Full Throttle

All NASCAR fans are familiar with the long history, and final demise of North Wilkesboro Speedway, a short track that held races in NASCAR’s top three series from NASCAR’s inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996.

Citing North Wilkesboro Speedway’s age and lack of modern amenities, Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith purchased the track in 1996, and its two Sprint Cup Series events were transferred to New Hampshire Motor 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.

That was then.

The “now” shows the venerable old 0.625 mi track not only has a new ownership group, but a race date on the 2010 calender as well.

USAR Pro Cup Series will appear at North Wilkesboro and is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2010, the race will be on the traditional fall weekend that for many years hosted NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

The new ownership group consists of the wife of late ARCA and Sprint Cup champion Benny Parsons, Alton McBride Sr., Alton McBride Jr., Dave Ehret, John Burwell and Bosco Lowe.

“We are extremely pleased to be the first national touring racing series to return to the true roots of stock car racing,” USARacing Managing Partner Larry Camp said. “We know the people of Wilkes County and the surrounding area of North Carolina have missed stock car racing on this storied track.”

With the addition of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the USAR Pro Cup Series schedule contains five tracks that played key roles in NASCAR’s first 50 years. The series travels to Hickory [N.C.] Motor Speedway on May 1, Rockingham [N.C.] Speedway on May 15, South Boston Speedway on June 12 and for the season finale on Nov. 6, and Bristol [Tenn.] Motor Speedway on Sept. 11. Gresham Motorsports Park, site of the USAR Pro Cup Series season opener on March 27 and a Championship Series race on Oct. 23, is on the site of the old Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Ga., which hosted NASCAR Cup races in the late 1960s.

North Wilkesboro Statistics

* Ted Musgrave won the final pole, the final fall race was won by Jeff Gordon, and the final spring race was won by 1996 Champion Terry Labonte.

* Richard Petty’s fifteen wins were the most in the history of the track.

* The last time a winning driver totally lapped the field on the way to the win was October 1994 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, NC when Geoffrey Bodine won, completing 400 laps while 2nd place was Terry Labonte who completed 399.

* The youngest driver to ever start a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at age 17 was Bobby Hillin Jr. who made his start on April 18, 1982 at the Northwestern Bank 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway

* North Wilkesboro Speedway was the only oval track in which during the race the cars both increased and decreased in elevation. Coming from turn four heading into turn one the cars would head downhill, coming out of turn two heading into three the cars would head uphill. Riverside also had uphill and downhill sections, but it was a road course.

* Cale Yarborough is the first Cup driver to win a points-paying race on his birthday, on March 27, 1977 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Kyle Busch is the only other driver to win on his birthday.[8]