September 29, 1996 was the final NASCAR Sprint Cup race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (Photo courtesy of SaveTheSpeedway.net)
Fans who fondly remember NASCAR racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway got some welcome news recently.
On Oct. 3, 2010, the cars of the USA Racing Pro Cup Championship Series will race on the 0.625-mile track in North Carolina. It will be the first event at North Wilkesboro since its last NASCAR Cup race in the fall of 1996.
“We’re very excited racing is returning to North Wilkesboro. We’ll definitely be there at the race,” said Steven Wilson, public relations
director for Save The Speedway Motorsports Inc., a grassroots movement formed in 2005 and dedicated to reopening the track.
Speedway Associates, which is leasing the speedway from owner Speedway Motorsports Inc., landed the USAR Pro Cup race, fulfilling the dreams of many longtime fans who remember the speedway’s NASCAR pedigree.
In the 13 years since North Wilkesboro hosted its last Cup race, there have been numerous pleas for some type of competition – Camping World Trucks, Nationwide Series, anything – to return.
One reason is simple: The loss of NASCAR was a big blow to the Wilkes County economy.
Another was that even though the track was unsuitable for Cup competition, it was still ideal for other series that could survive nicely
with lower attendance. Many of them, including Trucks, Nationwide and Modifieds, had indeed raced there.
But nothing happened.
Slowly, but surely, North Wilkesboro began to show all the signs of neglect.
Some of today’s fans who have never seen a race at North Wilkesboro may well wonder why the old track commands such passionate loyalty.
The answer is simple: North Wilkesboro is rich in racing tradition.
The track came into existence at about the same time NASCAR did. It was built in the heart of North Carolina’s moonshine country. Wilkes County was littered with stills. And there were plenty of leadfooted daredevils in souped-up cars to haul the goods.
Many moonshine haulers used to race among themselves in open fields or down country roads. When they learned a track was being built nearby, they couldn’t wait to get there.
North Wilkesboro held its first NASCAR Cup race in 1949. It was won by Bob Flock, one of the Flock brothers who delivered plenty of illegal whiskey along Georgia’s “Thunder Road” that ran from Dawsonville to Atlanta. Another hauler, a young Junior Johnson, was called away from plowing to compete in his first career race at North Wilkesboro.
