RaceTrac opened a store in West Jefferson, Ohio, on Thursday. | RaceTrac
RaceTrac is expanding its presence in Ohio. Almost two years after it opened its first convenience store in the Buckeye State in Findlay, it has opened a second location in West Jefferson.
This is one of four new stores planned to open in the state in 2026, RaceTrac said Tuesday in a news release. This represents a nearly $65 million investment in the state, the Atlanta-based convenience-store chain said.
Three of the Ohio sites—West Jefferson, Circleville and Canal Winchester—sit within 30 miles of downtown Columbus, and one will be farther northwest in Lima. More Ohio locations are planned for 2027 and beyond, RaceTrac said.
The West Jefferson store, pictured above, had a grand opening celebration on Thursday.
The Findlay store opened in December 2024 and is an 8,100-square-foot travel center located off I-75 and County Road 99.
“Ohio is a key part of how RaceTrac is growing beyond the Southeast, and these four stores are just the beginning of our commitment to serving guests and communities across the state,” said Melanie Isbill, president of convenience retail at RaceTrac. “We’re building these stores to be a reliable stop for everyone from local residents commuting to Columbus to the professional drivers hauling freight along I-75 and keeping the state’s economy moving.”
RaceTrac is No. 18 on CSP’s 2026 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by U.S. store count.
Each new store will have a variety of made-in-store food and drinks including pizzas, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, RaceTrac’s Crazy Good Coffee and a Swirl World frozen yogurt bar.
The West Jefferson and Lima locations will be travel centers, RaceTrac’s larger-format stores featuring a front court for everyday commuters and a back court that serves professional drivers and construction vehicles.
Circleville and Canal Winchester will be midsize stores, catering to both passengers and local fleet and professional drivers, RaceTrac said.
New locations typically add about 25 to 40 new jobs to the communities the company serves.
Family-owned company RaceTrac has 850 RaceTrac and RaceWay retail locations, about 1,200 Gulf-branded locations and more than 445 Potbelly Sandwich Works shops throughout the United States.
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