NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY - NORTH WILKESBORO NC
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a former short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, NC. It measured 0.625 miles (1.006 km) and featured a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's closure in 1996. In 1945, Enoch Staley attended a stock car race in South Carolina sponsored by Bill France. Enoch was inspired by the races and was impressed by the large crowds attending the new sport, so he decided to build a track in his native Wilkes County, and he asked France to promote the races and assist with their operation. Enoch and his partners, Lawson Curry, Jack Combs, and Charlie Combs, purchased farmland near North Wilkesboro and
began building an oval racetrack. When their initial investment of $1,500 was exhausted, they were forced to amend the original design of the track, hence the completed track was not a perfect oval. The front stretch was left with a downhill slope, and the backstretch had an uphill slope. Construction was completed in late 1946. North Wilkesboro Speedway opened its doors on May 18, 1947, as a dirt track. France promoted the first official event as a modified race, including heat races and a feature race. While an attendance of about 3,000 people was expected, a crowd in excess of 10,000 was there to see one of the famous Flock brothers win the race. On October 16, 1949, North Wilkesboro Speedway held the eighth and final race of the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Division. A total of 22 drivers competed in the race. Bob Flock, passed Bill Blair's fading Cadillac with 20 laps to go and won by about 100 yards over Lee Petty. At the end of the day Robert "Red" Byron walked away as the first
NASCAR champion. North Wilkesboro carried a reputation as one of the fastest short-tracks in auto racing in the late 1940s and 1950s. Racing at North Wilkesboro was intense and physical. The old dirt oval was paved in 1957. Through the 1960s and 1970s the NASCAR Cup Series began focusing on bigger, faster, and longer tracks. Like other short tracks in NASCAR at the time, crowd capacity and purses were small compared to the larger tracks. Over time, Staley and Combs attempted to keep the facility modern and on pace with the growth of the sport. In the Wilkes 400 of 1967, Richard Petty achieved an historic tenth straight win, his 27th win of the season, at North Wilkesboro. Prior to the start of the race, Petty's car had a flat tire, but he was able to recover and win by two laps over pole winner Dick Hutcherson. During the 1980s the
track was noticeably lagging behind other speedways on the NASCAR circuit, but the fans were more interested in the great racing action between the legendary drivers. Enoch's focus was more on the fans' enjoyment rather than on building large suites and new facilities. Attendance and total purse for races at the track were the lowest in NASCAR, but the events continued to sell out and attract more fans each year. By the 1990s, North Wilkesboro was like a part of the past. Enoch had always had the fans' interests at heart, and he was reluctant to raise ticket and concession prices or charge spectators additional fees to make facility improvements. Track amenities were seen as out-of-date and lagging behind the other more modern facilities. Parking was overcrowded and tight, traffic jams plagued the two-lane
roads leading to the facility, and hotel and motel rooms were hard to find in the area. NASCAR crowds and TV contracts had outgrown the Speedway. The track was closed after the fall race of 1996. North Wilkesboro's spring date was moved to Smith's new Texas Motor Speedway. The fall date was taken over by Bahre's New Hampshire track and moved to early September as part of a schedule realignment. The final race held here was in September 1996. The Tyson Holly Farms 400 37 cars take the green flag. EVERY car was running at the drop of the checkered flag, and the last place car completed 369 laps. Eleven cars finished on the lead lap in a race that saw eight leaders and 18 lead changes.
Jeff Gordon would take command with 79 laps to go; but only beat Dale Earnhardt by about two seconds. Dale Jarrett was third as Jeff Burton and Terry Labonte made up the top five. As far as most wins: Richard Petty has 15 wins at the track; Darrell Waltrip is second with ten wins (five in a row). The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races, including the now-defunct ASA Late Model Series, USARacing Pro Cup Series, and PASS super late models, before closing again in the spring of 2011. In late 2021, it was announced that the state of North Carolina had included plans in state funding for construction at North Wilkesboro Speedway. 18 million dollars is earmarked for construction upgrades in holds of luring the Cup Series back to the track. Less than a week later, construction had already began. Garbage had been burned in the center of the track and the Tyson suites in turn four were being demolished.
2022 upgrades
Additionally, other older buildings are being torn down, likely for future plans of new buildings. In late 2022, NASCAR announced that they would return to Rockingham in 2023 as the All Star race would be hosted there. Fans are hoping the following year, it will get a points paying Cup race. North Wilkesboro Speedway might look different when NASCAR returns to the famed facility in May for the All-Star Race, but its historical feel will not be erased. Renovations are well underway to make North Wilkesboro a modern facility capable of hosting NASCAR national series events. Among the most significant updates are new walls, putting in a SAFER barrier and a new catch fence. Lighting is also on the list of updates, with LED lights set to be installed. Swift said they would come with the functions for the staff
to do different things with them under green and yellow flagconditions. Other improvements include: Paving the infield - Wi-Fi and other necessary accommodations for media and the sanctioning body - Updating the scoring pylon with LED lights (but it will keep its original look). There is also plenty that is not changing. Although upgrades are necessary, Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith and others have been adamant the track needs to keep its old feel. North Carolina was granted $5.7 billion from the American Rescue Plan. Governor Roy Cooper awarded money to different racetracks in the state (Wilkesboro, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Rockingham Speedway) for revitalization efforts. It’s believed that Smith has also put in money of his own. Among the features at North Wilkesboro remaining untouched: The racing surface will not be paved before May - Victory lane will remain unchanged, including using the car lift - The metal grandstand seats will be the same - The old signage around the racetrack from the 1990s will remain unchanged - The scoreboard in Turn 3 will return to its original form that will be manually changed every 10 laps - Many buildings will remain unpainted so it has the old 'patina' and reaches back into the past. More updates to come here when the All Star race is ran.
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