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NASCAR Fans May Finally Get a Place to Sleep: 99-Room Hilton Planned Near Martinsville Speedway
HENRY COUNTY, Va. — Just in time for NASCAR weekend, Henry County officials have announced plans for a new 99-room Home2 Suites by Hilton near Martinsville Speedway. Because apparently, telling race fans to find a hotel somewhere else has been the region's unofficial tourism strategy for long enough.
The proposed hotel is intended to address what officials describe as a longstanding shortage of quality accommodations in Martinsville and Henry County. Visitors attending races, sporting events and other activities frequently end up staying in neighboring communities because local lodging options are limited or fall short of expectations.
In other words, the region attracts the crowds, the Speedway brings the roar, and the local economy gets to watch some of those hotel dollars drive down the highway.
The planned Home2 Suites location near Martinsville Speedway and the Smith River Sports Complex is expected to give visitors another option while encouraging more overnight stays — and, hopefully, more money spent at local restaurants, stores and businesses.
The announcement comes as race fans pour into the region for NASCAR weekend, when demand for accommodations can put the area's limited hotel inventory to the test.
A 99-room hotel would be a welcome addition to the local hospitality landscape, particularly for a region that regularly hosts major sporting events but has struggled to keep all those visitors close to home overnight.
Of course, plans for a hotel and an open-for-business sign are two different things. Race fans shouldn't start canceling those reservations elsewhere just yet.
For now, the proposed Home2 Suites represents a potential step toward fixing a problem local visitors and businesses have known about for years: Martinsville Speedway can bring the crowds, but the region needs enough beds to keep them here.
The bottom line: Henry County wants more visitors to stay overnight instead of treating the region like a pit stop on the way to a hotel somewhere else. Now comes the part where the plans have to become a building.
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