Is it true that one of the events that affects Lake Martin area hotels is a NASCAR race?  Absolutely.  A recent article in the Alexander City Outlook points out that area hotels are jam packed with race fans whenever the track at Talladega is running.  The spring and fall races are so big that they top even Auburn football games in terms of economic impact.

How can this be?  The Talladega Superspeedway is only about 45 minutes from Alexander City.  When a NASCAR race is at Talladega hotels and restaurants in a 150 mile radius are affected.  Talladega has a capacity of about 143,000 official seats and allows hordes to crowd the infield.  People also camp outside the track for days.  It is crazy.

Needless to say, that craziness means dollars to cities nearby, and the Lake Martin area is no exception.  So, if you are reserving rooms around the Lake, you may want to avoid the weekends of  April 29 and October 7, 2007.  If you plan to cruise around the hotels looking for NASCAR celebrities, don’t bother.  Ricky Bobby and all of the other big hairy American winning machines fly home after the race.