Five years ago, it was in near-ruins, abandoned to the vagaries of time and weather. But, thanks to the vision and determination of fan-favorite icon Dale Earnhardt Jr to see racing return to one of his favourite tracks, the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway has been brought back from the dead.
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What’s more, it has proven its worth by playing host to two successful All-Star Race weekends in 2023 and 2024. But does that make it good enough to host a points-paying Cup Series race?
Joseph Srigley, Editor-in-chief of tobychristie.com, is all for it.
Writing on X about how he’d like some changes in the Cup Series calendar, Srigley pitched for North Wilkesboro to have a points-paying race, while moving the All-Star race to Bowman Gray.
But fans weren’t buying it.
That boring ass race why the hell would they have the all star race there? The shorter the track the less of an ability to pass smh
— Adrien (@Adrien96894017) February 3, 2025
One replied, “Wilkesboro simply isn’t that good though. The racing is weak and can’t pull the $$ in to justify a points race back there in them tight roads. People close enough to go will stop eventually and choose TV at home like they did before unfortunately.”
A good point, since the restoration hasn’t changed the fundamental nature of the track. The track has a reputation for being a less competitive one, amplifying the Next Gen car’s overtaking troubles. Perhaps resurfacing it might earn it a better reception.
Another asked, “North Wilkesboro has produced a terrible racing product every time the cup cars are on it, why would we want a point race?”
For another fan, the issue with it was entirely different. “NWB still needs some renovations in the stands, it’s very uncomfortable really anywhere there,” he lamented, although going on to say, “But pending renovations I think that NWB can and should easily take a date from somewhere.”
Which is quite an endorsement, considering the shape the abandoned coliseum was in just a few years ago.
How Dale Jr. revived North Wilkesboro Speedway after years of neglect
On December 9, 2019, Dale Jr. and others were at the track clearing it up. The abandoned track was breaking and withering away, leaving little scope for it to be scanned and immortalized on iRacing. The JR Motorsports owner was a huge fan of the track, and had tried his level best to raise the money needed to renovate it, but unfortunately, could not.
Just when all hope seemed lost, an unlikely rescuer appeared on the scene: the global COVID pandemic! To fire up the economy again after the pandemic, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was passed. The Federal government released a grant of $18 million for the infrastructural development of North Carolina.
And the track was brought back to life.
Dale Jr., the man in the middle of it all, said in an episode of Dirty Air, “So it was announced that the All-Star race will come back (to North Wilkesboro Speedway). My initial reaction to that was a bit disappointed. Why would I be disappointed about that? Because I want Wilkesboro to have a points race. Wilkesboro for me is still on the comeback trail. It is not fully back until it’s got a points race.”
Dale Jr. still feels that North Wilkesboro is on the “fringes” and it’s not “100% back into our DNA,” which worries him. So he wants the points race to feel like it’s back – it’s truly back.
