Supercars volunteers will camp at Maitland Showground and travel to the Newcastle 500 each day

The volunteers usually camp at Newcastle Showground, but this year they'll call Maitland Showground home and commute to the event via bus.

There will be 120 volunteers staying in about 80 sites from Wednesday, March, 8.

It's a significant windfall for the Hunter River Agricultural and Horticultural Association, who use the proceeds from camping fees to restore and improve the grounds.

The volunteers will stay until Monday, March 13, and some might even extend their time to look around.

"Supercars are paying the equivalent of what the volunteers would be paying individually, so we are getting a financial benefit out of it, and when you think about our role as a camping ground, our camping income is significant for us," Maitland Showground manager Brett Gleeson said.

"Without that the association would really struggle because it's the only form of day-to-day income that we get."

Hotel and motel accommodation in Newcastle over the March 10 to 12 event is significantly more expensive than in Maitland.

There were still vacancies in both cities this week.

A single room in Maitland for two people, for two nights, is as low as $298 and as high as $540.

In other news:

In Newcastle the same scenario will cost anywhere from $592 to over $2000.

The average person spends $108 a day during an overnight stay in Maitland, according to Tourism Research Australia's Local Government Area profiles.

Mr Gleeson said every visitor helped to boost the city's tourism economy.

"I'm hoping there will be a flow-on effect to the businesses in Maitland and there will be a boost to the visitor economy out of this," he said.

Maitland Business Chamber president Michael Maffey said Supercars was a Newcastle-centric event and members weren't expecting a benefit from it.

He said Maitland events - like Steamfest, Taste and Aroma - brought a direct impact to the economy.

He hoped the Supercars volunteers would spend some money with local businesses during their stay.

"None of the members of the business chamber or any other business people that I speak to have raised the Supercars in either a negative or a positive light, it's just not being talked about," Mr Maffey said.

The Supercars event is supposed to bring around $30 million to the Newcastle economy each year.

This year it will be Camaro vs Mustang on track for the first time, signalling a new chapter for the sport. Tickets are still available online through Ticketek.