For over twenty years, Mustang Week has revved up South Carolina’s Grand Strand, drawing gearheads and fans like moths to a flame. But come 2026, the legendary event is shifting gears, rolling out of Myrtle Beach and landing at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s zMAX Dragway instead. Nobody saw this coming, but organizers dropped the bombshell this week, blaming Myrtle Beach’s red tape and what they call a glaring lack of hometown love.
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Picture this: since 2001, the heart of Mustang Week pulsed at the Myrtle Beach Mall, where thousands of die-hard pony car devotees would swarm in for wild drag races, gleaming car showcases, and leisurely coastal cruises. Now? The party’s moving to Concord, North Carolina, from August 26 to 29, 2026, trading beach vibes for high-octane speedway energy.
James Lawrence, the brains behind Mustang Week, spilled the beans: Myrtle Beach officials basically slammed the door on them. Despite efforts to smooth things over after taking the reins in 2023, the city kept waving the rejection flag. And get this—Lawrence swears the event dumped a cool $30 million into the local economy every year.
City bigwigs, though, aren’t having it. They’re pointing fingers at noise complaints and rowdy drivers who treated the streets like their personal racetrack. “Sure, we love events,” they’re saying, “but not the kind that turn our roads into a free-for-all.” Charlotte, they argue, has the pro-grade setup for this kinda thing anyway.
Meanwhile, Myrtle Beach locals and shop owners are gutted. They’re sweating bullets over losing a cash cow that kept late-summer tourism alive. Visit Myrtle Beach insists they’re scrambling to fill the void, but let’s be real—replacing that kind of horsepower won’t be easy.
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