The streets of Knoxville aren’t the only ones packed with racing fans.

Hundreds of visitors are staying in and exploring Pella during Nationals week.

Pella Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karen Eischen tells KNIA/KRLS that Nationals is among the three busiest tourist seasons for Pella, rivaling Tulip Time and the holidays in December. Race fan Johnny Nelson has made the trip down from South Dakota almost every year since the late 1980s.

“We’ve met a lot of people over the years, and we look forward to seeing some of them,” Nelson says. “Where we sit, [we have people] from Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois.”

“The only time we see these this people is at the races, so we kind of have a family get together, even though none of us are really related.”

He says he’s made a few routines, including staying in Pella each year, and that he and many outside fans are welcomed like family.

Many Pella businesses will have race pennants on their store fronts through the end of the weekend.