ROCK HILL, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Rock Hill Supercross Track was filled with extreme racing bikers competing for the top spot in the USA BMX Carolina Nationals this weekend.
For 11 straight years, racers have met at the top of that hill, hoping to be the first to pedal across the finish line.
“We’ve got one of the world’s best tracks, if not the best track in the world, but also the amenities that we have with the Charlotte airport close by and the restaurants, the hotels close by in the Rock Hill area. So that means a lot of economic impact. It means people coming back to enjoy vacation essentially in Rock Hill. It’s an economic driver for sure,” said Rock Hill’s tourism director, Brian Jones.
He credits the dedication of previous and current city leaders to making sure the city is in top condition year-round.
“The direct revenue isn’t huge, it’s in the thousands of dollars, but the economic impact is in the billions. So, the impact it has on the hotels and the Chick-fil-A’s and the gas stations and Target and everywhere else. People are going there to buy cases of water or gas or taking their team out to dinner and things like that,” Jones said.
He estimates about $3 million in economic impact for the businesses inside and outside of the track.
Kim Chappell’s Snack Shack food truck has seen a good amount of that money. They’ve worked the event since it got to Rock Hill.
“We’ve watched some of the kids grow up. They are young adults now and everyone is super friendly. We enjoy the people, and we enjoy Rock Hill has really grown the BMX. And we are so glad to be a part of it,” Chappell said.
But she says she’s noticed a dip in sales from the event over the past few years as the economy has fluctuated.
“It’s all it’s a little struggle. We’ve noticed the amount of money that is coming through is a little shy from the years before. But we foresee the future being better. So, we’re here for everyone else,” she said.
This year’s competition will include a special appearance from USA BMX professional riders for the first stop of the 2025 USA BMX pro series.
Last year’s Carolina Nationals brought in more than 5,300 people per day and over 1,200 athletes from 41 states and four countries.
Jones says organizers are expecting about 7,000 a day this year.
“We have some people that have moved to Rock Hill just for the track so they can practice it and train on it and hopes to make the Olympics and make the U.S. National team. It’s just cool to see. You’ve got kids that can barely walk, three-and-four-year-olds racing all the way up here to your top tier. This is a professional event as well, so you have the pros. The pros are racing and the kids are ready, it is really cool to see from basically start to finish where their careers could go,” Jones said.
