EP# 228: NASCAR, Neighbors, and Nighttime Calls: Behind the Scenes at Hick's White Top Campground

What makes Rocco Valluzzo wiith Hick’s White Top Campground a good neighbor?

Ever wonder what it's like running a campground that hosts hundreds of passionate NASCAR fans? Rocco Valluzzo pulls back the curtain on Hicks White Top Campground, revealing the midnight phone calls from excited race fans, the round-the-clock service during race weekends, and the year-round work that goes unnoticed by most visitors.

"About 90% of people think 'man, this is easy, you've got it made,'" Rocco laughs, sharing how the family business has evolved over the past decade. What started with his parents has become a true family operation, with Rocco progressing from helping with cooking and concessions to managing all operations and maintenance alongside his wife. The campground primarily serves NASCAR enthusiasts who return faithfully race after race, year after year, creating a community where veteran campers often help newcomers navigate their first Bristol experience.

The pandemic tested Rocco's patience as he waited for racing to return and venues to reopen. Despite the challenges, loyal customers maintained their traditions however they could – some even camping just to hear the distant engines roar from outside the Speedway. Now, Hicks White Top is expanding beyond NASCAR weekends, opening their seven-acre property for everything from baby showers to car shows, live music, and monthly yard sales. They've "never said no to anybody" looking for event space, making this racing destination increasingly valuable to local Tri-Cities residents year-round. And after years of culinary experiments ranging from crawfish boils to catfish fries, Rocco (a Lower Alabama native) discovered the universal truth of Southern hospitality: "everyone loves barbecue."

Ready to experience the community spirit of Hicks White Top Campground? Whether you're planning your first NASCAR weekend or looking for a unique local venue, visit HicksCampground.com to learn more about this Tri-Cities hidden gem!

To learn more about Hick’s White Top Campground go to:

https://www.hickscampground.com/

Hick’s White Top Campground

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of the Tri-Cities.
So I'm pretty stoked today tohave a very special guest in our
studio.
So I'm excited to learn allabout them and their business.
And if you're a fan of NASCAR,you're going to be just as
excited because today I have thepleasure of introducing your
good neighbor, Mr Rocco Valuzzo,who is the owner operator of

(00:31):
Hicks White Top Campground.
Rocco, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, we're thrilled to have you, like I said, super
excited to learn all about youand your campground.
So, if you don't mind, whydon't you kick us off by telling
us what you do?

Speaker 3 (00:49):
We are a campground that's primarily open for NASCAR
and other events at theSpeedway and Dragstrip.
I would say about 50% of themom and pops around the Speedway
just operate with NASCAR orother large events.
So we see customers two, three,maybe four times a year, kind

(01:12):
of all over the place.
We usually get a coupleinternational campers.
But yeah, we're here.
Rain shine as long as the raceenthusiasts are here, so are we.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
All right, very cool.
So how did you get into therestaurant?

Speaker 3 (01:32):
It's actually a family business.
My mom and stepfather got inabout 10 years ago and I've been
started out helping and thencooking and doing concessions
and catering for them and theircampers, and then slowly moved
up to operations and maintenance.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Wow, so you just kind of family affair.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, it's a traditional mom and pop Me and
my wife do everything customerservice, booking, maintenance so
, yeah, we kind of keep it inthe family.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
There you go.
That's great.
That's what we specialize inhere on this show.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions in the campground
?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
business.
I think a lot of I would sayabout 90% of the people.
They come down they'reenthusiastic, they're going to a
big event, they've beendrinking and they're just man,
this is easy, you've got it made.
And then the other 10% of thecampers, a little bit more
observant, is like you were herelast night at 3 in the morning
and you're here again at 6 inthe morning.

(02:46):
It's like do you go to bed, Doyou sleep?
So I think most people thinkit's just oh, they're only open
a couple weeks a year, but it'sa lot of goes on in between, and
not just during the events, butmaintenance and handling
reservations throughout the year.
We occasionally get the two inthe morning phone calls got

(03:11):
screaming I'm coming to NASCAR,woo, and just hangs up.
You're like yeah, we'll see youhere, um, but yeah, it's uh.
The customers make it easy.
They're usually a good bunch ofpeople.
Um, they're diehards.
They're usually a good bunch ofpeople, they're diehards.
They come twice a year.
They've been coming for 10years.
So they make it easier and thenthey can kind of help out the

(03:32):
newbies.
You know, first Bristol event,so everyone kind of, anything
from I don't know how to park mycamper to how do I get to the
speedway?
The diehards help us out.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Very good, very good.
That's so funny.
Two o'clock in the morning,woo-hoo Come in.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
I get phone calls all the time.
Yeah, it's the mostinconvenient time, usually too,
of course.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Of course.
Yeah, well, outside of work,rocco, what do you like to do
for fun?

