North Wilkesboro Speedway
View from Turn 1 in April 2011
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| Location | Wilkesboro Township, Wilkes County, near North Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
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| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports, Inc. |
| Broke ground | 1945 |
| Opened | May 18, 1947 |
| Closed | May 9, 2011 |
| Major events |
Wilkes 200 (1949–1953 and 1961) |
| Oval | |
| Length | 0.625 mi (1.006 km) |
| Banking | Turns: 14 degrees Straights: 3 degrees |
| Lap record | 0:18.905 (Ernie Irvan, Yates Racing, 1994, NASCAR Cup Series) |
Wilkes 200 (1949–1953 and 1961)
Wilkes 160 (1953–1959)
Wilkes 320 (1960 and 1962)
Wilkes 400 (1963–1976)
Gwyn Staley 160 (1959–1960)
First Union 400 (1961–1996)
Tyson Holly Farms 400 (1979–1996)
King's Ranson 300 (2010)
PASS Labor Day Classic 200 (2010)
North Wilkesboro Speedway was a short track that held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track operated from 1949, at NASCAR's inception, until the track's closure in 1996. 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. The track is located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. It measures five-eighths of a mile and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch.
In 1945, Enoch Staley attended a stock car race in South Carolina sponsored by Bil 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 Bill 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. Bill 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 in attendance to see one of the famous Flock brothers win the race.
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