North Carolina Car Show Venues and Dragstrips
12 North Carolina speedways, dragstrips, fairgrounds and convention halls, plus 8 car and racing museums.
Photo: Trailers of the East Coast, CC BY 2.0
North Carolina Dragstrips
Photo: Mike Kalasnik, CC BY-SA 2.0
Farmington Dragway
The 28th annual Footbrake Nationals runs November 7-8, 2026 with $5,000 to win.
Photo: Ole Bendik Kvisberg, CC BY 2.0
Rockingham Dragway
The dragway runs drag races, bike rallies, car shows and concerts from February to December each year.
Photo: Ole Bendik Kvisberg, CC BY 2.0
zMAX Dragway
The dragway was completed in 2008.
Photo: Trailers of the East Coast, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Trailers of the East Coast, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Robert Yorde, CC BY 2.0
North Carolina Expo and convention centers
Photo: Trailers of the East Coast, CC BY 2.0
Charlotte Convention Center
The Charlotte Auto Show is held here November 19-22, 2026.
North Carolina Fairgrounds
Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
Maggie Valley Festival Grounds
The grounds host several car shows a year, from hot rods and mini trucks to European cars and Jeeps.
Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
North Carolina State Fairgrounds
The Goodguys 11th Griot's Garage North Carolina Nationals ran here April 17-18, 2026.
North Carolina Speedways
Photo: Ole Bendik Kvisberg, CC BY 2.0
Bowman Gray Stadium
The stadium was built in 1937 as a Great Depression public works project.
Photo: Mike Kalasnik, CC BY-SA 2.0
Charlotte Motor Speedway
The superspeedway was built in 1959.
Photo: InnovativeCreationExpert, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hickory Motor Speedway
The track opened in 1951.
Photo: Mike Kalasnik, CC BY-SA 2.0
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Enoch Staley and partners built the track in 1946, two years before NASCAR's first season.
Photo: InnovativeCreationExpert, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rockingham Speedway
The speedway is in Richmond County.
Photo: InnovativeCreationExpert, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Dirt Track at Charlotte
The four-tenths-mile clay oval was completed in May 2000.
North Carolina Car Museums
NASCAR Hall of Fame
Hours are Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays are kept for private groups.
Richard Petty Museum
Hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed weekends.
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The 60-acre museum sits on the former Southern Railway Spencer Shops.
Memory Lane Motorsports & Historical Automotive Museum
The museum traces the automobile from 1901 to today and racing from the moonshine era onward.
Wheels Through Time Museum
The museum holds over 300 rare machines, mainly American motorcycles plus one-off American automobiles.
Hendrick Motorsports Museum
The museum is one mile from Charlotte Motor Speedway.
North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame
The museum has over 40 race cars from many types of racing.
Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum
The museum opens April to December and closes January to March.
Keep Browsing From North Carolina Car Show Venues
North Carolina Venue Questions
Photo: Trailers of the East Coast, CC BY 2.0
Which NC venue has the busiest car calendar?
The Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, with a different car, truck, Jeep or motorcycle event most weekends from April to October.
Where can I watch NHRA drag racing in North Carolina?
zMAX Dragway in Concord holds the 4-Wide Nationals in spring and Rockingham Dragway the NHRA Nationals at The Rock in September; both are on the NC drag racing page.
Which North Carolina short tracks are listed?
Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, Hickory Motor Speedway near Newton and North Wilkesboro Speedway, each with its own page.
Which NC car and racing museums can I visit?
NASCAR Hall of Fame, Richard Petty Museum, North Carolina Transportation Museum, Memory Lane Motorsports & Historical Automotive Museum, Wheels Through Time Museum, Hendrick Motorsports Museum, North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame, Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum.
Why are a few tracks and grounds without a page?
A page needs enough published facts and car events; the rest stay on this list.
Where do the NC venue facts come from?
Track and venue websites plus the state Moonshine and Motorsports Trail pages; each venue page links its source.
Could a missing track or grounds be suggested?
Send an event held there through the schedule form and the venue comes with it.
Is any NC car museum seasonal?
Yes. The Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum in Asheville opens April to December and closes January to March.
Events at North Carolina venues
Know a car show that is not listed?
Send it here with a link to the organizer’s event page, flyer or schedule. Weekly and monthly ones only need to go in once. If that page shows the name and the date (or the day of the week), it goes on this page right away. If not, we check it by hand within a week.
We keep what you send so we can check the event. Your email is never published.