Published 12/20/2022, 11:01 AM EST
North Wilkesboro is back on the NASCAR calendar! The iconic short track that unfortunately was put out of commission in 1996 seems to be ready for racing again. And Dale Earnhardt Jr has been one of the primary agents in reviving the track. Even William Byron appreciated the Hall of Famer for his efforts at bringing the track back to life.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Among many off-shoot discussions about driver safety, rain race, and active conversations between the drivers and NASCAR President Steve Phelps, the news concerning the track revival for the upcoming Cup Series was positively furthered by Willy B in a podcast interview with Boomer Esiason.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Coming full circle with historic venue for NASCAR’s 75th anniversary
In a recent interview with Boomer Esiason, the two talked about Junebug’s efforts in bringing back the new and revived track which is the home for the All-Star Race next season. Boomer asked, “So, next year it is going to be the 75th anniversary of NASCAR. NASCAR has a lot of things planned including an All-Star Race at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. It’s one of the stock cars original venues. How much fun you think that’s going to be?”
To which four-time NASCAR Cup winner Byron replied, “I think it’s gonna be so cool. I think, you know, Dale Earnhardt Jr has been a big advocate for bringing back North Wilkesboro. And it’s it’s cool because I grew up in North Carolina and it’s one of those historic tracks in North
Carolina and kind of going back to our roots.”
Read More | Watch: Dale Earnhardt Jr Turns in His First Laps at the North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro has been a childhood track for a lot of the current NASCAR drivers. But none of them got to race there because the race track just wasn’t ready. Fortunately, Dale Jr was a big proponent of the track’s revival and even ran a few races there to relive his memories. And it’s all because of his memories that we will be the track come back to us.
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s revelations about North Wilkesboro
Of course, Grassroots has been an incredible track for Junior. But who knew it was this special? Junior expressed, “This track has a purpose. It can be a big asset to this community, to all the surrounding counties as a multi-use piece of property. It’s not just racing, right, you could have all types of festivals, holiday events, it can really help the community, and they would probably really like having something like that happen here,”
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
NORTH WILKESBORO, NC – AUGUST 31: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3) smiles on the starting grid just before the Cars Tour LMSC 125 on Aug 31, 2022, at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, NC. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Dale Jr. added, “I came to North Wilkesboro so many times as a kid.” So, are you excited to see drivers race around the track again? Let us know in the comments.
Watch This Story | Dale Earnhardt Jr’s $14 Million Dream NASCAR Project Sees Major Upgrades Before All-Important Event