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Dirty Mo Media Original: Bringing Back Wilkesboro
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- Опубликовано: 18 авг 2024
- It's not often that you can go back in the past and recreate something to spec. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a group of volunteers to do just that - bring abandoned North Wilkesboro Speedway back to life in virtual form for the iRacing platform.
And as of September 8th, 2022, North Wilkesboro has been confirmed to be the host of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race. To Dale, the cast of Dirty Mo Media, and everyone who volunteered to help Dale clean up North Wilkesboro for an iRacing scan, thank you. You all got this ball rolling, and I can't wait to see where it goes
“Will never see a race again” said everybody, even Junior. Yet last weekend, Wilkesboro hosted two REAL LIFE races, and the sun drop sceme to to top it off. This sport and it’s community are special and powerful
No other sports community is like this.
It’s such a shame seeing this perfectly good track deteriorating in the foothills. I would love to see some higher-ups bring it back. This is one of the few things that almost all true NASCAR fans agree on.
they are though... that's why it's going on iracing. and Dale is pretty high up, if you ask me
I'm not even a true fan and I agree
Yes get rid of a Texas, Vegas or one of the other boring tracks and put some money in this track. Get 20,000-25,000 seats you will will sell it out every year for a .26 mile track. This is what nascar needs to do to get more fans back.
@@jasonhipkins lower cost to maintain, higher % of sales to seats and suddenly the track maintains a profit unlike a lot of the tracks out there these days. Theyd be turning people away at the door.
@@jasonhipkins Pocono needs to go. What was somebody thinking to have a doubleheader there?
This track should never have been removed due to historical importance alone. This has always has been, and always should be a track dedicated to the fans, and the fan experience.
This track as well as Rockingham should have never went away in the first place! Thanks NASCAR. Anyway.....can’t wait to purchase this and give it a rip! Ty Jr.
The Rock is not "back up and running"...Big Wheel were did you get that information?...I live 5 miles north of the track in Hoffman and if it were "back up and running" we would know it...I did talk to a guy that works for The Rock a couple of months ago before the virus shutdown...I asked him what the chances were of either the big track or the smaller one that was built on the Hwy. 177 side (the Hamlet Side) going back to racing...he said the condition of the big track's racing surface, the rest rooms and some of the other amenities were in such a state that it wouldn't be anytime soon...if ever...they were setting it up to hold "events" though and that is what he does for The Rock...it is a shame too...when the trucks came back for that short amount of time there was some hope, but that quickly went away...yeah Bruton Smith screwed this area when he bought it for the race dates...Hillenberg was a racer not a promoter so that didn't work out... I did get to run around the track in the pacecar for a few laps when Chris Browning still ran things there...and a Crown Vic interceptor does pretty good at night with full lights up...
They needed to open more cookie cutter tracks and water down the racing. Money over racing.
There could be a future for those 2 circuts....
Rockingham already has recived government funding to maintain the property, and it is already cup ready for the 2021 schedule
As for North Wilkesboro, ita still owned by ISC Which has been bought by nascar, so they can repair the Speedway and race again if they wanted too
@@ernestpaul2484 rockingham was a true test for race drivers with the multiple grooves and different banked corners. great race track.
@@ernestpaul2484 You're right. A buddy and I stopped by the Rock on our way to Myrtle Beach last August. We heard a group had bought the place and wanted to restore, but it is in such disarray that it would take a lot of money to get it going. The back grandstands are gone and just the concrete pillars are there.
Man it sure would be great if NASCAR could bring this track back to life and have the real events again. Thanks for the memories June Bug.
It would take tons of money to do that. All the renovations and all the safety updates they would have to do would be a fortune. But that would be awesome
short track season was where rivalries started during the season. and ended.
it's not up to nascar. bruton smith bought it to close it down so he could get a race date for one of his other tracks, Loudon NH
@@alvarsdzenis4739 He didn't own Loudon at the time. He only bought it in 2007. He bought his half from one of the local families that went half with Enoch Staley. Mike Staley admitted in an interview that he basically panicked thinking he couldn't compete with Bruton so he sold his half to Bob Bahre who owned New Hampshire. Bahre didn't want racing to ever return to North Wilkesboro and he would only sell the property for 12 million dollars.
@@TravisMSimpson yes smi didn't own nhms until 2007 but, bruton smith and bob bahre were business partner in several tracks they owned. here's what i found on wiki.
