2018 Circle K Speed Street Presented by Coca-Cola

In 1996, the 600 Festival Association hired CSM Production to take over production its motorsports-themed festival to commemorate the May races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Now in its 24th year, Circle K Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola took place May 24-26, 2018, with an estimated 250,000 people in attendance. The festival featured 40 event partners, 15 food vendors, 22 musical acts and 21 hours of live music organized within a 1,480-linear feet footprint. Event partners also distributed approximately 72,000 samples over the course of three days.

The team drummed up Judah & the Lion, Chase Rice, Easton Corbin, Dustin Lynch and Brett Young to perform in uptown Charlotte along with free performances by Howard Hewett, Gump Fiction and Chairmen of the Board, among others.

More than 35 drivers from a variety of racing series participated in autograph sessions and/or question- and-answer sessions including Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez and Austin Dillon.

During the planning process, a few challenges arose. As home to the Coca-Cola stage and three nights of music, the CSM Production team had to handle Romare Bearden Park very carefully. The park does not allow heavy equipment or vehicles to be driven on the grass, so event producers used “dura mat” to bring the stage and heavy equipment in. These are individual pieces of mat that disperse the weight of the equipment. Allotting extra time for setup and strike was essential for the event build.

On Monday of event week while marking the street for set up, the team realized that the wrong re hydrant was tapped for the food vendor block. As the easiest solution, CSM Production planned to move vendors to the other side of the street where the hydrant was tapped. Fortunately, due to the great relationship with the city, the city water team was able to test and tap the hydrant that we needed just in time.

Despite the obstacles the team faced, they remained focused on a positive and productive 24th annual Circle K Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola.

CSM Production managed all aspects of the event including sponsorship sales, marketing, event planning, permitting, street closures, event logistics, ticketing, audio and video, concert production and much more.