For the first time in nearly 30 years, the NASCAR Cup Series will be racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The layout hasn't changed much, although the site is a little more rustic. The short track sitting in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains has maintained its unique charm.
It is a relic of a past era, one in which stock cars rattled down tracks rather than waltzed and engines pumped plumes of smog into the air.
North Wilkesboro has hosted countless racing legends, yet few are as tied to the track as tightly as Jeff Gordon, who went to victory lane there on Sept. 29, 1996 — the date of the last points-paying Cup race to be run at the North Carolina venue.
MORE: North Wilkesboro, a famous NASCAR ghost, brought back to life in ‘Cars 3’
Gordon put on a clinic that day. He got his No. 24 car to the front with ease and ended up winning the autumn race handily over Dale Earnhardt. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Terry Labonte finished fifth, a key result for the points standings.
Despite capturing 10 wins in the 1996 season, Gordon was unable to secure a second consecutive Cup Series title. But his face-off with Earnhardt and eventual series champion Labonte became a landmark event in a Hall of Fame career.
With the Cup Series returning to the 0.625-mile track this weekend for the annual All-Star Race, we glance back into history and Gordon's magical run.
Who won the last NASCAR race at North Wilkesboro?
Gordon, decked out in his signature "Rainbow Warrior" fire suit, looked the figure of composure at the 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400.
He started the day out front, but his No. 24 Chevrolet wasn't the only fast car. Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace combined to lead 193 of the race's 400 laps.
Still, Gordon was the man to beat as he led the other 207 laps.
MORE: Inside North Wilkesboro Speedway's renovation | Before and after photos
North Wilkesboro wasn't the easiest of racing surfaces to get used to, Gordon told Hendrick Motorsports in an interview.
"They basically just poured this racetrack with the topography of the landscape, so that is why you have this downhill front straightaway," he said. "When you are looking at it, it might not feel significant. When you are driving, it is significant. Back in those days with the amount of grip that we had, it was hard on brakes trying to get into turn one. You couldn’t get the car to do what you really wanted."
Despite still being in the early stages of his career — Gordon was just 25 at the time — he had already proved himself a fearsome competitor on short tracks. He was a year removed from his first Winston Cup Series crown. And he had showed out at North Wilkesboro the year prior, taking the pole in the spring.
"If you wanted to win a championship, you needed to be able to run well at those types of tracks," Gordon said.
The race started as well as Gordon could have hoped. He zipped past pole sitter Ted Musgrave to set the pace a few laps in and then continued to show off his blazing speed.
The field jostled for position throughout the frantic affair. Earnhardt, Martin, Wallace and Bobby Hamilton all looked capable of winning at various points in addition to Gordon.
Ultimately, though, the race was Gordon's to lose. He outpaced Earnhardt on Lap 322 to recapture the lead on a restart. Despite Earnhardt's best efforts, Gordon took the checkered flag, besting "The Intimidator" by 1.73 seconds.
"It was high on our list of checking off the box because it is so challenging, so difficult and we had done so poorly there," Gordon said. "We sat on the pole there in 1995. Then, they announced the final season of North Wilkesboro in 1996. That was huge motivation for us. We’ve got to get this done. The urgency is there and we did."
It was an early career accomplishment for Gordon, who retired with 93 wins, the third-most in NASCAR history. The victory cemented his place in track and NASCAR lore.
And as NASCAR prepares to host a race there for the first time since that September day, Gordon's name still resonates. Expect an ovation for him at the All-Star Race. He'll be driving the pace car, a Chevrolet Camaro that looks eerily similar to the machines he raced during his career.
MORE: Explaining the format for the NASCAR Open and All-Star races
When asked about how he expects racers to view the throwback locale, Gordon responded positively.
"I think they are going to like the racing," he said. "It puts things back into the mechanics' and the drivers’ hands."
If that is the case, then fans are set up for a wonderful viewing experience Sunday night.
