NORTH WILKESBORO, NC – Fans line the streets of Wilkesboro to watch NASCAR Cup Series transporters (carrying race cars from the race car stores to the track) and some fake race cars run down Main Street on Thursday.
Fans flocked in, it was a pleasure to have the stars of NASCAR returns to rural North Carolina community for the first time since 1996.
Many fans lined the streets of North Wilkesboro – yes, it’s a separate town – to watch the parade.
This is a parade with two Main Streets, a parade that takes almost an hour to complete. There were fans wearing the jerseys of various riders – some old school, some new. But it all comes down to what NASCAR desperately needs: Passion and enthusiasm for the race and its drivers (and those drivers aren’t even in the parade).
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Marcus Smith, President and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of North Wilkesboro Speedway, noted not only the community’s support, but also the overall vibe of NASCAR’s return to the oval track. 0.625 miles long for the first time in 27 years.
“I have never attended a NASCAR week where everyone was in such a good mood,” he said.
There could be a lot to complain about the NASCAR All-Star Race. Old-fashioned metal folding chairs have been electrically washed in the stands. The track surface has not been paved since 1981. There is only a two-lane road in and out of the facility. And as far as the track, there are no tunnels or overpasses that allow people to freely enter the courtyard.
But there are few complaints, even from Cup teams that often work in covered garages and instead have to work in their cars right behind the trailer in the outdoor heat – like any weekly base racers.
North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR Parade
Bob Pockrass provides an inside look at North Wilkesboro Speedway’s NASCAR parade.
The track has a capacity of about 25,000 people and probably had around 30,000 fans all Sunday night. There aren’t as many corporate suites or as many recreational areas as at many other racetracks. It’s not a huge market to expand into, but instead a trip back to NASCAR’s past, where it raced in small towns across the Southeast.
“Sometimes we get caught up in things that might not be as important and I don’t worry about getting to a track like this,” said the driver and team co-owner. Brad Keselowski. “Yes, there will be some sacrifices. I’m sure traffic will be an issue and I’m sure there will be problems, whether it’s the upcoming racetrack or whatever.
“Things happen when you go to places like this, but I think they’re a welcome trade-off to having an old schedule every year in the same place. I think I have one. a certain degree of patience, and I think the industry tends to those things when they’re sporadic.”
Much of the traffic and surfaces are better than people think. It wouldn’t be surprising if Saturday’s truck race or Sunday’s all-star event had to be halted because the track was split.
It didn’t. There has been a lot of fixing done between practice sessions and races but nothing during events. The track is ready — they have an epoxy-sand mix designed to bond in eight minutes so they can fill a hole and get on with the race quickly.
Think Fast with Bob Pockrass
Bob Pockrass analyzes what comes next for the North Wilkesboro Freeway following the success of the All-Star Race.
Whether repairs will have to be done when NASCAR returns will be at the heart of the debate.
“[We’ve] Smith said. And when it needs to be re-paved, we will re-pave it. I think I’d lean towards not giving it back until we really have to.”
Denny Hamlin backing the track, if it repeats, use different mixes in different lanes of the track. The problem with track repeats is that they can be too smooth, limiting the driver’s ability to pass because the tires have incredible grip on new surfaces. After the track is weathered, the tires will have less grip on the road and often have small bumps, adding to the character.
“Make a super smooth top track, a little lower overall and your tires will wear even lower if you go in the bottom lane,” says Hamlin. “If we repaved it, we would have to race well right away and you would have to change the asphalt to do that.”
So when will that payoff come? Smith won’t commit to what comes next after his staff scrambled for more than eight months to get the facility ready for the All-Star Race, thanks to an $18 million grant from North Carolina including including $14 million from the American Recovery Act.
New state-of-the-art lighting, re-paved courtyards, BETTER Fences and newly installed fences are among the essentials for the racetrack to host the Cup event.
Riders appear to be ready for a point race — possibly 400 laps instead of 200 All-Star Race laps — at the facility.
“Having it close to home, there’s a nice short-track atmosphere. I love it,” said Bubba Wallace. “Race in front of a big crowd, whether they’re for you or against you, it’s great. They still make noise, so you feel it.
“Four hundred rounds? Sign me up. That’s nauseating.”
Bubba Wallace in the North Wilkesboro . race
Bubba Wallace finished second, the atmosphere at North Wilkesboro and whether he wants to run 400 laps in a point race at the track.
If it’s 400 laps and likely on a hot day, that could be another challenge to the surface. The biggest concern would be a piece of surface damaging an automobile.
“I think they should come back here to race 400 laps to earn points,” said the former Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Maybe they have to repaint it after this week. … They might consider taking that risk, but it would be a big risk to let this surface last much longer.
“Our cars and our racing style [in late models] can deal with a lot of imperfections. But the Cup crowd will not present problematic surfaces. A car has any kind of problem with rocks getting through the radiator, you just can’t let that happen.”
About the only thing to complain about is Kyle Larson exhausted all the drama by dominating the race. Watching people leave with about 10 laps as the outcome seemed determined was the only thing that kept the stands from being packed with fans waiting for them to finish.
“For me, this place is like a race track,” says Larson. “I can race in a lot of base locations [in sprint cars], more than any other driver in the field. Many of these drivers get to visit these luxury establishments every weekend. That’s all they do.
“I was in Wayne County, Ohio, on Tuesday night, and it had a basic feel here, and I think that’s what made this weekend feel so special.”
NASCAR All-Star Race Highlights
North Wilkesboro’s return to the NASCAR All-Star Race was a weekend to remember as Kyle Larson dominated for the win.
And that’s what got Smith thinking about the next race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. It won’t take another 27 years for the Cup Series to return.
“When you see a successful week with events like the one we’ve had here, you naturally think, ‘Boys, maybe we can come back here.'” Smith said. “I’m definitely thinking that way, that it has a lot of potential.”
Think big
Another piece of history was made at North Wilkesboro as Cup teams raced in wet conditions. They did so in the heat races on Saturday, the day before the main events.
While they may have dried up the track in the end and could have started 90 minutes later than scheduled, the use of spiked tires is an option that NASCAR has and thinks it would be a good time to do so. test – what better time to experiment at an exhibition event?
Wet tires here to stay?
Denny Hamlin was encouraged by what he saw in wet weather tires this weekend in North Wilkesboro.
Yes, NASCAR could have waited and completely dried the track. But by not waiting, they now have drivers who accept the possibility of using more spiked tires on short stretches in the scoring race. And only the teams that believe they can do it is a win for NASCAR.
On the news
— Alex BowmanIt’s entirely possible to return for this weekend’s race in Charlotte. The group is now listing Bowman, who has been absent for the past four weeks with a broken back, week by week.
— Trackhouse Racing appointed Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercar champion, to drive their third Cup car, the number 91 as part of the Project91 program, at the Chicago circuit in July. The program is designed to bring drivers with an international presence to NASCAR to try to expand the sport internationally.
— NASCAR lands Tyler Reddick 10 points for no weight in approved Darlington container. The team will not appeal.
Social focus
Statistics of the day
The All-Star race was conducted at five different locations: Atlanta (once), Charlotte (34), Bristol (one), Texas (two) and North Wilkesboro (one). Larson won at three of the locations – Charlotte, Texas and North Wilkesboro.
They Said It
“It’s fun there. It’s definitely an old-fashioned spanking.” —Kyle Larson after his dominant win Sunday in the NASCAR All-Star Race
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsport, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News- Journal. Follow him on Twitter @reedsand sign up FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.
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