Track officials arranged with several hotels in Columbia, Myrtle Beach and other places to hold down prices for the Southern 500 weekend Sept. 1-3. Race fans are often hit with inflated room rates and minimum stay requirements when they book nearby rooms. Darlington president Jim Hunter says fans will travel from throughout the country to see the Southern 500.
Officials say the number has doubled in the past two weeks.
New hotels called to add their name to the list, and many interested fans called to get more information and purchase race tickets. Participating hotels, about 60 to 80 miles from the track, are offering discounts of 10 to 20 percent off regular rates for fans going to watch the Southern 500. Nesbitt said closer hotels are already sold out for race weekend. But she said ticket operators will give buyers names and phone numbers of hotels in Darlington and Florence counties that have rooms available if fans want to stay closer. In South Carolina we're famous for being hospitable, and that's our goal at Darlington Raceway.