Stable gasoline prices are expected to fuel a slight increase in long trips this Memorial Day weekend.

The AAA auto club predicts that 39 million Americans will make a trip of at least 50 miles this weekend, up 2.7 percent from the same holiday last year.

The nationwide average price for a gallon of regular on Friday was $2.37. That's unchanged from early January. In recent years, prices have risen 35 to 70 cents per gallon heading into Memorial Day, says Patrick DeHaan, an analyst for the price-comparison site GasBuddy.

Vehicle sales fell about 2 percent through April, but sales of SUVs and trucks held up better, which analysts attribute to stable gas prices.