Despite a tough economy, Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, expects a turnout crowd for both the historic 25th running of the Sprint All-Star Race and the monumental 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 coming up in May.  Over the past weeks and months, Lowe’s Motor Speedway has been working on ways to make it easier for fans to not only get to the track, but to get as much out of their dollar as possible.

While things may be tough across the board, Smith pointed out one thing people traveling to the race have on their side is cheaper gas.

“If you are on a budget and you want to come to the race, one thing you have to remember is gas is at half price as compared to last year,” Smith explained.  “You’re at less than $2/gallon, so you can come and still have money left over.  I think that’s a huge thing and a big thing for all of us.”

With that in mind, Smith hopes more fans will venture to the track and put some of that extra money to use.  Trying to help any way possible, the speedway – thanks in large part to Smith’s efforts – has reduced its prices across the board.  

For the 25th running of the Sprint All-Star Race fans are able to enjoy not only one of the most exciting races of the year, but a concert in the infield by one of country music’s top-performing bands, Montgomery Gentry.  

“You can get a ticket for as low as $25 and that includes the Montgomery Gentry concert on the infield,” Smith went on to say.  “If you’ve never been on the infield of the track before you can pay your $25 bucks and get an infield pass to see the Montgomery Gentry concert before the race.  It’s a full day of fun and $25 is cheap for a concert, let alone for a race and a concert.”

Camping has always been a staple for Hardcore Race Fans and this year Lowe’s is doing even more to accommodate fans bringing their RVs to the track.  In addition to their numerous camping spots around the facility, the speedway is in the process of putting the final touches on ninety-three full-hookup campsites at the Fleetwood camping area in front of the new Zmax Dragstrip.  

“It’s going to be the best we’ve ever done before,” Smith said of the new full-service sites.

With so much bad news about the economy and more and more people holding on to their paychecks, Smith and the speedway have put a number of programs in place to make heading to the track as affordable and exciting as possible.  Looking forward to next month’s events, Smith admitted he expected more people to show up then ever.

“The All-Star race has never sold out,” Smith pointed out.  “The Coke 600 has always been a sell out, it’s the biggest event we have, but we don’t sell out the All-Star Race typically.

“What I chose to do last year as soon as I got in my new position was cut the ticket prices so we could go for a sell out in the 25th year of the All-Star Race and 50th year at the speedway,” Smith explained.  “I cut prices across the board.  We gave a 10% discount to all of our fans that are renewing with us from last year.  So, we really put our money where our mouth is and wanted to have the fans in to have the best chance possible to give a discount and come to the race.  I think with a $25 ticket to come to the All-Star Race and a $39 ticket for the Coke 600 that we’re going to have a record crowd even in spite of the economy.”

For those Hardcore Race Fans out there debating whether or not to head to the Lowe’s Motor Speedway this May for either the Sprint All-Star Race or the Coca-Cola 600, you could not find a better deal.  Two of the most historic and exciting races on the NASCAR schedule, Lowe’s Motor Speedway is doing all it can to ensure that you get the bang for your buck when you show up at the track.

To learn more about the different pricing options the speedway has or to find out more information on what the speedway is offering Smith encourages fans to call the Lowe’s Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.  We’ll see you at the track!