Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, is known as the central hub for many motorsports as most NASCAR teams are located in the area. The track has also been the unofficial home to the Legends and Bandolero racers as the U.S. Legend Cars International / INEX headquarters are just a few miles away in Harrisburg. However, one piece of history for Legends and Bandoleros no longer exists at the facility.
The track has demolished the fifth-mile “back track” oval, which was located outside the backstretch of the 1.5-mile oval, right near the tunnel entrance. The small track was used many years as part of the Winter Heat Series as well as other events, including a “Spooktacular” Bandolero special event, as well as other races periodically for Legends and Bandoleros.
With the track grounds being on top of a landfill, the fifth-mile oval was subjected to ground sink, which caused the surface to have a rollercoaster racing effect, which many drivers enjoyed. However, one bump going into turn three made some of the racing semi-unsafe as cars were getting airborne. The track was resurfaced, however, after only a few times of using it, including for test drives, the track was no longer used for racing. The Winter Heat races were shifted to just the road course inside the 1.5-mile oval.
According to LN sources, over the past few months, Charlotte Motor Speedway has started work on demolishing the track. As it stands today (May 7, 2024), the surface has been leveled as construction vehicles are still on location. All that is currently standing is the scoring tower at the start / finish line, and it appears the location will now be used for parking during NASCAR weekends as it is a prime spot before entering into the infield through the tunnel.
In late 2023, INEX told LN the fifth-mile oval wasn’t in a condition to host any INEX races. In February, 2024, after the announcement the 2024 Legends Road Course World Finals would be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a new road course the track was building outside the 1.5-mile oval, INEX reiterated they had no plans to hold races on the fifth-mile oval.
With the track terminated, it now goes into a “lost speedways” category.
Charlotte Motor Speedway will still continue to host the prestigious Summer Shootout Series on the inner quarter-mile oval, and the Winter Heat Series on the inner CMS road course.
