Travel Tips: Charlotte Motor Speedway – Oct. 6-8, 2016

credit: NASCAR Media

The 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup heads to NASCAR’s “home track,” Charlotte Motor Speedway, for the Bank of America 500 weekend, Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 6-8. Joining the stars of the Cup Series this weekend are the Xfinity Series and the Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

On Wednesday night, Oct. 5, Charlotte's sister track zMAX Dragway will host NASCAR Night and the annual Hauler Parade beginning at 6 p.m. ET, with gates opening at 5 p.m. ET. Following the parade will be street drags on the track featuring members of the NASCAR community. Admission is free with a donation to Speedway Children’s Charities at the gate.

Fans in town early will have plenty of things to keep them busy, including these tours brought to you by Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Joe Gibbs Racing Fan Fest on Friday, Oct. 7, with driver appearances, a classic car show and more. Check your favorite team’s website during the week to see if they have anything scheduled for race week.

Key on-track times:

Thursday, Oct. 6 –

• Whelen Southern Modified Tour practice – 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. ET
• Sprint Cup Series practice – 1:30 p.m. ET
• Xfinity Series practice – 3 and 5:30 p.m. ET
• Whelen Southern Modified Tour qualifying – 4:05 p.m. ET
• Better-Half Dash – 4:30 p.m. ET (time approximate)
• Sprint Cup Series qualifying – 7:20 p.m. ET
• Whelen Southern Modified Tour Bad Boy Buggies Southern Slam 150 – 8:40 p.m. ET

Friday, Oct. 7 –

• Sprint Cup Series practice – 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. ET
• Xfinity Series qualifying – 4:45 p.m. ET
• Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina – 8:16 p.m. ET

Saturday, Oct. 8 –

• Pre-race concert featuring 3 Doors Down – 4:45 p.m. ET
• Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 – 6:45 p.m. ET

Find the complete three-day schedule for the Bank of America 500 weekend here.

Find out about different ticket packages and single-day tickets at http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/.