Speaker 3 (04:12):
I've got two kids under three so we try to get
them out to see as much of theTri-Cities as possible.
We just did the dinosaurs atthe Speedway and then we'll take
them to farm events strawberryfestivals next weekend and I'm
in my early 40s, wife's in herlate 30s, so we try to go out
and see as much live music fromour teenage years as possible.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Absolutely, and there's a ton of that in Bristol
and in the city.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah, the casino is really stepping up its game here
.
In the last year bringingpeople in.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
So, wow, Well, time with family always a good answer
.
So let's switch gears.
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge that you've
overcome, either personally orprofessionally, and how it made
you stronger in the end?

Speaker 3 (04:56):
I'm not one for patience, biggest patient maker
for us all just sitting back andwaiting to see you know when
everything was going to get backto normal, or our version of

(05:17):
normal, and just complying withall rules and regulations, like
I've got to be active in doingsomething.
So just having a whole year anda half, two years where you're
just waiting for you know venuesto open and families to you
know gather and you know likeNASCAR just to open up again,

(05:38):
was kind of, you know, a test ofpatience, especially for me.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Oh, absolutely, for everybody.
I mean everybody you know,especially know, especially, you
know big venues like that andfootball games.
I remember going to a tennesseegame that, uh, you know you had
to sit six feet apart and itwas only 30 000 people and you
know that could go in the studioin the stadium.
That holds a lot more than that.
You know that was interestingand that was after about a year,

(06:08):
I think.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, you know we had some customers um knew that
they couldn't get tickets, therace was running, but they
camped and they just wanted towalk over to the speedway just
to hear the cars and of coursethey were chased off.
But you know, they came back tothe campground and watched on
tv and you know, but they tried.
You know they, they were goingto do what they were normally

(06:29):
used, know, but they tried.
You know they were, they weregoing to do what they were
normally used to doing, but theystill came and even though they
couldn't get inside, they stillhad a good time.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
Absolutely Awesome.
Well, Rocco, if there was onething that you would like our
listeners to remember aboutHicks White Top Campground, what
would that be?

Speaker 3 (06:53):
top campground.
What would that be?
We're actually opening up anddoing more um events, uh,
whether it's baby showers orlive music.
Um, a lot of our customers areout-of-towners, tourists, so
we're just hopefully the locals.
You know, if they need sevenacres for an event or just 2,000
square feet to get out theweather, car shows, we've never

(07:15):
said no to anybody.
So anything from music to carshows, baby showers, we do have
a Saturday group that meets todo yard sales and things along
that line.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh, that's very cool, like a train lot kind of thing.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yeah, yeah, they're on Facebook Marketplace and then
they meet every Saturday andthen the first of every month
they do have a giant yard sale.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Nice, very nice.
Good to know.
Well, if Any of our listenersare interested in having an
event they'd like to schedule,or just want to come hang out
during a NASCAR event, how canthey learn more?

Speaker 3 (07:54):
You can find us at HicksCampgroundcom and then we
advertise with the Speedway andwe're there.
Our name and number and addressand contact is with Google, so
we're listed.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Very good, Now you do .
You were doing some cooking.
You have any specialties in thecampground?

Speaker 3 (08:16):
you know, I'm from lower alabama.
I had learned the hard way, uh,but it took me a while to
realize that everyone lovesbarbecue.
Yeah, yeah, we tried.
Yeah, we tried crawfish boil,shrimp, boil, fried catfish, and
then, once we got barbecue, westuffed with barbecue, made

(08:37):
everybody happy now, you're fromalabama.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
Is that white sauce in alabama?
Yeah, we're home of the whitesauce, yep yep, well, I'm from
north carolina, so I'm a vinegarwestern north carolina, so
Western vinegar, tomato based.
But I love white sauce though.

Speaker 3 (08:55):
It's good with chicken it is Absolutely,
absolutely Well.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
Rocco, I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed
chatting with you and learningall about your campground and we
appreciate you telling ourlisteners and hope that, moving
forward, we wish you and yourfamily and the Hicks White Top
Campground all the best.
Yes, sir, I appreciate it.
Thank you all.
Yes, sir, thank you, and maybewe can have you back sometime

(09:21):
when you got a big event comingup.
Sure, anytime, all right,sounds good.
Thanks so much, rock.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
All right, sounds good.
Thanks so much, rock.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.

(09:57):
Seven, three, the.