I have found several positive reviews online. Variety.com’s review calls the film “A film crying out to be discovered by midnight movie mavens.” AintitCool.com called it one of the best films of 2007. And more reviews at RottenTomatoes.comrate it as tomato-worthy. Why is this indie comedy garnering so much buzz? Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s being released by Gary Sanchez Productions, a company founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, the geniuses behind the Internet sensation FunnyorDie.com.

Read my previous posts about this film:

• “Foot Fist Way” Coming Out May 30
• Concord on Conan?

Fun for Families and Hobbyists at Speedway

Just when you thought a Speedway was just for racin’ - think again! Just in the last two weeks, Lowe’s Motor Speedway has hosted two non-racing events that appeal to hobbyists but also attract folks looking for affordable family fun.

The Food Lion Auto Fair, April 3-6, had to battle a few raindrops, but that didn’t stop many thousands of car enthusiasts from descending on the Speedway for a 4-day love affair with the automobile. If you’re wondering what this amazing car show looks like, check out the Comet East Car Club’s Flickr Gallery, or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Photo Gallery.

The following weekend, on April 12, the Speedway hosted the Flying Aces Pilot’s Association Spring Fly-in, a great event for miniature aircraft enthusiasts as well as families and fun-seekers. More than 75 miniature aircraft and their owners came from across the state to participate in this event in it’s first year at the Speedway. Again, rain dampened the event, but not the spirits of the spectators participants whose planes included vintage “warbirds” and acrobatic planes.

Find Your Experience

Today is the official launch date for the Charlotte Experience Finder - a new way to plan a vacation starting with the experience you want. Because we are just outside of Charlotte, we are thrilled that many of our hotels and activities are included in this powerful new resource.

How does it work?

• Choose your destination (Charlotte)
• Pick the kind of experience you want: Family, Adventure, Culture or Indulgence
• Choose the activities you want, then pick a hotel near that activity

The Experience Finder is in its beta version until the full launch July 5, but in the meantime you can still book activities or hotels - you will simply be taken back to Travelocity’s Activity and Hotel tabs.

Among the many Cabarrus activities on the Experience Finder, you will find:

• NASCAR Garage Tours
• Kannapolis Intimidators Baseball
• Kayak Adventure Tour
• NASCAR Speedpark
• Spa Botanica
• Girls Day Out Shpping Tour
• Uwharrie Valley Wine Tour
• Reed Gold Mine Tour
• Richard Petty Driving Experience
• Moonlight Kayak Adventure

And, of course, don’t forget our many hotels, which you can book through Travelocity or visitcabarrus.com.

Classic Cars in Cabarrus

One thing I noticed when I moved to Concord from Charlotte was the large number of classic cars on the road. And not just shiny car show cars - old, faded, well-loved and well-worn cars. It’s no accident that NASCAR was born here - Cabarrus County has oil running in its veins.

Never was that more clear to me than when I was planning the start of the Great American Race in Concord in 2007. I never realized how many car clubs there are in existence, or how passionate car people are. The Great Race is a road race across the country in vintage cars, and Concord has been on the route twice. We had about 10,000 people at the start in 2007, and the excitement for these old cars and their drivers was palpable. I’ll leave it others to analyze why Americans, and specifically “Concordians” and their neighbors, love cars, but it has resulted in a wealth of automotive-related attractions in our area. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve visited two such attractions in Concord - Backing Up Classics Auto Museum on Hwy 29 near the Speedway, and Auto Barn Classic Cars in Gibson Mill. Both are near Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and both are worth visiting if you love cars.

“Foot Fist Way” Coming Out May 30

The film “The Foot Fist Way” (see trailer), referenced in an earlier post, is going to be released nationwide on May 30. The director, Jody Hill, is from Concord and the film was shot locally at Concord TaeKwanDo, where students and instructors played roles in the film.

Earlier this week I spoke to Sean Baxter (right), chief instructor at Concord TaeKwanDo. He said they were happy to provide the location for the film, and even provided uniforms for the recent spot on Conan O’Brien. Baxter, a fifth degree blackbelt, said he and many of his students played small roles in the film. When asked about the ridiculous humor in the film, Baxter (known as “Roy Powers” in the film) said he had a sense of humor about it. He said that others in the martial arts community have been a bit put off by the film’s ridiculous take on martial arts, but Baxter hopes that most people will realize that it’s a comedy, not reality. (And, for the record, Concord TaeKwanDo is a family-friendly business, and Baxter doesn’t sound a bit like Fred Simmons, the overzealous main character of the film.)

The film’s profile has risen substantially this year, as it will be the the first project released by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s new production company Gary Sanchez Productions, and will be distributed by Paramount Vantage, a specialty film division of Paramount Pictures. Since “The Foot Fist Way” was promoted on the Conan O’Brien Show, internet buzz for the film has been building and a theatrical trailer has been released.

If the film does develop a cult following, as many of the videos on the Ferrell/McKay website www.funnyordie.com have, Concord TaeKwanDo may find itself becoming famous. Who knows - maybe they will have a movie premier there. It wouldn’t be the first time Concord hosted a movie premier (such as the premier of Disney’s “Cars” at Lowe’s Motor Speedway), but perhaps a slightly smaller venue!

Feel the Thrill

Last Tuesday, we joined the staff from our Visitor Center in Concord Mills (left) for the “Feel the Thrill” tour of Lowe’s Motor Speedway. At just $5 per person, we’re often told by visitors that the Feel the Thrill tour is the best value they have ever received for a tour of this kind. So it seemed logical that the first of our monthly familiarization trips with the Concord Mills staff was this centerpiece attraction.