CONCORD, N.C. — Blog by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images photo — We’re halfway through Charlotte Motor Speedway race weekend, and it’s been a wild ride so far.

We’ve seen a new all-time mile-and-a-half track record on the Cup side, we’ve seen a rookie claim the pole at Charlotte in pursuit of a record-setting championship and we’ve seen Jimmie Johnson smack the wall in Happy Hour in pursuit of locking himself into the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

That’s all well and exciting, but there’s more to it than that.

This weekend is in NASCAR’s backyard — the teams are based here, most of the drivers have relocated to the Charlotte-area or at the very least spend a lot of time here, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is nearby — it all lends itself to an atmosphere that’s like no other.

I’ve felt the anticipation in the air all weekend long — the electricity is there, the excitement is there and everyone is on edge as they gear up for the only Saturday night spectacular left in the Sprint Cup season.

To win at Charlotte means you’ve won in front of NASCAR’s faithful, in front of friends and in a place where you will go down in NASCAR history for decades to come. To win at Charlotte means you’ve done something special — and you’ve won on NASCAR’s home turf.

Yes, Daytona is where NASCAR was born, but Charlotte is where NASCAR lives, breathes and thrives every day through the week and where teams say they want to win as much as any other track on the circuit, if not more so in a lot of cases.

This race will mean more because it’s the last chance for the Sprint Cup Chase drivers to control their own destinies; this race will mean more because it’s the last chance for a driver to win under the lights this season. This race will mean more because for some drivers, it’s their best chance to steal a win away from the title favorites.

Jimmie Johnson has accomplished the feat of a win seven times at Charlotte in his Cup Series career — more than anyone else. Brad Keselowski did it as a non-Chaser in this race last year. Matt Kenseth’s done it. So has Clint Bowyer. So have Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray.

It means a lot to win a race. But this race means more because it’s in front of the home crowd. Everyone who cares and is close to the heart of the sport has a chance to come out and support the action because it’s Charlotte, and it’s NASCAR at its finest.

I’m not going to pretend like I know who’s going to hoist the trophy tonight, but I do know this. Every driver in contention will be fighting just a little bit harder for many of the reasons that I outlined above.

This weekend is proof that the old adage is true, and tonight in Victory Lane, I’m sure one person will be thinking or even saying it after they hoist the trophy and spray the champagne.

“There’s really no place like home!”