Before the 2008 racing season, Speedway Motorsports purchased NHIS and other racing-related assets from the Bahre family for $340 million cash. The name of the speedway changed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. One of the assets included in the sale was a 50% interest in North Wilkesboro Speedway. The other 50% was still owned by Bruton Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports.
Enoch Staley died of a stroke on May 22, 1995. Less than one month later, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. CEO Bruton Smith purchased fifty percent of the shares of the speedway from the Combs family. Smith had approached the Staley family prior to and after the death of Enoch in 1995. The family declined to sell to him because Enoch had distrusted Smith and had instructed the family never to sell the track to him. After this, it was decided that Smith and Mike Staley, Enoch's son, would have equal representation on the track. Mike Staley was installed as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Speedway for a one-year term.
On January 1, 1996, the fifty-percent interest in North Wilkesboro Speedway owned by the Staley family was sold to racetrack developer and promoter Bob Bahre, owner of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mike Staley said that selling the track was very painful, but it was the only choice he had. Both Bahre and Bruton Smith already owned several NASCAR circuits. They announced their intent to use the spring and fall race dates for their own tracks, citing North Wilkesboro Speedway's age and lack of modern amenities. They said, "cash rules everything around us."
I'm from Wilkesboro, I would like to see the whole state come together and volunteer to get this track running again. Everyone wants it back.
Where's the sign-ups sheet? I'm in.
B2 B You could be the one to lead that movement
I would come from Virginia to pitch in and plenty more up here too. Pulled up to the gates a few years back but it was locked, wished i could have went in
If everyone wanted it it would be open.
@@johnglynn9354 it's not about what fans or drivers want. It's about having a super track in Texas that nobody wants to go to/watch
I just saw the news that they're bringing the All Star Race to North Wilkesboro in 2023 and I can't help but think if Dale had not taken the initiative to preserve the track in iRacing that we as fans would not see anymore racing there. Thank you Dale and team for everything you have done to bring back this track I truly hope we are watching races there for decades to come.
Cleetus McFarland and Dale Jr out here resurrecting old tracks
Nope...Cleetus is actually buying and putting his money where his mouth is...All this is is chopping some weeds to take pictures and do scans for a video game while the track itself continues to self destruct. With all the other newer motorsports events like drifting, burnout contest, and even the old style weekend oval events you would think you could put together a track that will attract events and make money. Maybe this place it too far gone, or maybe not.
@@larcon78 At least what Dale Jr is doing is a start. Getting the track scanned so that it can live on forever is one part of that. Maybe in time if the popularity of the track in iRacing demands it there may be attempts to revive North Wilkesboro and restore it fully.
Nowhere in the video do they say anything about an actual restoration...they are very careful to say that it's for a "virtual" restoration. Dale Jr. plus a couple of the other people who showed up to cut weeds probably have the resources to buy, restore, and operate the track so why aren't they? Just hope the place doesn't end up a subdivision or another industrial park.
This track is wayyyy too far gone to resurrect. Only chance is to tear down and rebuild. Surface would never last. Buildings are condemned, im sure plumbing electrical an sewage are out of code.
@@anthonyrosenbaum2640 Yeah, they might be able to save parts of the surface with repaving or just tear it down to the dirt/concrete and repave, but most all the buildings and probably the bleachers would have to be completely torn out and rebuilt. It's a damn shame.
Wish this track and Rockingham were still on the schedule.
God bless you, Dale. One of the few people in NASCAR who has a true appreciation for the sport’s history. This is wonderful.
Here we are now in 2022 with a Nascar race returning to this track!!! Great job Dale and co!
I’d love to see more tracks like this come back and get rid of a cookie cutter 1.5 mile track. Those races are boring.
Those races would be much better if there weren't eight nearly identical tracks on the schedule lol, the 1.5 mile quad oval and D oval are so overused. In my opinion, North Wilkesboro and The Rock should come back, and NASCAR should add a new track like Myrtle Beach.
@@djm.6322 nah Nashville
They did the same thing to Atlanta....It was a unique racetrack with the short straightaways and long corners, then went and put in the trioval. Maybe they were thinking in terms of fan viewing and line of sight but ruined it really.
@@djm.6322Ahhh...myrtle beach too, had forgotten about that one, the Busch series used to race there.
The issue is vision. NASCAR isn’t selling racing, they’re promoters.
