Following nearly three decades of dormancy, and months of renovation efforts, the North Wilkesboro Speedway is once again hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race, set to begin this weekend. Earlier today, following morning practice runs, Governor Roy Cooper visited the track to take a victory lap.
The last NASCAR competition here was in 1996, and for generations, North Wilkesboro Speedway was a source of pride for many residents of Wilkes County. The track was given a lifeline in the form of $18 million in federal pandemic recovery funds to revitalize speedways across the state and to help struggling local economies.
Governor Cooper says the return on investment and putting money in the pockets of everyday North Carolinians were big incentives for the bipartisan work that led to this day. But equally important he says was the history behind the sport and its birthplace.
"As I look out at the Junior Johnson Grandstand, I’m in a state of awe," says Cooper. "There are just some places that are so ingrained in communities, in states, in people’s lives, that they just take a special place unto themselves."
Event organizers are anticipating that Sunday’s All-Star race will sell out. Tickets are still available for Friday and Saturday evening’s events.