Cruise into the holidays at Speedway Christmas

CONCORD, N.C. — Charlotte Motor Speedway is dropping the green flag on a festive holiday season as Speedway Christmas opens for its 14th season on Friday.

The annual drive-thru holiday show returns bigger and brighter this year with more than 5 million lights on a 4-mile course around the legendary track, plus a transformed Christmas Village, new concourse and tubing hill.

The drive-thru portion features dozens of new displays and the newly designed and configured concourse features new tunnels.

The Christmas Village is open Thursday through Sunday and features a new illuminated walking trail, fire pits for roasting s’mores and a rotating lineup of area craft vendors and merchants. Photos with Santa are available in the village as well.

New this year, the Fan Zone will feature four 250-foot tubing lanes for visitors of all ages to enjoy. The tubing hill will open on Nov. 24 and will follow the schedule of the Christmas Village, which is open every Thursday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission for unlimited rides costs $20 per person, $15 for those who have gone through the Speedway Christmas show and $10 for kids ages 12 and younger. Admission to Speedway Christmas is not required to enjoy the tubing hill.

In addition, classic Christmas movies will be shown on the 16,000-square-foot SpeedwayTV. The schedule is listed below:

Nov. 17-19: “Christmas Vacation”

Nov. 23-26: “The Grinch”

Nov. 30-Dec 3: Classic Christmas shorts

Dec. 7-10: “White Christmas”

Dec. 14-19: “Elf”

Dec. 20-23: “Polar Express”

Dec. 28-31: “Home Alone”

Know before you go:

Speedway Christmas is open nightly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. through Jan. 7 (it will be closed on Christmas Eve).

Tickets are sold per vehicle, starting at $35 Monday through Wednesday when the Christmas Village is closed, and $45 Thursday through Sunday.

Fast Lane tickets, which allow pass holders to skip the line and beat traffic Thursday through Sunday, cost $75 per vehicle.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Drivers should turn off their headlights when driving through Speedway Christmas. If you can’t turn your lights off, you should turn them on dim. Motorcycles are not permitted through Speedway Christmas.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

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