CORNELIUS, N.C. — Hundreds of layoffs are coming after a local racing company notified the states it's closing its doors.
Michael Waltrip Racing opened in 2002, and the owners decided that after this season they were done.
There had been talk and signs that Waltrip Racing would be closing for a while now, but on Tuesday they filed a warn notice saying 217 people would be laid off.
Employees returned to work before the holiday weekend. According to the letter filed with the state, most will be out of a job before Christmas.
That's not sitting well with people in the community, like Sally Ashworth, executive director of Visit Lake Norman.
“It will be a very huge void for us,” she said.
Ashworth said Michael Waltrip is not just a company, but an attraction.
The advertising is still up at the company, boasting drivers Clint Boyer and David Ragan, who futures are also uncertain.
There will be a ripple effect.
Carolyn Oliver waits on many of the employees at Big Bitz Grill.
"There are some days that we'll have five or six tables full of these guys, just Michael Waltrip guy,” she said.
She's worried about the loss of business and what will become of all the employees.
“It’s heartbreaking. You know, you learn to know these guys you get attached to them.” Oliver said.
The company is offering severance packages and bonuses. Many will be done in mid-November.
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