The Best Hotels to Book Near the Kentucky Speedway

Stay at Ramada by Wyndham and you’ll be at the Kentucky Speedway before you pull your car out of first gear. You’ll need nothing more than free breakfast, the indoor pool and clean queen rooms to feel at home – and as Ramada has all three. With race day already on the books, use your remaining time wisely to taste how 11 generations of bootleg moonshining gave the Neeley Family Distillery overnight fame – once they started pouring right by the law.

No matter if you’re coming at the crack of dawn or the stroke of midnight, Sunrise Inn is always ready to welcome you with Southern hospitality. Your cute and cuddly critters – which includes your dog, cat and kids – are welcome to stay in your king room. If rain clouds overhead forewarn of a powerful storm, you’re in luck: a life-size Noah’s ark replica and zoo are nearby. Stroll two-by-two onto the deck and marvel at all of the animals coming along for the ride.

Cruise right off of Interstate 71 and you’ll be laying in one of Hampton Inn’s king rooms in no time. Gas, fast food and a liquor store surround the hotel – briskly giving you access to budget-friendly road trip necessities. Feeling like the runs at the Kentucky Speedway is a little too tame? Head a few miles west of Hampton Inn and watch buggies take on the Dirty Turtle Offroad Park.

Red Roof Inn is napping quietly on Slumber Lane, so it’s stating the obvious to say that you’ll get more than a few solid winks of sleep. When you’re ready and rested, you’ll skid into the Kentucky Speedway within a 15-minute drive from Red Roof Inn, but you need not drive as far for an enjoyable evening. The riverside town of Carrollton is half the distance from the hotel – and the homemade peanut butter silk pie at Welch’s Riverside Restaurant cannot be missed.

When it comes to convenience near Kentucky Speedway, Hampton Inn isn’t stalling out. Interstate 75 is parked right outside your window, as are countless restaurants and stores – and the free hot breakfast, WiFi, and indoor pool here are just icing on the cake. If sauce-on-steak is more your forte, you’ll want to drive up the road to Kellie’s Homestead for a bourbon-glazed New York strip or a plate of classic meatloaf topped with ketchup and smothered in beef gravy.

Comfort Suites has no problem with you taking a load off. Step through the front doors and the staff will help you up to your suite – so you can rest up before the race without lifting a finger. Of course, you didn’t come to the Bluegrass State just to sit in the bleachers. After the race, schedule a tee time at the Eagle Creek Country Club and see if you can keep up with the greens that are faster than the racecars.

Holiday Inn Express is the perfect stay when you’re only making a fast pit stop at Kentucky Speedway. Chow down on a complimentary hot breakfast before taking a quick dip in the pool or getting in that workout you’ve been skipping while away from home. Looking for a place to drink a beer without crossing the Ohio? Head up to the hip Covington neighborhood and view the Cincinnati skyline from Braxton Brewery.

You’ll get to Hampton Inn from CVG Airport so fast your ears won’t have time to pop. Just 20 minutes from the terminal, you’ll get unpacked and into their heated indoor pool in no time. Sleep in – the free hot breakfast will be waiting for you in the lobby – though you may want to head down early to see if any fellow racing fans are gearing up for a day at the Speedway. Need more sports in your life? Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium are an easy 20 minutes drive away, too.