“You can have whatever color you want as long as it’s black”
“You can have whatever kind of track you like, as long we can sell it to sponsors”
Damm dale rebuilt it for real
If you build it, they will come.
Wally Morgan some field of dreams vibes there
Problem is it’s owned by a group that owns Charlotte and a bunch of other tracks
Just like cleetus has done
umm no they wont. Nascar is dying
@@drewschmidt6314 Because they left their roots. I think if NASCAR *really* shakes things up and goes back to their roots, they will make a comeback. But it won't be overnight.
I hope Dale realizes if he wants to restore old tracks, he could get millions of helpers.
2 years later and today they’re announcing North Wilkesboro is hosting the 2023 All-Star Race. Incredible how things change.
Please bring this track back we need more short tracks ! Sooo tired of 1.5 mile ovals.
John Haas you should know the old saying, Never say Never
@@MegaMr46 If you drove past it on 421, you'd see it's never coming back.
Not without MAJOR repair. The stands are NOT safe.
@@TheVinylBroadcaster Considering it is a very barebones facility as it was back then it shouldn't take much in the way of material to build something identical. Unless the cost of fabricating concrete and steel structures has somehow risen ten-fold over the past 20 years.
@@sulphurous2656 Last time I went past it, maybe 6 month or so ago, the entire grandstand structure next to the highway was nothing but rust. Which means the entire seating area that's propped up by metal structure would have to be replaced.
It's not safe. And to do so would be very expensive.
@@TheVinylBroadcaster I didn't see the trusses under the seating platforms worn out that much, but It makes sense considering the general rule of rust in one place meaning there's a whole lot more elsewhere. Still, how expensive could it possibly be to erect a new structure with similar specifications? It just doesn't add up for me unless it's something to do with the teardown/demolition and or groundwork.
Do it Dale. Bring it back.
Unfortunately people done have a few million to gamble like that especially now.
Dale needs to it for Dale.....
He'd probably need around 20-30 million dollars
@@StaySqueezy12 his networth is 500 million
Man, I wish my dad was still around to see this. This would be right up his alley but I lost him in March :(
We used to watch the cup race every Sunday. When we got our first PC, he bought Papyrus NASCAR Racing 1.0 before the PC was even delivered and we spent many years perfecting our setups and running full seasons in that "sim". When I got into iRacing, he thought it was absolutely incredible how well things are modeled in the sim, and thought it was pretty cool that I was running the real cars on the real tracks (even my bridge to gantry runs....despite him being a hardcore NASCAR only guy). He was a Petty fan through and through and claimed to not like your dad at all, but the only time I EVER saw him cry was when your dad was in the ambulance on the interstate.
Anyways, this is an awesome thing you did Dale and an awesome tribute to your father. I'm sure he's proud of you for this and I'm sure my dad will be sitting beside him watching me the day this track gets released. Thanks for doing this and thanks for everything you've done for the sim in general.
I think solely because of Dale Jr. I have much more appreciation for forgotten great race tracks that never should’ve went away
Love to see that track and Rockingham come back.. I’m 55 and remember headlights, tail lights and windshield wipers on race cars. And absolutely NO RESTRICTOR PLATES it was balls to the wall racing. Miss the good ole days.
“Dale Junior, iRacing enthusiast” not like he won 20+ races or anything
In the context of the video, he's an enthusiast. :)
Crazy thing is He’s been sim racing since early 2000’s
or was a busch series champion
Ikr he’s a professional driver
You guys do realize that this video was posted by Dirty Mo Media. Jr's company. Probably made and posted by Matthew Dillner. JR himself will say over and over again he is a huge iRacing enthusiast. You guys are reading way to much between the lines.
A native North Carolinian here, grew up about 45 mins east of North Wilkesboro, about 15 mins south of Martinsville Speedway. I'm literally in tears seeing it brought back to life. Thank you Dale Jr, and thank you iRacing!
You know, everybody talks about re-opening the track. How about making this a new Nascar Hall of Fame Museum. I know it could be very expensive, but turn it into an actual tourist attraction. Place the years of winning cars at this track around the entire track. Turn the in field into a progressive story line of the progression of how items used in pit stops have evolved over the decades. Make the entire place 1 big indoor amusement park. Setup Iracing stations and have virtual races on the old track. Turn it into a gigantic shadow box that you can experience. Let people do actually tire changes right pit road. Hell maybe even build mini replica Go-Karts and let visitors actually race around the original track. I think there is to much focus on trying to bring racing back here. What makes Wilkesboro is its History. I say preserve it and let people experience it. Create something that will bring in revenue year around and not just when it gets a race date. I mean if you did it right, imagine this place hosting the Nascar awards banquet for each years season wrap up. What better way to honor drivers new and old than to celebrate at a track that featured some of the biggest legends ever scene in Nascar history.
