Fans' guide to Charlotte Motor Speedway

TICKETS

Tickets for all May races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS. Friends and family four-pack tickets start at $39.75 per person for the Coca-Cola 600 and $35 per person for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 22.

FANS WELCOME CENTER

Race fans visiting Charlotte Motor Speedway can stop at the FANS First Welcome Center to get all their race-related questions answered. The welcome center will provide fans with maps, schedules, refreshments and the opportunity to rent the NASCAR Sprint FanView, as well as give first-time fans a chance to learn about the speedway and its amenities.

The welcome center, located at the front of the speedway, will open three hours prior to the gates on race days and will close at the start of each race.

GETTING TO THE SPEEDWAY

For fans coming to Charlotte Motor Speedway from out of state, race officials recommend Interstate 85 Exits 43, 46, 49 and 52 as primary routes to the track. From I-77, use Exit 18 to reach U.S. 29. However, officials urge Charlotte-area fans to use U.S. 49 and N.C. 29 to get to the speedway instead of the I-85 to Bruton Smith Boulevard route.

The Charlotte Area Transit System, the City of Concord and Charlotte Motor Speedway have partnered to bring race day bus service from Charlotte to the track. Starting from the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown Charlotte, take the 79X Concord Mills Express to the Coca-Cola 600. Buses run every 20 minutes from noon to 6:30 p.m. for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 30. Return trips will begin immediately after the checkered flag and buses will be near the track's main entrance. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the Charlotte Transportation Center at 310 East Trade Street. For more information, visit www.ridetransit.org or call (704) 336-RIDE (7433).

PARKING

Parking is free on all unreserved lots on Charlotte Motor Speedway property, with the exception of Tim Flock parking-camping on Morehead Road. Private or pay lots are also available in the area.

SHUTTLES, TRAMS

The speedway operates three shuttle services on track property:

Morehead Farms, Peninsula and Rock City campgrounds: to and from shower houses, ticket office and souvenir row 7 a.m.-noon.

Morehead Farms, Peninsula and Rock City campgrounds: to and from the track, noon-midnight on qualifying and race days.

Trams will run at a number of stops throughout the speedway, including Gates 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 18, 26 and 30, running in a clockwise direction. They will run through Saturday from noon until after the race or qualifying.

ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

The Powerade Play Zone for young children is in the Smith Tower south parking lot near the main speedway entrance, featuring racing-themed inflatable slides, obstacle courses, bounce houses and face painters. There will also be interactive displays. The area is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday.