Looking Back: North Wilkesboro

[JohnBM01]

NASCAR fans seemed to love the long-defunct North Wilkesboro. I normally don't care less for NASCAR, but I've wondered what it is about the track that has people wanting to see it being revived. I don't mean any of this in a negative sense. I'm well aware I am not Mr. All-America on a lot of issues, so what is it about North Wilkesboro that has many NASCAR purists wanting to see the track being revived? Has it a history and dedication no other modern track can match? Has it great racing that can never be replicated elsewhere? Is it a track that has grown future American Hall of Fame racers? This thread is about Nortn Wilkesboro. Some of you all know more about this than I do, so you begin.

 

[Layla's Keeper]

To quote former Winston Cup Champion Benny Parsons "Folks, I grew up in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and they have some of the best barbeque chicken you've ever tasted."

N. Wilkesboro is classic Southern NASCAR from the days of The King and The Silver Fox. It's a tight 5/8th's that's demanding of braking and of acceleration, and has long been a favorite of not only stock car drivers, but the Modified Tour as well.

The track had been on the NASCAR calendar since there WAS a NASCAR calendar, and its history is equaled only by the beach at Daytona and the high banks of Darlington. It's home to much of NASCAR's greats. In fact, just up the road from Wilkes County NC is Level Cross, North Carolina: Hometown of the Petty legacy.

This year, a few entrepeneurs had put together a solid effort to revive the track as a special event short track along the lines of Anderson or Indianapolis Raceway Park. This was particularly special to me because one of the series they'd booked was the circuit I call home, the ISMA Supermodifieds, and seeing supermods attack that classic track was going to be monumental.

Unfortunately, money being an object that was short in supply, and NASCAR politics being what they are (the track was bought up by Bruton Smith in 1996 so that he could close it and move the NASCAR date to Texas), North Wilkesboro remains closed and unraced, and is quickly being joined by other tracks that laid the foundation of stock car racing like Rockingham, Darlington, and Martinsville.

 

[Mulsanne]

Couldn't have said it better. 👍 👍

 

[Jim Prower]

It's also a track that goes uphill on one straight and downhill on the other. you can't argue with charm like that. it's like Wrigley, or Yankee Stadium...or, perhaps, Fenway. It's the quirks that makes tracks like this so great!

Kaz needs to take old dead tracks of lore and put them into GT5. I'd LOVE to see Riverside, myself.

 

[JohnBM01]

Now I can understand North Wilkesboro as well as why the track is so special to NASCAR. I just wanted to know what it was about the course that people miss so much. It's the same deal I tried to do with my Looking Back on Riverside (it's somewhere in these forums. Do a search). I can imagine what would happen if famed and deeply historic tracks are either defunct or gone. Imagine if Bathurst goes defunct. Imagine if Spa-Francorchamps goes defunct. Hell, imagine if Indianapolis, Daytona, Talladega, and Charlotte/Lowe's Motor Speedway all went defunct! Unless a track was just horrible and couldn't be saved by repaving or remodeling, it would be sad to see big-name tracks go. You talked about Darlington and Rockingham, Leyla's Keeper. These are easily two staples of American racing, much less "stock" car racing. Do you think NASCAR can do without some of their classic venues, and do you think there is any chance we may see North Wilkesboro come back, even for promotional deals?

As an off-topic note, you can race North Wilkesboro in the very first "NASCAR Racing" game from Sierra and Papyrus.

 

[Mulsanne]

Ah, Riverside. Man, I miss that place. That's certainly a circuit that should be in GT5.

You brought up Spa-Francorchamps. My question to you guys is: Which is worse, losing a circuit altogether, or watching it slowly turn into another Tilke-ring (and losing all the character that made it a classic circuit in the first place)? Of course, the greed of the F1 people will eventually drive it from the calendar permanently.

 

[Layla's Keeper]

Ohhh, I'd much rather have seen Fuji and Hockenheim than see what Tilke has done to them.

Doesn't ANYONE in Formula One realize that passing occurs on high-speed tracks where the teams trim out the wings and the cars get loose? I mean, seriously, acres of flat decreasing radius corners do nothing but create processions.

Of course, that's a wholly different discussion.

The question "Can NASCAR do without their classic tracks" is actually answered with an unqualified "Yes". NASCAR is a marketing and mainstream sports giant. It has grown outside of its cradle.

