(Photo: North Wilkesboro Speedway)
By Aaron Bearden
What Happened?
With a Saturday afternoon press conference at Bristol Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports and XR Events announced the news that many lifelong short track fans have waited years for.
Racing is returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Under the name Racetrack Revival, XR Events will bring two months of racing to the iconic North Carolina track. The first will take place in August, with multiple grassroots racing classes offered a chance to compete on the .625-mile oval’s current asphalt. It will be the first races the facility has hosted since 2011.
Once that month is concluded, the asphalt will be ripped up to showcase the original dirt used to make the facility nearly 75 years ago. October will then play host to a month of dirt racing at the track.
Among the classes competing over the two months will be Super Late Models, 410 Sprint Cars, Big Block Modifiers, Street Stocks, Open Wheel Modifieds, 602 Crate Late Models, 604 Crate Late Models, Stock Cars and Hornets.
This racing precedes a planned repave of the oval in 2023, along with renovations that open the door for additional racing and other events in the future. This is all made possible by money from the American Rescue Fund, with North Wilkesboro securing $18 million along with Charlotte Motor Speedway ($13 million) and Rockingham Speedway ($9 million).
“As we begin the process of bringing North Wilkesboro Speedway back to life, this is a great opportunity for the historic short track to host grassroots racing an allow our team to learn more about what needs to be done before a grand re-opening in the future,” Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith said in a release.
“Our vision is to revive this venue into a multi-use entertainment facility, but racing will always be the core product. We know fans and competitors will enjoy kicking the tires alongside us with some live competition this year as we begin renovations.”
Analysis
Saturday’s news probably isn’t the grand NASCAR return to North Wilkesboro that some were hoping for, but it is a step in the right direction for a track that seemed destined to rot not long ago.
Let’s get the key news out of the way early: NASCAR isn’t coming back to North Wilkesboro, at least not yet. Nothing’s been confirmed for any of the sport’s three national series at the historic oval.
That’s not to say that those involved aren’t interested. Smith told the media on Saturday that he thinks North Wilkesboro “would be a perfect place for the NASCAR (Camping World) Truck Series to go.”
He’s less bullish on the Xfinity or Cup Series coming to the track.
“I think that the infrastructure there, the size of the facility is just not what we would put on the schedule for Cup and Xfinity at this time,” Smith said.
Of course, that could change. It wasn’t long ago that the thought of any racing returning to North Wilkesboro was considered optimistic at best. Even the race weekend the track’s return announcement arrived during, Bristol Dirt, is a concept that seemed impossible three years ago.
Should the renovations prove successful, it’s fair to assume a vocal portion of the fanbase will be eager to see NASCAR Cup cars return to Wilkes County for the first time since 1996 – particularly if the track is able to secure a Cup Series date.
But those involved are being conservative in their approach to any NASCAR return for now. Smith doesn’t foresee even the Truck Series making its way back until 2024 at the earliest. “Conservatively, we should say (2024),” he said. “That would maybe be fast on a lot of people’s timelines, but it’s hard to say.”
In the meantime, Smith and co. hope that the early races in 2022 will help drum up additional buzz beyond the consistent support of the passionate local fans in Wilkes County. With the varied schedule, there’s a chance that some drivers from NASCAR or elsewhere will participate.
“We’re definitely excited and focused about being able to race this year and feel like it’s way beyond our expectations,” Smith said. “I didn’t think we’d be racing there until ’23 at the earliest, maybe ’24.
“But thanks to (XR Events CEO Barry Braun) and our crew, the can-do spirit has come through and we’re able to deliver some fantastic, historical racing events for fans this year.”
It’s the first step in what could be a fruitful future for a track that seemed doomed to sit idle not long ago.
