NC Motorsports Testing and Research Complex Feasibility Study
Efforts by the NCMARC, teamed with the Charlotte Regional Partnership, led to the allocation of $4 million by the 2004 NC General Assembly to study the feasibility of and, if appropriate, to plan a NC Motorsports Testing and Research Complex in direct support of the motorsports and automotive industries. This effort resides under the umbrella of the university. Market analyses will be concluded in October, 2005, and final recommendations are likely in November.
NC Motorsports Economic Impact Study
The purpose of this study was to recognize the importance of
motorsports as an economic force, to establish the relative importance of this industry in
terms of economic output and employment, and to suggest effective strategies to retain
and grow the industry here in North Carolina. The study is comprised of two separate but related research efforts.
Dr. John Connaughton, TIAA-CREF Professor of Economics, at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte, led the research team that conducted the first part of this
study entitled, "The Economic Impacts of the Motorsports Industry on the North Carolina
Economy." The Sanford Holshouser Business Development Group LLC, a North Carolina
based economic development consulting firm, undertook the second part of the study.
Their research, "Motorsports—A Growth Industry Under Threat," addresses economic
development strategies and recommendations to promote and expand the motorsports
industry. Generous funding was provided for this study by the Golden LEAF Foundation, the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, and the North Carolina
Motorsports Foundation. The overall project was coordinated by the UNC Charlotte
Urban Institute. The following links provide the findings of the study.