I can just hear Mike Joy in my head saying, "The weed eaters and leaf blowers are out, and that means we'll go racing soon."
@Jason Heavner... roflmao! perfectly played my friend...🥳
I read this in mikes voice lmao
And the track sweepers, lol.
Jason Heavner i can hear the echo....
That I would like to hear from Jackie Stewart !
Dale, if you run a campaign to bring this track back the entire state of NC will support you.
My first live race was at N. Wilkesboro 1991when Sr. won and Mr. September was leading most of the race. Camped outside the backstretch in a field in a pickup truck. From that weekend I was a Dale Earnhardt fan for life. Awesome project...alot of cool memories coming back. Thanks
Man I would cry if they found a way to reintroduce NWB into the schedule.
@stranger kids Marcus Smith owns the track. He was in the video with Dale. I think resurfacing the track would be way to expensive but my thought is that maybe a few of the drivers could become stockholders, turn it into a dirt track and run WOO's, Modifieds & Sprints on it. Most of the buildings look repairable,-except for the one with the caved in roof, and they wouldnt necessarily need " state of the art" scoring technology but could use what the other local dirt tracks use. Just a thought.
@@myawsum14 Afraid to say that the tack would need to be completely torn down and rebuilt. A LOT of the buildings are on the verge of collapse anyway from rot and much of the steel holding up the stands are irreparably rusted through. Much of the concrete is also all badly compromised and would need repouring. The asphalt itself is also not salvageable. And there's a small young forest now growing where the parking lot use to be. Dale Jr. had the right idea to scan is all in for iRacing and historical purposes while they still could, but in order to bring the tack itself back to life, the entire complex would need to come down and be rebuilt from scratch.
Look no further.
I come back to say it's a beautiful day boys
I cannot imagine what this means to Jr. Thank you Steve Myers and iracing and to the crews from Charlotte and Bristol
I've read through most of the comments here and the one running theme is "this track should have never gone away", Bruton Smith this and that. Well, I've attended races at this track and it was no different than any other track. There were some really good races and some not so much.
If anyone wants to put the blame on just one cause for this track going away, that would be "location location location".
You folks need to understand the times when this track went away. NASCAR was growing so big and fast these small tracks couldn't keep up with the growth. I remember the last race I attended there, the stands were packed but it took hours to get in and out of that place. It was only one two lane back road feeding this track. It would have taken an unbelievable amount of money to get the infrastructure capable of supporting this track, let alone the taxpayer money that would have had to have been spent.
I commend everyone involved in bringing this track back into the virtual world for us to relive and enjoy some moments of our past. I'm looking forward to seeing the race Saturday night and watching this old girl come back to life. Everyone should be thankful that Dale Jr. took the initiative to make this happen for all of us. Not only to preserve the history of Wilkesboro but to be able to make new memories in the future.
The only thing we should be complaining about is the fact that there aren't more of these old tracks still standing to be able to enjoy in the future of virtual racing.
How was getting in and out of Rockingham? I'd assume there are more nearby highways and space for access roads there.
@@jimmyj4uk US 1 and highway 177 are the only access roads to the "Rock". Both are two lane roads also except heading north on US 1 out of the track is four lane highway which helped traffic headed north but did little for traffic headed south, east and west. It was still a two lane parking lot headed south into the town of Rockingham and Hamlet. As i stated before, there were several more factor as to why these and many other tracks were shut down. The NHRA has even left the drag strip across the street out of their regular schedule although they return every now and then for an invitational race. Both tracks are still operational for regional events though.
I grew up in the hills outside of Wilkesboro. As the son of two (formerly) dedicated NASCAR fans, I can remember passing that track on the road many times, always in awe. It's great to see that it lives on, in some manner; it certainly has in the hearts and minds of true NASCAR fans. Thanks Dale Jr., for all the hard work and initiative! You're a great guy!
FABULOUS project JR. BIG THANKS for preserving history. Once digital, it will last forever!
