For you guys that have been before do the motels book up this early ?
Yes, kind of...
People started booking motel rooms the afternoon of the day the tracks were announced, and that seems to happen every year, and many of the popular hotels will fill quickly, however I wouldn't panic yet - a lot depends on how many motel rooms there are in an area of course. I would think an area like Atlanta has a lot of rooms. It depends too on what else might be going on in that area at that time. Quite a few of the people booking rooms will figure out next summer their car won't be done, or they can't get off work, and will cancel their reservations, so you may be able to pick up those rooms if you keep checking back. Also, some participants will be cancelling rooms during the week when they break down and aren't able to continue. An additional observation - as Dragweek has become more popular around the world, many come here from other countries, not just to participate but to watch & travel along, I've seen reports of them booking their rooms already too. All those Hot Rod media people will have rooms booked too, along with the vendors that support the event, so they are eating up some available rooms.
I will add though, last year I booked a room for myself on each of the last two days for that evening while still at the track sitting in the staging lanes. As soon as Hot Rod announced the route each day and I could see where it was taking us I used my phone to search for hotels in the area's along the way. I was able to get rooms at nice motels, and reasonable rates, although the one day I still had a bit of a drive the next morning to get to the track, point just being you may not be able to get the closest motel. Having a smart phone isn't necessarily a requirement for Dragweek, but it definitely comes in handy. I would recommend too, if you aren't already, register for some of the popular chain hotel websites, so you will able to easily book when you find something. If you are booking way ahead pay close attention if the room is cancel-able, I've seen a few people not realize they are booking a non-refundable room and then not get their car finished.
