For the first time since 1996, we are going racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway. It's been a long road back to the small town in North Carolina, but for many, it's better late than never.
A perfect storm of economic opportunity, expansion dreams and NASCAR's success in the 1990s doomed the Wilkes County track that had been on the circuit since the sport's first season. Now, more than 26 years later, NASCAR makes its triumphant return.
North Wilkesboro will never be the flashy, crown jewel of tracks. For the most part, it is a nod to small-town America — a blue-collar, bare-bones facility that just knows how to get the job done. It's a place where racing and community matter — not the high-priced suites, technology or other amenities.
MORE: How Jeff Gordon, 'Rainbow Warriors' raced to the win in last North Wilkesboro race
Before the drivers start their engines in the NASCAR All-Star Race, let's take a trip down memory lane. Previously left for dead, here is North Wilkesboro Speedway before and after it was given a second lease on life.
North Wilkesboro Speedway renovation photos
North Wilkesboro Speedway before renovation (2017)
In the 21 years since its final race, North Wilkesboro was long forgotten and left behind to fall victim to the undefeated, Mother Nature.
IPhotos for SN by Cody Hughes)
North Wilkesboro Speedway today (2023)
Six years after those initial photos, here is how North Wilkesboro looks today — courtesy of this Twitter thread from NASCAR Roots with side-by-side comparisons.
Revival = complete.@NWBSpeedway has come a long way and is ready for @NASCAR All-Star Week!
— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) May 15, 2023
2017 ➡️ 2023 THREAD pic.twitter.com/8tRrQlobLW
When was NASCAR's last race at North Wilkesboro?
North Wilkesboro first started racing in 1949, but drivers started their engines for one final time on Sept. 29, 1996. The 47-year run at the track concluded with the Tyson Holly Farms 400, which saw NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon take the checkered flag.
MORE: North Wilkesboro Speedway, a famous NASCAR ghost, brought back to life in ‘Cars 3’
North Wilkesboro Speedway renovation details
The renovations at North Wilkesboro totaled around $20 million. The revitalization began in November 2021 when North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed the state's budget for the upcoming year, allocating funds for race tracks in the Tar Heel State.
Fans who remember the track during its glory days will see many of its fixtures kept intact. Some of the old buildings have been rebuilt and old signage preserved.
The racing surface was in good shape, too — so it was left unpaved — allowing the track to remain the same as it was in 1996, aside from a few patches. The old hand-operated scoreboard also remains in use.
When NASCAR fans return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race weekend events, they'll see a place that is largely unchanged from what they remembered almost 30 years ago.
Almost left for dead, this Wilkes County track is now frozen in time.
