Charlotte Motor Speedway makes push to promote products made in America

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When you walk in the gift shop at Charlotte Motor Speedway, you're immediately hit with their new push to promote products made in America.

“I do look for it anywhere we go, whether it's tools, whether it's clothing -- made in the USA," race fan Bobby Stinson said. "It puts Americans back to work instead of shipping all our stuff overseas.”

Not every piece of merchandise is made here. It's mainly souvenirs related to the CMS. But the ones that do have a “Made in USA” tag aren't just made in America, they're made locally.

Many CMS T-shirts come from Jensen Apparel in Albemarle.

The apparel then goes to the souvenir division of the Speedway Motorsport, Inc., in Harrisburg. There, designs are printed on the T-shirts for specific races and tracks before ending up on store shelves.

Combined, the two locations employ more than 100 people.

For the consumer, the price tag is about the same, but it does cost about $1 more to make a shirt in America compared to overseas.

“It's still the right thing to do,” Speedway spokesperson Scott Cooper said.

He said they hope to make up the difference in the number of items they sell.

WSOC