Key Takeaways
- Darlington Raceway will integrate Airbnb listings directly into its website starting in 2027 for five NASCAR tracks.
- South Carolina hosts earned an average of $15,000 in supplemental income in 2025 from short-term rentals.
- Race communities like Darlington often have no hotels, making STRs the only lodging option for major events.
Darlington Raceway named Airbnb its official lodging partner for the 2027 NASCAR season, giving operators near the South Carolina track a direct pipeline to thousands of fans who have historically struggled to find places to stay.
The move is part of a five-track partnership announced May 12 that includes Bristol, Talladega, Martinsville, and North Wilkesboro.
Fans will be able to book stays directly through Darlington Raceway’s website, according to WPDE.
Darlington alone brings in more than $100 million in economic impact to South Carolina each year, and NASCAR weekends have long created lodging bottlenecks in small towns where hotel inventory is thin.
Why this matters for hosts near race venues
Darlington is a town of about 6,000 residents where short-term rentals have long served as a primary lodging option for race fans. Nationally, 63 percent of US Census tracts have Airbnb listings but no hotels, and race communities like Darlington are exactly the kind of places where short-term rentals are often the only meaningful accommodation option.
The average South Carolina host earned $15,000 in supplemental income in 2025, according to Airbnb data.
Travel booked through the platform contributed $2.1 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2025, supported 30,000 jobs statewide, and generated $565 million in total tax revenue.
Related: Wyoming town leads summer STR bookings nationally
The 2027 NASCAR schedule is expected to be released in January, and Darlington Raceway anticipates hosting back-to-back race weekends.
Operators within an hour of the track should start watching migration patterns and prepping listings now—once the integration goes live on the official race website and competing platforms like Vrbo, demand could spike fast.
