North Wilk WILKES COUNTY, NC (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – In February, FOX 46 was the first to tell you about interest in returning racing to North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County. fansrule.files.wordpress.com. The speedway opened in 1947 hosting races put on by local moonshiners, in 1949 North Wilkesboro, hosted the final race of the inaugural season, from that point on it hosted 2 races a year until it was closed in 1996, following the death of Enoch Staley owner of the speedway. Swilson2000 19:08, 30 January 2008 (UTC) Please stop revert warring. Twelve days before the 1959 Wilkes County 160 race, Enoch Staley’s brother Gwyn was killed in a convertible race at Richmond. The difference between Fairgrounds Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway is the Nashville track has remained open since NASCAR left. However, the business climate and a lack of working capital has now brought everything at the historic facility to a screeching halt. The only cars at the storied speedway today are those driving by on Old US 421. by: Brett Baldeck. North Wilkesboro Speedway was a short track that held races in NASCAR's top three series from NASCAR's inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996, including 93 Sprint Cup Series races. Image:Nwua1.jpg is being used on this article. It was won by Danica Patrick, who had to use yellow rookie stripes as she had never raced there before. Fall 2020 Reopening Cassandra McGuire 2020-11-16T21 :40:58-04:00. He was so impressed that he decided to build a track of his own. WILKESBORO, N.C. - The first track on the NASCAR circuit in nearby Wilkes County has been closed for more than 20 years. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, races during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series North Wilkesboro 160 at virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 9. The biggest and main group is called “Save The Speedway”. Thomasville is primarily based on North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, located in a region known as "The Moonshine Capital of America" and home to the North Wilkesboro Speedway, one of the first NASCAR tracks. North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina hasn’t hosted a NASCAR national series event since September 1996 and it’s not about to anytime soon. The 0.625-mile track is located in North Carolina and collected fans worldwide. Posted: May 5, 2020 / 05:05 PM EDT / Updated: May 6, 2020 / 11:27 AM EDT. Also we have about a dozen racing series that have commited to the use of the speedway, along with several Nextel Cup, Busch, and Craftsman … Speedway Motorsports owns North Wilkesboro Speedway today but has no plans for development or renovation. Wikipedians in North Carolina may be able to help! Speedway Motorsports, or SMI, has been seeking an agreement with another track, Fairgrounds Speedway, to bring NASCAR back. North Wilkesboro [N.C.] Speedway, a cornerstone in stock car racing's foundation and a track that occupies a special place in grassroots racing fans' hearts, will reopen next year with a coveted date in the USARacing Pro Cup Championship Series, it was announced Saturday during the drivers meeting prior to the series season finale Strutmasters.com 250 at South Boston Speedway. They are an organization dedicated to reopening North Wilkesboro Speedway. In 2013, Johnson Industries, owner of NASCAR, bought the track (and North Wilkesboro Speedway) and restored it in preparation for 2014. The people that would be coming to town, the tourism, seeing the local economy build back up. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's closure in 1996. For the last 1 ½ years, Speedway Associates Inc. has taken race fans and Wilkes County residents on a history-making ride with the reopening of North Wilkesboro Speedway which had … Speedway Associates Inc. officials cite the current business climate and a lack of working capital as the reason for the upcoming closure of the North Wilkesboro Speedway. They are an organization dedicated to reopening North Wilkesboro Speedway. In 2010, North Wilkesboro Speedway briefly reopened, playing host to several Stock Car series. Earnhardt posted images on social media Monday showing the track’s aging surface cleared of debris that had grown up on it over the years. Wilkes County Board Chair Eddie Settle tells FOX 46 he is preparing to reach out to Speedway Motorsports. NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — For the last 1 ½ years, Speedway Associates Inc. has taken race fans and Wilkes County residents on a history-making ride with the reopening of North Wilkesboro Speedway which had been shuttered for 14 years. The NASCAR original track opened in 1947 as a dirt track, hosting the right and final race of the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Division. September 29, 1996, is a day that hasn’t faded for those in Wilkes County. "Helping patients and seeing how they look at you and everything that I'm learning from them, I just really like that aspect of nursing," McCoy said. NASCAR Cup Series Race Recaps. 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To date we have recieve more then 4000+ signatures to the petition. Now closed, North Wilkesboro was called, 'the perfect racetrack' By … On October 16, 1949, North Wilkesboro Speedway held the eighth and final race of the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Division. Since the closure several groups have been working on reopening the speedway. NASCAR held its final race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. pic.twitter.com/TqTdMbfzlM, — Steve Myers (@iRacingMyers) December 9, 2019, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith on an episode of “The Dale Jr. Download.”. According to the sign, it is also the once home of Doc Hudson, and likely also a track where he raced as part of his 3 Piston Cup-winning campaigns. “It would be great to see the speedway come back. The North Wilkesboro Speedway held NASCAR races for 50 years; on September 29, 1996 Jeff Gordon would win the final race to be held at the speedway. North Wilkesboro Speedway opened its doors on May 18, 1947, to a crowd in excess of 10,000 people who showed up to see one of the famous Flock brothers win the race. Unfortunately, the track went silent again in 2011 … It would have been a different atmosphere to the small town approach we have now. ... North Wilkesboro Speedway was NASCAR's first sanctioned speedway… North Wilkesboro Speedway opened in May 18, 1947. Speedway Associates, Inc., took over the track in November 2009 and changed its name to Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. Watch The Video As I stated before I have emailed the administrators to take care of this issue. Now, a virtual race staged for this Saturday is bringing renewed interest to the old track. North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, NC — May 28, 2019 Cruising down North Carolina Highway 421, better known as Junior Johnson Highway, you will eventually pass an exit sign listing Speedway Road. NWS was reopened in 2010 and briefly played host to several Stock Car series such as the now defunct ASA Late Model Series, USARacing Pro Cup Series (formerly Hooters Pro Cup) and PASS Super Late Models … Jim Cooper/Getty Images. It would have grown into a much larger development for the city,” said Seth Cohn, owner of Dooley’s Grill & Tavern in Downtown Wilkesboro. Click on the race number to see the results of that race.. View NASCAR Cup Series driver stats at this track He won 13 races at the North Wilkesboro Speedway before giving Winston Cup a try in 1981, driving Irv Sanderson’s No. Public, private partnership. Other than a brief comeback in 2010, the track has sat mostly unused and empty. 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