North Wilkesboro Speedway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| North Wilkesboro Speedway | |
 |
|
| Facility statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
| Broke ground | |
| Opened | May 5, 1947 |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports, Inc. |
| Operator | closed |
| Construction cost | |
| Architect | |
| Former names | |
| Major events | |
| Wilkes 200 (1949-1953 & 1961)
Wilkes 160 (1953-1959) Wilkes 320 (1960 & 1962) Wilkes 400 (1963-1976) Gwyn Staley 160 (1959-1960) Gwyn Staley 400 (1961-1977) Northwestern Bank 400 (1979-1985) First Union 400 (1986-1996) Tyson Holly Farms 400 (1950-1996) |
|
| Seating capacity | |
| 40,000 | |
| Current dimensions | |
| Track shape | Oval |
| Track length | 0.625 miles |
| Track banking | Turns: 14 degrees Straightaways:- minimal banking |
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short track which held races in NASCAR's top three series from NASCAR's inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996.
The track is located on US Highway 421 about four miles east of the city North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
It measures 5/8ths of a mile, or 0.625 miles. One unique feature was the uphill backstretch and the downhill frontstretch.
Citing North Wilkesboro Speedway's age and lack of modern amenities, Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith purchased the track in 1996, and its two Winston Cup events were transferred to New Hampshire International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, respectively.
Since the sale to Bahre and Smith, there have been attempts and gestures to buy the track and re-open it by, among others, local native Junior Johnson. However, no deals have yet materialized. The last race was held there in September 1996.
Contents |
[edit] History
Over 10,000 people were at North Wilkesboro Speedway when it held its first race on May 5, 1947. Fonty Flock qualified on the pole, won his heat race, and won the feature after sitting out for 4 1/2 years with an injury. The event was sanctioned by the National Championship Stock Car Circuit, which was a forerunner to NASCAR[1].
[edit] Memorable moments
- One year, Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace drove side-by-side for almost 10 straight laps for the lead.
- Terry Labonte avoided a late crash that took out Rusty Wallace to win the Spring 1996 race.
- The Wilkes 400 in 1972 featured Bobby Allison against Richard Petty in a 39 lap slugfest. The lead changed thirteen times. In the final five laps, Petty was held up by a slower car. Both drivers plowed into the fences, guardrails, and each other. Both continued at full speed. Allison led with one lap to go, but Petty passed him for the win.
- Allison came back for the win in the 1973 Wilkes 400 by passing Petty for the win on the final lap.
- In the late 1970s, Cale Yarborough dominated the track. Cale blew up a tire, but made up three laps in the fall 1978 race to win easily.
- In 1979 Bobby Allison led most of the race. In the final 150 laps, Darrell Waltrip caught Allison. The two hit together hard and Darrell nailed the front stretch wall. Waltrip began crowding off Allison under the caution and got black flagged for the crowding. Benny Parsons won the race
- In 1984, Tim Richmond passed a fading Ricky Rudd for the win.
- In the fall 1988 race, Dale Earnhardt led nearly half the race until Ricky Rudd caught him. The drivers banged fenders for the final 41 laps. They were both black flagged to the rear of the field and pounded together again with five to go. Rusty Wallace passed Geoff Bodine with ten laps left. Bodine struck Wallace's car at the start of the final lap. Wallace pushed Bodine sideways, and Wallace crossed the finish line for the win.
- In the Fall 1989 race, Dale Earnhardt led 343 laps, but a caution set up a two lap showdown with Ricky Rudd. Rudd went side-by-side with Earnhardt. The two spun, and Geoff Bodine passed the two for the win.
- Brett Bodine led most of the spring 1990 race. During a caution the pace car picked up the wrong leader, which gave Bodine a lap lead. Bodine put on a set of tires before the error was corrected. He held off Darrell Waltrip for his only career Winston Cup win.
- As exciting as most races were in North Wilkesboro, the Fall 1994 race was not. Geoff Bodine lapped the field on his way to the checkered flag. The only challenge Bodine received all day was when Rusty Wallace tried to get his lap back on a restart. Wallace pulled a nose out front but after a little bit of beating and banging, Bodine beat Wallace back to the caution after Dale Earnhardt spun and hit the wall. Only 3 other drivers even finished within two laps of the leader that day. The race was the last race ever to finish with the leader lapping the field.
- April 14, 1996(Final Spring Race) Terry Labonte added to the luster of his racing longevity winning the First Union 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in which he tied Richard Petty's NASCAR Winston Cup Series record for consecutive starts -- 513.
- In 1991 Harry Gant looked like he was going to win his fifth straight win in the Cup series until his brakes faded late in the race. Dale Earnhardt went on to win.
[edit] Since the closure
After Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith purchased the track and moved its two dates to other locations, the track saw little racing. Both owners showed little interest in selling the track until 2005.
[edit] Save The Speedway
STS Motorsports, Inc., a group founded in 2005 by Rob Mardsen, has been trying to bring racing back to the track. The group first began a petition and caught the attention of the current owners. Bruton and Bahre eventually agreed to sell the track for $12 million. The track, which has been valued by county tax assessors at $4.83 million, was not sold.[2]
For the Save The Speedway group, fall and winter of 2005 was spent attempting to find a buyer or buyers of the track as well as proof that there was still interest in racing at the facility. Over a dozen touring series had expressed written letters of intent about holding events upon reopening, as well as three driving schools, and several NASCAR teams showed interest in using the facility for testing. As of 2007, the group had not yet found money to purchase the track.
The group currently has been working to get the state of North Carolina to erect a NC Highway Historical Marker off Highway 421 to recognize the achievements and contributions of the racing there.
[edit] Speedway for public sale
In January 2007 during the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Media Tour, Bruton Smith announced that he and co-owner Bob Bahre had agreed to let a real estate company attempt to sell the track for the asking price of $12 million. [3]
[edit] Trivia
- Current car owner Jack Roush of Roush Fenway Racing held round one of "Roush's Race For The Ride" at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a competition to find the next Roush Racing development driver.
- Ted Musgrave won the final pole; the final race was won by Jeff Gordon.
- Richard Petty's fifteen wins were the most in the history of the track.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.decadesofracing.net/FontyFlock.htm
- ^ http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192860436&path=%21sports&s=1037645509200
- ^ http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/misc.htm#NW
