Punta Gorda’s new RaceTrac location is the 250th Florida store for the Atlanta-based, family-owned company and was designed to be more than a place to refuel or recharge.
The travel center at 6090 Duncan Road, 2.5 miles from Punta Gorda Airport and near Interstate 75, has an outside dining area and a drive-thru. Freshly made food items are prepared inside the store, and since it’s open 24/7, breakfast, lunch or dinner can be eaten on the patio.
Store No. 2640 recently hosted its grand opening ceremony, joining three other Charlotte County RaceTrac locations. It is one of 17 new RaceTrac and nine RaceWay branded stores scheduled to open in 2024.
RaceTrac is following a consumer trend. According to Intouch Insight’s Convenience Store Trend Report 2024, 56% of consumers now see convenience stores as a viable alternative to fast food restaurants, an 11% increase from 2022.
The company is highlighting its foods — grab-and-go pizza and sandwiches, whole and cut fruit and salads, Nathan’s hot dogs, Mexican food, snacks and coffee.
For many consumers, fuel, food and grabbing essentials, such as batteries, will be the draw. Since it is open all the time, it could become a place for one-stop shopping when other stores are closed.
The new RaceTrac has more than 8,000 square feet of store space, a 6,000-square-foot patio, free Wi-Fi, front-canopy fueling stations and an extended canopy with additional lanes for high-flow diesel with bulk diesel exhaust fluid options, overnight truck parking and CAT scales for professional drivers.
Each new location adds approximately 40 new jobs to the community, company officials said. RaceTrac is offering both full- and part-time team members access to medical, vision and dental benefits, as well as access to the company’s 401(k) matching plan.
The company has come a long way since Carl Bolch started his Trackside stations in Missouri in 1934. Carl Bolch Jr. became CEO in 1967 and moved the company’s headquarters to Atlanta in 1976, adopting the RaceTrac brand.
The largest acquisition in the company’s history came in 2023 when it acquired national fuel provider Gulf Oil LLC.
In January 2024, Natalie Morhous became the company’s newest CEO.
RaceTrac has a presence in 13 states at more than 800 locations. It employs 10,500 who work across RaceTrac, RaceWay and affiliated companies Metroplex Energy, Energy Dispatch and Gulf Oil.