When my dad moved to North Wilkesboro in 1998, one of the first things I did was go to the track. I watched to decay. He moved in 2015 back to West Virginia. I would love to have someone Save The Speedway!! Thank you Dale Jr for everything you have done to remind people how great the track was!!
Sure wishing someone buy it open it up to locally run events ,like 1 special event race a month or ARCA race maybe a modified one
Timothy King I would run it
I'm totally with you on that!!!
This track would be perfect for weekly modified and late model racing
They did that in 2010, it was the final wish of Benny Parsons to reopen the place. It still didn't work.
It would probably be cheaper to build a new track and facilities than it would be to rebuild that. Those building are condemned condition.
I saw my first cup race at North Wilkesboro in October of 1983; I’ve been hooked ever since. Thanks for bringing back so many memories. It’s like I can feel the grit from that race on my face still.
Thank you Jr. I know you have made your Pop smile. Brings a tear, both happy you did it for us old guys, and sad the old girl is about gone.
I would like to see north wilksbroe come back. Even if it’s just late model I would love to see that happen.dale your the best for doing this.
They need to bring this track back to life not just in a computer
Great idea Dale, preserving the race tracks that have such great memories of us racing fans, your Dad would be proud of you..
Great video! Yes I do miss North Wilkesbore🇺🇸 Thanks Jr for helping bring back the memories!
What an amazing job getting the track ready and with this video! Memories, memories, memories!! Big fan of you and your dad! Earnhardt fan for life!!! Go Dale Jr!!! 🏁🏁🏁
One of my dreams is to be able to take my Dale Earnhardt Signature Series Monte Carlo a few laps around that historic track. I'd love to just open it up a little and feel like my childhood hero for just a few moments.
I was just teaching my students with disabilities about NASCAR. Being a Wilkes County native, I had to share my experiences about racing. I can't wait to show this to my kiddos on Monday.
Thank you for keeping history alive. So people will always know what a great place this was.
went to Boone a few months ago and went by the track I wanted to cry please nascar if you ever cared about the fans don't forget about the history of the sport
Wish I would have known about this work you did. My boyfriend and I would have been there helping clean it up! His first race he ever saw was on that track. He lives nearby, in King, NC. He has a soft spot in his heart for it. We visited a couple years ago. Sad, but still beautiful place. Wish it could come back to life, not just virtual. 😭💔
Years ago, my wife and I stopped by there going home from the mountains. Obviously, we couldn’t go inside, but you keep peek in and see it. It’s so crazy driving up to the Speedway. It’s literally in the middle of nowhere off this little two lane road. There’s someone’s house right next door across the grass parking lot. Such a cool relic of NASCAR history.
Thank you Dale for coordinating the effort to preserve this track to the best of our ability. It may never see a real race again but at least now everyone will be able to enjoy it. Your comment about how many tracks have fallen victim to the times and the finances really stuck out to me. I've still got Papyrus's NASCAR 2003 and my favorite track to relive is the Bridgehampton road course on Long Island. It became defunct in the 90's and a golf course was built on top. So many other tracks have had similar fates and it's sad that most people have no idea what they are standing on top of.
Does anyone else think they should do bowman grey stadium it’s a historic track not run since the 70s but it’s also in good shape and it’s unique with how small it is and also with the pits in the parking lot it would bring back the times before the sport became huge
S1apsh0es: let’s do this
The all star there would be cool. Many of the names ran a K&N race there some years ago. Bubba Wallace almost got arrested in that, that should say something
I’m sure dale knows enough people to get behind rebuilding that track, and having real races run there again
Yep Cleetus did
Fast forward 2 years and NW reopened. 2022
First race I ever went to as a kid was at North Wilkesboro. Tyson Holly Farms 400 in fall of ‘92. Rained out on Sunday and my Dad kept me out of school to go back on Monday. So unique because there were no cautions through the entire race. Will never forget that
wow ,, 1987 is a special year for me ,,,,,,,,, being an old Vrw member and a 10 plus year vet on iracing this is awesome ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, wish i could of helped ,,,,,,,,,,,, being a disabled vet not being able to get out of the trailer iracing helps with my anxiety,,,,,,,you guys rock ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Back when NASCAR was for entertainment, not profit.
U nailed it Gavin
Nascar has always been about profit
It’s always been about profit.
