What Y'all have Wanted

[muggle not]

There will be racing again at North Wilkesboro. Starting this Memorial Day weekend, May 30, 2009.

http://www.race22.com/summer2009news/North_Wilkesboro_Ready_to_Rumbl.html

Story by: Corey Latham

North Wilkesboro, NC(May 21, 2009) -- Well, we've all heard the stories before. A potential buyer for the once great North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Every time the people involved have backed out or were never really as interested as we were to believe. A few years ago it went as far as having an actual schedule put out with over 25 events featuring touring series from all across the country. But it too fizzled when the investors backed out.
Since then, when rumors arise about the track, people just shake their head knowing it's not to be. But now Charles Collins(pictured at left in the center between Mike Robertson(left) and Ryan Robertson(right) in top photo), a Georgia business man with big plans for the speedway. And those plans include racing...........within the next two weeks. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Collins to find out exactly what is going on at the track and as a bonus we had the first Late Model on the track in over 15 years to boot.
..................................read on

[harvick#1]

thats awesome, hopefully the CTS or NBS can make a return soon

[RaceFanStan]

I always liked North Wilkesboro, it will be good to see stockcar racing back on the track.
I also hope SPEED or ESPN step-up & give us some good tv coverage. :D

It may not be NASCAR but you can expect some of the future stars come from the Super-Late & Late Models.
It will be where the budding up & coming stockcar drivers can get their seat-time.

I am happy to see someone look to keep alive the tracks that made NASCAR great ...
unlike Bruton Smith who's only interest in buying tracks is to take their racedates. :s

[Mark in Oshawa]

I always liked North Wilkesboro, it will be good to see stockcar racing back on the track.
I also hope SPEED or ESPN step-up & give us some good tv coverage. :D

It may not be NASCAR but you can expect some of the future stars come from the Super-Late & Late Models.
It will be where the budding up & coming stockcar drivers can get their seat-time.

I am happy to see someone look to keep alive the tracks that made NASCAR great ...
unlike Bruton Smith who's only interest in buying tracks is to take their racedates. :s


Bob Bahre was one of those villans on this deal too Stan, don't let that slide.

That said, most people in the sport knew this track along with the Rock didn't make sense in the modern era when NASCAR wanted to go markets in the north and west. A short track with 50000 seats at best wasn't a money maker compared to the modern race tracks with 100000 plus seats. This is just the way things are in business, and that is as American as apple pie and your mom.

Good on someone getting their hands on this place and making it a race track again. I never got why Bruton and Bahre couldn't sell the track to someone to operate as a local facility. Mothballing it the way they did was what I had issue with.

[jeffconn]

Color me a tad skeptical.

NWS is a track that hasn't seen racing in 13 years. I read somewhere that the restrooms were pretty nasty back when it hosted Cup racing. How bad is the condition of the track or the facilities NOW?

And they are going to have racing on the same night as all the local tracks with just a few weeks of planning. That's going to limit your field, and your audience.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Jeff...I was wondering the same, but I have never been there, so I was not going to comment...

[muggle not]

Yeah, I am also a little skeprical. However, the track actually looks not too bad. Check out the test video. As far as the restrooms, they are planning on portable potty's as a last resort. Now that must be a stinking time.
http://race22.smugmug.com/gallery/8289904_4eujr#542785725_NUCWA

[RaceFanStan]

Looks like some milling & resurfacing would make the track surface good ...
some clean-up, fresh paint, inspect & repair the seats & hardware ...
check the wiring, turn on the power & water, make sure the plumbling works ...
plan some events & open the ticket office, then LET'S GO SHORT-TRACK RACING BOYS !!! :D

[muggle not]

Racing at North Wilkesboro? Nobody was more surprised than Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith when a reporter suggested there would be racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway (http://www.savethespeedway.net/) this weekend [May 29-30]. "You told me something I didn't know," Smith said. He paused, then added, "You sure? Anybody going to be there?" If anybody knew the answer it would be Smith, who owns the track that hosted two Sprint Cup races a year until 1996. It has been silent since. "I own the place and it's for sale, but I did not know there was going to be anything there," Smith said. "The last time I saw it, it was just slowly returning to the earth."ESPN[ (http://insider.espn.go.com/rpm/features/rumors)(5-28-2009)

[harvick#1]

the track still looks in good shape from the pics, but the one thing thats really cool, seeing the old school Winston Cup Series logos on the walls :D back when Nascar was a racing series and not a commercial series.

heres to the best for North Wilkesboro Speedway and I hope Bruton Smith doesn't screw anything up

[The instant classic]

are you guys sure? i havent heard nascar talk about this, at all?
the past 2 races i never hear athing in pre-race

[jeffconn]

Here's a followup on this story. Apparently Charles Collins, who was renting NWS, was a scam artist. The promised race never happened.

Man Charged After Promised Reality Show Fails To Happen

Suspect Promised To Reopen North Wilkesboro Speedway

http://www.wxii12.com/news/19983635/detail.html