NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Late one afternoon this week, as a large cluster of NASCAR fans stood at the gates of North Wilkesboro Speedway, Marcus Smith recounted how a combination of state and federal funding — and collective will from fans and industry executives alike — put Wilkes County back on the motorsports map.
Smith, CEO of Charlotte-based Speedway Motorsports, looked around at the newly paved infield, recently installed temporary grandstands and freshly painted walls, and pronounced the track ready to go. But, he added, crews will be putting finishing touches on the 0.625-mile speedway until the green flag drops here for the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 21. North Wilkesboro opened for racing in 1947, the year before NASCAR was formed.
As for the fans, they were welcomed moments later into the speedway as part of an open house to let them walk the track, peek at a few race cars, sample the concession stands and revel in a surprising return that, as recently as five years ago, everyone thought impossible.
Speedway Motorsports gained full control of the track in 2007. At that point, North Wilkesboro had not hosted a NASCAR race since 1996.
For the uninitiated, North Wilkesboro rivals Daytona in stock-car racing lore. Wilkesboro gave us Junior Johnson, the Hall of Fame racer whose bootlegging-moonshine runs propelled him into folklore when he added NASCAR runs to his résumé. You reach the speedway via Junior Johnson Highway (a portion of U.S. 421).
The speedway languished despite several grassroots campaigns over the years to revive it.
Retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s love of stock car history and status as racing royalty finally got things moving in 2019, beginning with his clean-up campaign of the track so that it could be featured in a racing video game.
Or, as Smith summed it up: “From a ‘Field of Weeds’ to a ‘Field of Dreams.’”
Perhaps the only thing more improbable than North Wilkesboro getting back on NASCAR’s schedule was a once-in-a-century pandemic that, in roundabout fashion, further fueled the track’s second act.
Read the full story of how it all came together and check out photos from the track here.
VIDEO: NACSAR drivers take part in tire test at North Wilkesboro Speedway
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