It’s just not about racing so much anymore. It’s great there’s safer cars, but these days they (NASCAR) confuses safe racing with driver safety. Safe racing is what is boring.
@themetal umm, they didn't kill Dale, Sr. He added to own problems by how he strapped himself into the car.
It's always been about profit, its a business lmfao
I've always loved watching the old Winston Cup races at this track !
She was just notorious for breaking the back ends on the cars, because of it's elevation change and overall track configuration. It never made sense to me why NASCAR took N. Wilkesboro off of their schedule, given the sheer history of this track.
I think maybe I was 16 maybe 17 when I saw the last race, it’s too bad that these old tracks are gone now. Even though it’s E- Racing what an experience, when I was younger I did Grand Turismo best racing I could experience from a controller and then see what they are now is unbelievable, keep on going get these old tracks back up thank you very much Dale Junior!!
Very Cool! Cannot Wait until Saturday to see all the hard work pay off on FOXS1. TY to all who took part in taking us fans back down memory road...Much Appreciated...TY DM
Well. Its cleaned up enough "we could put a car out there." Why doesn't sombody take a car sitting around in quarantine and run some test laps???
“You could put cars out there now” yes how we do that and get rid of some of these cookie cutter 1.5 tri ovals
Like one of the pocono races
@@SM_RN Get rid of the Indy race. Very few people in the stands for that bore fest.
jeepman41 I agree but we get rid off pocono and the Indy race we could bring back rockingham to
Playstation cup series..I dissagree.. look up the history of the pocono race track. That track almost never happened. Plus I live near it and like going to it.
jeepman41 I think they need to stay in Indy. I will say I'm biased because its the track closest to me, but I think they need to try the GP circuit or something because I think NASCAR needs more road courses. There are multiple ovals that are very similar to each other that can get canned for all I care. Indy and Pocono are unique tracks in their shape.
Got a abandoned short track in my hometown of Pennsboro, WV. Used to be the spot for the Dirt Track World Championship up until 2001. Now it’s just where we have our county fairs. Would love to see a revival of short tracks around the country, especially North Wilkesboro.
I answered IRACINGS call for photo's of N Wilkesboro from 1987. I sent along about 40-50 shots I took from the front grandstands. The 87 Spring race was my 2nd Cup race I attended. (first was Darlington the year before) I am glad this is being done. On a side note, my son was conceived in a Winston-Salem Hotel room. Found out about 4 weeks later. I didnt get to attend another Cup show until they came up to New Hampshire. I got to bring my son. A very cool memory for me. Love ya Dale! ❤️
I can't wait to take the K&N Chevy around the track on iRacing!!!! Sad to this piece of history sitting in decay. Thank you, iRacing for helping to preserve this piece of NASCAR History. Might be time for a Sun Drop Chevy! Thank you, Dale, for twisting Steve Myers arm!!!!!
Street Stocks are gonna be a blast here aswell. Hell everything
If this track was ever to be revived, I would promise to be a season ticket holder. It’s time for the fans to put their money where their mouth is and support the things they say they want. Want more short tracks? Well let’s fuckin go!
@christopher weise Bristol is suffering from the city more than anything
Dale Jr is the man!! So glad to see Wilkesboro getting the love it deserves.
IT'S ABOUT TIME THIS TRACK WAS SAVED!!! SAW IT IN PERSON 2 YEARS AGO AND IT WAS A VERY SAD SITE TO SEE. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE CARS BACK OUT THERE!! ROCKINGHAM SHOULD BE NEXT!!!! BRING BACK THE ROCK!!!!!!!!
This track needs a rebirth - GIVE IT A NEW LIFE AND BRING IT BACK
Time to do the same thing with Rockingham.
They also have it on iRacing now! Great track.
And Nazereth
Thank you Dale and all of the guys from iRacing and from the Charlotte and Bristol Grounds Crew. I cannot wiat for the day that I am finally able to race iRacing and get onto this track virtually. You guys did such a great job I betcha you could race cars on there right now.
So VERY cool of you to do this Dale towards the history of Nascar and American Oval racing. Thank you so very much!
Should have never closed North Wilkesboro. Damn corporate greed.
France
Roger Dodger Not really. NASCAR was getting corporate sponsorship in the 1980-90s and did fine with tracks it was running back then. They got greedy and let money overrun good racing and tracks that fans really loved.
