Charlotte Motor Speedway officials named Hayley Hood, senior manager of client services and corporate events, as its 2025 Employee of the Year. Presented annually, the award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond the call of duty in executing his or her responsibilities.
The winner is determined by a vote of the speedway's executive committee and is selected from Employee of the Month award recipients presented throughout the previous 12 months. Hood was announced as the winner during the speedway’s end-of-year celebration at the UNC-Charlotte Marriott last week.
“Hayley embodies everything we aspire to be as a company,” said Matt Long, vice president of corporate sales at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Her work ethic and dedication to exceeding expectations set a remarkable standard. The events she helps bring to life for a diverse list of clients are nothing short of exceptional. She leads with a positive attitude, embraces a true team-first approach and brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to every day.”
Among other contributions, Hood was recognized for her role in bringing to life special events and event-time needs for corporate sponsors, including leading efforts at the newly opened Ten Tenths Motor Club, during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 and Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 weekends and at the World of Outlaws World Finals.
A native of Providence, RI, Hood began her career at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2015 as part of the speedway’s internship program. After earning a degree in marketing analytics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she worked part-time supporting major event weekends at the speedway before being hired full-time in August of 2017. During that time she also worked as the Sponsorship Services Manager for Dreyer and Reinbold. In her current role, Hood assists the speedway’s Corporate Sales team with planning, coordinating and executing events across the speedway’s portfolio of venues, including Charlotte Motor Speedway, The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Ten Tenths Motor Club and zMAX Dragway.
In addition to being honored as Employee of the Year, Hood was given the Caring Heart Award from Speedway Children’s Charities’ Charlotte chapter. The award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond to support the efforts of SCC throughout the year.
“It’s easy to come to work every day when you love what you do,” Hood said. “I’m beyond blessed to be surrounded by such incredible people who share the same passion for creating remarkable experiences. It is an honor to be selected as this year’s Employee of the Year. This inspires me to go out and make next year even better for not only our partners and the CMS team, but also our incredible guests.”
The speedway’s Operations department was also recognized as the Department of the Year for its behind-the-scenes efforts to bring nearly 2,000 event days to life across the campus in 2025.
