Tickets to the Newcastle 500 on Saturday, November 25, include entry to Cold Chisel and Spiderbait that night inside the track at Foreshore Park.

General admission tickets to the race are still on sale, but organisers were forced on Friday to close off access to the concert due to high demand.

It is understood the concert crowd has been capped at about 20,000 for safety reasons.

“The concert site has peak capacity which has now been reached in advance ticket sales for Saturday,” Newcastle 500 event manager Kurt Sakzewski said.

“There has been an overwhelming early response which began when tickets went on sale to the local community in April.

“To ensure the safety and comfort of patrons, this means any tickets sold after today are not guaranteed concert access, which purchasers will be told when buying.

“Those who have purchased up until today date will be able to secure a wristband at any of the four information booths at the circuit by presenting their ticket.

“People are still able to purchase tickets for all days without Saturday concert access.”

All grandstand seating is sold out for the three-day race weekend, and corporate suites have sold out on the Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for pit-lane walks have also sold out.

Supercars had to cap the crowd at a Cold Chisel concert on the Gold Coast two years ago when the band attracted more than 20,000 fans, but that concert was not held inside the race track.  

Organisers are still predicting a crowd of about 150,000 over the three days with 13 days to go.

The Cold Chisel gig could be one of the biggest in Newcastle since the Newcastle Earthquake Relief Concert, featuring Midnight Oil, Crowded House, The Angels and a host of other star acts, attracted 42,000 to the International Sports Centre in 1990.  

Meanwhile, the track continues to take shape at Newcastle East.

The metal skeleton of the pit-lane building is in place, and work has started on a pedestrian bridge over Wharf Road.