Mooresville race city still has vroom for growth.

• Author: Burnette, Kristen
• Position: Special Advertising Section - Mooresville, North Carolina - Advertisement

Fasten your seatbelt!" That's the advice from Melanie O'Connell Underwood, executive director of economic development for the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce when asked how to prepare for Mooresville's future. "We're a vibrant, growing community with tremendous opportunities ahead." There's no doubt that Mooresville, 30 miles north of Charlotte, has plenty to look forward to and much to enjoy right now.

Dubbed "Race City USA," the town is home to more than 60 NASCAR teams, including those from its top three divisions, the Winston--soon to be Nextel--Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series. From the Dale Earnhardt Inc. empire, a 200,000-square-foot complex nicknamed the Garage Mahal, to Lakeside Business Park, more than 260 acres housing numerous race teams and racing-related business, Mooresville is one of the top motorsports venues. Race teams that call Lakeside home include those featuring drivers Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman, Sterling Marlin, Jamie McMurray and Jimmy Spencer.

Although racing was not aggressively recruited when it zoomed into town more than a decade ago, it has proven to be a natural fit and has been embraced by local officials and residents alike. "Racing is a very important part of the community, with a variety of racing-related suppliers looking at the area and causing Mooresville to continue to grow," Underwood says.

Local officials credit each race team with a $2 million- to $10 million-a-year impact on the economy and estimate that 30% to 40% of the $600 million in corporate development announcements since 1995 can be attributed to the racing industry. Race City race teams employ more than 1,500, and there are at least 100 race-related suppliers nearby.

"Racing is not just our No. 1 employer right now, but it also contributes mightily to our community in many ways, including making Mooresville a tourist destination," says Bill Thunberg, president of the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce. "We want racing to continue to grow and will continue to support that industry as it matures."

Mooresville also has become a hub for motorsports training and education. The NASCAR Technical Institute, in Mooresville's Talbert Pointe Business Park, is the country's first technical training school to combine a complete automotive-technology program and a NASCAR-specific motorsports program.

The $12 million institute opened in July 2002 to increase the number of automotive-service technicians entering the...