I was living in Wilkes Co when the track closed. I didn't have a chance to catch a race unfortunately. My nephew and I did catch qualifying one Friday afternoon. That weekend we went to the track after the race to try and get some autographs. I met Robert Yates. He was playing with his grandkids and when they wore him out he came to the fence and spent some time talking to us and signing autographs. Good day for sure. I hadn't thought about that in awhile.....Thank you
Some of the legendary battles between Bill Elliott and your dad on this track...hot damn!
I was there in 1992. I can just say thanks for posting this Dale you Rock!!!!!!!!
Ran the track last night its awesome. Thanks Dale for all you do for us sim racers, see you on the track.
With so much revenue lost in wilkes county I can understand why Nascar would do this and let this track not be a regular scheduled race. It probably one of the most historical tracks in America.. Has Nascar not got no shame?? I mean just like Darlington this track needs to be a home track for Nascar. Its not about money its about tradition.. For God's sake somebody save this track and make sure the history is not lost forever.. The track did so much for North Carolina and its people. We need Wilkesboro again we should have never lost it..Dale Jr you have the power and connections to save this track .. You can be the one who makes history and keeps your fathers legacy alive by putting this track back on the map . Not just a online effort but put cars back on this track.. Dont let this track die.
NASCAR should have restored North Wilks as home for the Hall of Fame
Thank you for finding a way to preserve this history in digital format. It still makes me sad that Texas World Speedway didn't get this treatment.
Just saying Thank You, does not seem to be enough.
You Honor your Dad and you help the rest of us to remember how NASCAR used to be.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
North Wilkesboro and Rockingham Speedways should have never been replaced by the Stupid same 1.5 mile track !!
Personally I'm Sick of going to the 1.5 mile tracks 2 times.
The only tracks that should be ran twice are the short tracks and Darlington, Dover, Charlotte, Phoenix.
They need to put all of the Awesome road course tracks on the schedule.
dont forget daytona and talladega
@@luvcache1 .
I'm sorry but Holding the car wide open and running side by side isn't racing.
Both of those race tracks can go.
Or make them run like they did in the 80's at those tracks.
That means they drafted single file and used the slingshot to pass. It was Awesome.
@@MTCKIE68 Cookie cutter cars has taken the sport to new lows! The sport has lost it's way!
@@armyretired28 .
I totally agree with you.
It's just about the money now.
They don't give a Damn about the fans anymore. The drivers definitely don't want anything to do with the fans.
No track beside Daytona (Oval and Roval) and Charlotte (Oval and Roval) should have more than 1 race per season in Cup. There are tons of famous other tracks available like Nashville Fairgrounds, Memphis Raceway, Iowa Speedway, Gateway, Rockingham, Milwaukee Mile, Pikes Peak Raceway CotA, Road America or Mosport.
This is pure dedication to the history of the old track('s). It can only get better if we could bring back this track. Maybe add another 10' of elevation change and change the slope of one end. Now that would be an awesome racing track....if only I was a billionaire...lol
I was hoping Dale Jr would use some his influence to bring the track back even if it takes 5-10 years. Would be cool. I might be to optimistic though lol
I'm glad it's back I made a video on the tracks history...I'd love to see Rockingham make a come back!
You can see it in his eyes how much more this means to Junior than just "getting to turn a few laps" here again. Good on everyone involved for preserving a piece of history in the best way!
Smith family killed tracks like this worst thing to happen to nascar was brutin Smith
Bruton Smith has yet to build anything other than a 1.5 mile track from scratch
Blame new fans who don't understand racing.
@@alwaysopen7970 "Blame the new fans".......that's total nonsense. None of this is "their fault". NASCAR ITSELF, ALONG WITH THE HUGE, GREEDY, CORPORATE SPONSORS ARE WHO TO BLAME. If they hadn't made all those ridiculous changes from every aspect imaginable, the lifelong hardcore fans would've never left to begin with. And the lifelong hardcore fans bring in their kids & grand kids, just like many of our parents did. NASCAR & it's big-wig cronies took our once beloved motor sport & tried to turn it into "the NFL/NBA on wheels". Stupid points system changes, race schedule changes including getting rid of these historic tracks in exchange for those boring ass cookie cutter 1.5 miler's...... "racing periods".....I guess so all the drivers & teams can take breaks for ice cream & snow cones. I quit watching in total disgust years ago. It's all so "ALIEN" now, compared to what it used to be. The ONLY thing I watch anymore, is Junior's podcast here.......and ONLY because he has legendary, veteran drivers, crew chiefs, car owners, etc as guests, who tell the funniest and most amazing stories that took place both on and off the track. Things we'll NEVER see in racing again.
