A new North Carolina law shields race tracks from noise complaints by nearby property owners.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new North Carolina law ensures drivers can start their engines throughout the Tar Heel State without intervention from upset neighbors.

Section 26 of House Bill 926 is titled “Protect the right to race” and prohibits action against race tracks from nearby property owners for nuisance complaints. The bill was passed in September and later ratified by Gov. Josh Stein.

The bill defines an area around a race track as a 3-mile radius of the perimeter of the property.

This protects tracks across the state as long as they have a valid permit to operate and have been open longer than the property owners have owned their homes.

Racing, particularly stock car racing, has been embedded in North Carolina for over a century. The first Charlotte Speedway opened in 1924, with Bowman Gray (1937), Occoneechee Speedway (1947), North Wilkesboro (1947), and Hickory Speedway (1951) opening later on, along with other tracks across the state.

Charlotte Motor Speedway opened at its present location in 1960 and has hosted NASCAR races ever since, including the Coca-Cola 600 and Roval 400.

The motorsports industry contributes around $3.82 billion per year in North Carolina, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association. NASCAR has corporate offices in the Charlotte area. Nearly every team is located within the state, around Concord, Huntersville, and Mooresville.

Despite the sport’s place in American history, many tracks across the country face criticism from neighbors for noise-related reasons. Tracks in California (Laguna Seca), Maine (Get Er Done), and Oregon (Portland), among others, have faced potential closure due to noise complaints. 

North Carolina race fans can feel at ease, though, that state legislators are leading the pack in protecting the industry — from the green flag to the checkered flag.