What's a shame is that after Cup leaves the classic tracks, its politics kill the track to protect whatever track received the date, meaning that smaller touring series like the ASA Late Models, the Whelen Modifieds, the USAC tour, and many many more, cannot assume dates and keep adding to the history of the track, or even worse lose their heritage as well.

 

[JohnBM01]

You want my Riverside discussion? Dig it up here:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=47727

Pardon my language, but the previous Hockenheim was the s:censored:. Come on now. Who DOESN'T enjoy blasting down a seemingly endless straight at 170+ mph? The Hockenheim I remember was one of the greatest speed freak moments a racer can ever come to grips with. It was a high-speed festival on a mostly flat track. Only things that killed the speed were the really slow turn complexes. The old course looked more like a knife and kind of reminds me of British track, Snetterton, in being a track with really fast sections and then a slow turn complex. NOW look at Hockenheim- the high speed section is still there, but it looks much more boring and too less of a "character" track. Hockenheim had that distinctive nature of being a track where you could enjoy high speeds and really overtaking the competition. The crime at Hockenheim isn't nearly as bad as Fuji, however. Fuji was also a fast track, but more technical. It was probably the first track to be featured in a video game, even without licensing (Pole Position, 1982-1983; called "Namco Circuit"). The southwestern end of the course is where you enjoyed high speed before getting into a decisive turn complex. Now the course is more technical and less fun. And then there's talk of F1 racing at Fuji. After what Tilke did to the track itself, I hope F1 NEVER races there again. Tilke is good for one thing- making tracks beautiful. In fact, if I wanted to create a highly-appreciative road course here in America for F1 to race on, I'll hire Tilke for one reason- make my track beautiful. I'll give him all the money he needs to make a piece of doggie poop into a world-class facility capable of challenging European venues (same thing I say about Barber Motorsports Park). But only under one condition- don't mess up my track's configuration. Help me with designing the amenities around the track, just don't mess with the track. You dig, Tilke player?

So in a long story short, I think it's worse to lose a track altogether. Anyone can mess up any course, but when that course is completely gone, then you throw away many memories, especially if it was a successful track. You never get rid of a race track at the expense of the sport it's famous for holding races for and for what fans appreciate best about the track. Unless a track is unsafe so that no real modifications can save it or if it goes bankrupt, then you can do something about the course. Other than that, Tilke's screwing up of tracks isn't as worse than completely getting rid of a track.

That's my view, but what's yours? You can also look back on North Wilkesboro to continue the main point of this thread.

 

[Mulsanne]

Maybe I'm just a little pissed about the mutilation they're doing to Spa-Francorchamps.

Okay, let's apply the same question to North Wilkesboro. Let's say they tore up the current track and made it a Bristol-like high-banked facility with a spotless infield/garage area, ringed it with grandstands holding 200,000 people and made it look essentially the same as the other circuits in NASCAR. There would still be a race in Wilkes County, Va., but would it be the same?

Ditto on Mr. H. Tilke. And the guy competes at the Nordschleife in the 24 Hours race, so he knows what a real racetrack looks and drives like.

 

[JohnBM01]

Okay... let's do that. With all due respect to North Wilkesboro and the legacy it's left behind (that I don't know in full detail), 200K seats is a bit too much. A whole lot of people are going to have to pack the house like an F1 race or the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I'm pretty sure that if the world wants to see exciting racing, two names come to mind- Daytona, or Indianapolis. Talladega MAY be a third one. I also don't believe you can rig out a "short" track (much less a traditional oval) to have the amemnities of an F1 oval, Indianapolis nonwithstanding.

I would think the racing at North Wilkesboro would be the same, but the feel won't be the same. Then, think about other race series which want to compete on this oval. Think about series such as the ASA, IROC (may as well), ARCA, USAC, and any other series that may race at the course. Will they think it's more like American racing at a classic track that's really grown up, or American racing at a classic track with down home flavor? Some people prefer down-home action, especially in the case of North Wilkesboro and even Bristol. Why give down home a multi-million makeover, thus taking away the down-home feel? This would be like taking the Rose Bowl and turning it into a world-class NFL venue, despite the fact it's been one of the most storied stadiums in college football. So, it WOULDN'T be the same.

And think about it like this. Can you imagine someone like Richard Petty or Cale Yearbrough saying "man. I don't remember seeing this at North Wilkesboro..."?