For the first time in 30 years, NASCAR's top series returns to the 0.625-mile short track at North Wilkesboro Speedway for a Cup Series points race. It's a comeback story for a track that sat dormant for decades, after being a regular stop on the NASCAR circuit from 1949 to 1996.
NASCAR returned in 2023 to host its All-Star race at the historic track off U.S. 421, also known as Benny Parsons Highway, named for the 1973 NASCAR champion from Wilkes County.
A turning point for the abandoned track came in 2019, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. started promoting its revival. In 2021, the General Assembly put $18 million in the state budget to restore the track owned by Speedway Motorsports, which owns 11 facilities including Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee and others on the NASCAR circuit.
North Carolina's Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund put $1.26 million toward this year's Window World 450. It is expected to draw thousands to the county of approximately 66,000 residents from 48 states, the District of Columbia and eight foreign countries, according to a state release. The four-day event starting around 7:30 tonight with a Cup Series hauler parade from Wilkesboro to North Wilkesboro is expected to generate millions of dollars for the local economy.
The weekend will be full of activity, including a Truck Series competition Saturday and the Window World 450 Cup race at 7 p.m. Sunday, preceded by a Sawyer Brown concert.
Richard Petty won 15 races at North Wilkesboro, while Darrell Waltrip had 10 victories and Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough each had five. At the last points race in September 1996, the Tyson Holly Farms 400, Jeff Gordon edged out Earnhardt for a victory.
The speedway holds about 25,000 spectators, and it's tucked into the foothills of Wilkes County, making it a cozy spot to watch a race. In the 1990s, NASCAR's increasing popularity prompted expansion beyond its Southern roots, so it reassigned North Wilkesboro's races to tracks in Texas and New Hampshire.
Kevin Ellis
dailydigest@businessnc.com
NASCAR returned in 2023 to host its All-Star race at the historic track off U.S. 421, also known as Benny Parsons Highway, named for the 1973 NASCAR champion from Wilkes County.
A turning point for the abandoned track came in 2019, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. started promoting its revival. In 2021, the General Assembly put $18 million in the state budget to restore the track owned by Speedway Motorsports, which owns 11 facilities including Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee and others on the NASCAR circuit.
North Carolina's Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund put $1.26 million toward this year's Window World 450. It is expected to draw thousands to the county of approximately 66,000 residents from 48 states, the District of Columbia and eight foreign countries, according to a state release. The four-day event starting around 7:30 tonight with a Cup Series hauler parade from Wilkesboro to North Wilkesboro is expected to generate millions of dollars for the local economy.
The weekend will be full of activity, including a Truck Series competition Saturday and the Window World 450 Cup race at 7 p.m. Sunday, preceded by a Sawyer Brown concert.
Richard Petty won 15 races at North Wilkesboro, while Darrell Waltrip had 10 victories and Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough each had five. At the last points race in September 1996, the Tyson Holly Farms 400, Jeff Gordon edged out Earnhardt for a victory.
The speedway holds about 25,000 spectators, and it's tucked into the foothills of Wilkes County, making it a cozy spot to watch a race. In the 1990s, NASCAR's increasing popularity prompted expansion beyond its Southern roots, so it reassigned North Wilkesboro's races to tracks in Texas and New Hampshire.
Kevin Ellis
dailydigest@businessnc.com