Bruton Smith is such a POS, his company still owns this track and they're letting it rot! I truly believe that leaving North Wilkesboro Speedway was the beginning of the end of Nascar.
NR2003 brought me here. Its amazing what Steve and the iracing gang have accomplished thus far, its elevating motorsports as a whole slowly but surely
Awesome work,thank you everyone at JRM,iracing and everyone who came out and helped!!!
This legendary racetrack will live on in iRacing well after the physical track eventually falls apart.
Get the Smith family to get this track back in shape & back on the schedule!!!
Amazing to bring back a classic that maybe generations to come can enjoy
And the late model race with Dale Jr driving sold out!!! It was beyond awesome!!!
ALL STAR RACE 2023 LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
We NEED to make sure the track stays clean and we NEED to try to restore it. It's depressing to see what happened to it. I really hope that Dale, SMI and everyone tries to fix it.
The owner should really be so ashamed of himself, he should not have let it get like that, if he couldn’t take care of it he needed to sell it to someone else when it was in good shape
@@thebreatheezkeselowskifan6687 the track has changed hands several times over the years. It is a 7 figure number to upkeep a facility of this size. Short of Nascar coming back there isn't enough income to break even on what would be purely a labor of love.
Seeing it like this makes me want to cry. It CAN be saved and there are plenty of us willing to help! Marcus has to want to!
I watched the race today. This is awesome! Thanks to JR and all that were involved.
They need to try and bring this back for late models or something we can’t lose this track
It is condemned. No bringing it back. It would take a complete teardown and rebuild.
@Mackster Hell Yeah Brother!!
Neal M ...a few of the buildings have been condemned. Those could easily be torn down. The track, however is completely salvageable and repaveable.
The real problem is the value of the property. Encroaching nearby housing developments and shopping plazas drive up property values, making the real estate more pricey to developers than a track rebuilding could financially sustain.
The only way it could be feasible is if it was deemed a historical site and a multi-billionaire donor came along and restored it for the community, as opposed to selling off the property to put something redundant in it’s place, like a Walmart or a couple of hundred condos...
@@twoblacklabs904 That is all true, but Nascar would never put a race there unless the entire place was modernized. You can't just reseal the track and fix up those cinder block building and repair those old grandstands.
It is just a no go all the way around.
@@twoblacklabs904 Nobody in Wilkes County would allow those types of things to show up. It's the back woods, everything that was there is gone. Furniture, textile, Lowe's even moved their offices elsewhere and closed down their original store in town and the Alcohol Law Enforcement office has also closed
You know this is a special place when Jeremy Clarkson wanted to come check it out
Thank You Dale Jr for "Keeping the Dream Alive"! I remember watching many races on TV of this place, it was sad to see it go for the reasons it did!
NASCAR walked away from its legacy for greedy reasons, its good to see that many cared enough to not forget this place, and keep the memories of its legacy alive.
I think that somewhere up above Enoch Staley, and every driver up there that raced here are smiling as well, knowing it will be raced on in a way/world they really never knew
could be possible!
Thanks
Larry Jensen
Renton WA
Thank you so much for this Dale! Now we get to try to bring it back for real!! LETS DO THIS!!!
This is a step to bring it back, show nascar look how good the racing is on iracing. Then it you can spend the money to rebuild it instead of just hoping and praying they will come.
If they're modeling it after the 1987 track iRacing needs to incorporate cars from 1987 NASCAR
that would be fun to see happen,. when the cars still resembled what was in the showroom at the time. the monte carlo ss, ford thunderbird, buick regal, oldsmobile cutlass (?) pontiac gran prix. dodge K cars............(j/k).
@christopher weise nothing will ever top Harry running 500 miles on sunday then going out monday morning to build houses.
i'll always wonder how many more races Gant would have won had he started driving at an earlier age than he did.
87 Monte Carlo and Thunderbird confirmation by iRacing just now
I was never a big Dale Jr. fan but what he does to the nascar community is awesome.
Thank you Dale for getting this together. If there aren’t going to be races IRL, then having a virtual version is the next best thing. Hope it leads to the track getting restored and having the roar of engines there again.