The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, capping off a weekend of racing at the Brooklyn track and pumping a lot of money into the surrounding communities.
Experience Jackson is the convention and visitors bureau for Jackson County.
President and CEO Ryan Tarrant says NASCAR fans from around the Midwest flock to MIS for the auto racing.
“They’re here, you know, filling hotel rooms. They’re spending money at local restaurants, shops,” said Tarrant. “So, it’s a huge economic impact for the local economy.”
Amber Nace, manager of the Comfort Inn and Suites in Jackson, says her hotel was fully booked for the weekend.
“Everybody goes to NASCAR, everybody loves this,” she said. “We also get really busy even right before the weekend, so we’ve been sold out for a while.”
Tarrant says the weekend event is just part of what Michigan International Speedway brings to the area.
“You’re talking like almost 400,000 annual visitors,” said Tarrant. “That economic impact is well north of $100 million a year.”
This year’s NASCAR weekend at MIS was moved to early June, after several years of holding the event in August.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.