ABG
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • ABG CFB
  • Reference center
  • Contact Us

Cumberland Island

The Track Time Couldn't Leave Behind

5/20/2023

2 Comments

 
PictureOut of the Past, North Wilkesboro Races Into the Future
Sam Burnham, Curator

​In July of 2018, Time Magazine released a special issue dedicated to The American South. There were a lot of topics covered that embody the region - politics, football, hunting, food. 

But one story stood out. It was a piece written by Stephanie Powell Watts. It was her experience working as a teenager in the Holly Farms fried chicken restaurant in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. It was a good story and it communicated her feelings of being a young black woman with all white coworkers. But a particular part of her story stood out to me. Admittedly, it was not a part that she, or Time, intended to be the highlight of the article. But I couldn’t help it. 

She spoke of race day, the annual running of the NASCAR race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, sponsored by Holly Farms. That sponsorship led hungry race fans to bypass KFC, Bojangle’s, and others to get fried chicken from Holly Farms. She and her coworkers served up hundreds of buckets of chicken on race day. 

But she also spoke of the speedway, long since abandoned. It sat rusting away on the outskirts of town. And this passage hit me like a ton of bricks: “The speedway is gone now. Not demolished but rusting and not in use. It would take a fortune to revive. Not many people in towns where most worked on factory lines in chicken processing or furniture building have a fortune.”

So, I set out to learn more. I located a group called Save the Speedway that was actively advocating for the track's preservation and future. I also interviewed NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison. That led to one of the most popular stories to ever be published on this website. 

​And then something magical happened. A lot of people had already been working hard to accomplish a feat that they all knew to be a lost cause. I won’t attempt to claim that my article was some sort of catalyst or rallying point. It was just one small piece of a mammoth effort. I never dreamed anything would come of the effort. I had seen this story too many times before. 

But somewhere, somehow, someone got the right words in the right ears. Wheels began turning. Things started happening. There was talk that the speedway might be partially restored. There were rumors of possible small circuit racing at the track. Then the track was simulated in an online iRacing video game. 

And then the impossible happened. 

This week, NASCAR has returned to North Wilkesboro. The track is hosting the sport’s All-Star event. There will be a big parade, a pit crew contest, and multiple races with the biggest names active in the sport. NASCAR Hall of Famers are involved in various roles. It is a gala event of the stock car auto racing variety and the speedway itself is the biggest star.

Because of the work of people who love that old racetrack, they will sit in their beloved venue and watch one of NASCAR’s biggest events. Millions of dollars will pour into their town. 

I wanted to revisit this topic because it shows that the impossible can happen. Miracles are real. The North Wilkesboro Speedway was dead. It was gone. It was never going to return. But people tried anyway. And a lost cause was reclaimed in magnificent fashion. A historic, cultural, and economic icon has been reborn. 

It’s just so heartwarming to see such a win. Great job, y’all.
2 Comments
Larry Upthegrove
5/20/2023 03:14:24 pm

Great News!!...Is that not one of the tracks I saw Dale Jr. in his abandoned series?

Reply
Sam
5/21/2023 07:14:06 pm

Larry, he didn’t do this track in the show. That being said, he was very instrumental in getting this done. I can only guess that if something had not happened as quickly as it did, the track would have deteriorated further and it would have been on the next season once it got the green light. Speaking of which, we need to be pressuring someone to get that show renewed!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Sam B.

    Historian, self-proclaimed gentleman, agrarian-at-heart, & curator extraordinaire
    ​READ MORE


    Picture
    ABG Sponsor, Click Here
    Picture
    ABG Sponsor, Click Here
    Picture
    ABG Sponsor - Click for Link
    Tweets by @BiscuitsGA

    Social Media

    RSS Feed

    Books Blog Directory

    Categories

    All
    Agriculture
    Art
    Books
    Business
    Christmas
    Civil War
    Community Revitalization
    Culture
    Education
    Family
    Fashion
    Fiction
    Film & Television
    Food
    Garden
    Hiking
    History
    Home
    Industry
    Local
    Music
    Native American
    Outdoors
    Politics
    Restaurants
    Revolutionary War
    Tradition
    Travel
    World War II

    Archives

    November 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2010

Copyright 2015
ABG. The celebration and preservation of Southern history, culture, and agrarian ideals.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • ABG CFB
  • Reference center
  • Contact Us