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NASCAR's visit to the North Wilkesboro Speedway is just around the corner as drivers and teams prepare to go racing on the historic track for the first time in nearly 27 years. The beloved venue made its comeback after former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke in favor of the 0.6-mile-long track in North Carolina.
Hosting this year's All Star race in the Cup Series, the venue has undergone extensive repairs and refurbishment processes to make it race-worthy with the safety practices of modern-day NASCAR. The governing body has, however, taken special care to not rob the venue of its old-school charm, which is going to be one of the main attractions for die-hard fans of stock car racing.
Drivers and teams will be seen racing on the same surface the track has sported since its heyday, without any resurfacing prior to the Cup Series events. The track has also invited the public to an Open House on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
From 5pm to 9pm, people can enjoy roaming around on the premises of the track, taking in the historic nostalgia, as well as new renovations that have taken place over the last six months at the venue.
Ahead of the All-Star Race week, fans also have an apportunity to walk on the tracks historic Victory Lane, and click pictures for remembrance. Evenings at the Open House are gauranteed to be fun-filled afairs with plenty of souvenirs stands, food trucks and music, aong with a showcase of the new MUSCO LED track-lights show.
Speedway Motorsports CEO reminisces on NASCAR's return to North Wilkesboro Speedway
Marucs Smith, the CEO and president of Speedway Motorsport - the entity which owns a major share of NASCAR's oval tracks, recently reminisced about the sport's olden days on his recent visit to North Wilkesboro Speedway.
With the track abandaoned after the 1996 Cup Series season, over 20 years of neglect certainly took its toll on the North Carolina property. Aiming to reinvigorate the old-school charm that North Wilkesboro posseses, along with making it feasable for racing in 2023, Smith elaborated on his plans which went into overdrive quite a few months back. He said:
“We want to maintain the patina. The facility will look like it did, as close as possible to when it was running back in the ’90s and the ’80s. We’re trying to preserve that energy of stepping back into time but also updating it to present day."
With the Open House at the track opening on May 10, NASCAR fans can see for themselves if the promises have been delivered on or not. We are quite certain that they have been.
