Wide Open Sports

& the NASCAR Community’s Efforts to Preserve Them

NASCAR’s inaugural season began in 1949 when Bill France Sr.- a promoter originally from the Washington DC area with a background in racing- organized an eight race schedule of dirt and sand race tracks across the East Coast, primarily around the areas of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Of the original eight race tracks on the 1949 schedule, only two remain today- Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway. Martinsville is now considered one of NASCAR’s most historic and revered short tracks, having hosted events every year since 1947. North Wilkesboro, however, was once on the brink of extinction.

North Wilkesboro Speedway was built in 1946 by Enoch Staley, a native of Antioch, in Wilkes County, North Carolina. During construction of the speedway, Enoch Staley supposedly ran out of money, leading to the frontstretch having a unique downhill slope and the backstretch having an uphill slope. Enoch Staley owned and operated the facility until his death in 1995. Following his death, the track was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) but sat unused for years due to its outdated facilities and small capacity of 34,000. In late 2019, Dale Earnhardt Jr. organized a small group of volunteers to clear out overgrown vegetation so that the track could be scanned and immortalized in the online racing community- iRacing. In 2021, after the outbreak of COVID-19, the state of North Carolina allocated $18 million in relief funds to Wilkes County via the American Rescue Plan to modernize the track and stimulate the local economy. Together, contractors and SMI installed modern internet, a sound system, a catch fence, and SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barriers. They renovated the infield, suites, media center, and fan concourse, and also built a new hospitality center in turn four. Thanks to these improvements, NASCAR was able to host the 2023 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and then held its first points-paying race there on July 19th, 2026, almost thirty years after its closure.

ROCKINGHAM SPEEDWAY

Rockingham was built 1965 and held events until 2004 when NASCAR shifted to other markets outside the Southeast US. A real estate investor named Dan Lovenheim purchased Rockingham Speedway in 2018. The same relief funding that benefited North Wilkesboro Speedway also went to Rockingham Speedway in 2021 when the local government received $9 million from the North Carolina State government as part of the American Rescue Plan. Dan Lovenheim used the funds to repave the track and upgrade the infield and media center. After a successful return to the track when the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series raced there in 2025, Dan Lovenheim sold Rockingham Speedway to IHRA (the International Hot Rod Association) owned by Darry Cuttell. The track appeared to operate as usual in 2026, but it was announced on August 14th that NASCAR would not return to Rockingham in 2027 due to track uncertainty. Darryl Cuttell and the IHRA previously announced on July 10th that the remainder of the 2026 IHRA Nitro Drag Racing Series and IHRA Stock Car Series were canceled, with many teams, vendors, and staff noting they had not received payment for the previous week’s event. A dark cloud currently looms over Rockingham Speedway, with a once-promising revival now shrouded in legal battles.

GREENVILLE-PICKENS SPEEDWAY

Greenville-Pickens Speedway is located in Easley, South Carolina. The track was built in 1946 as a dual-purpose horse and auto racing track. Although the NASCAR Cup Series stopped racing there in 1971, Greenville-Pickens has held NASCAR-sanctioned events as recently as 2017 when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East last raced there. The track sat abandoned for many years until the CARS Tour owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr returned to the track briefly in 2020. In 2023, with no races scheduled at the track, plans were made to build an industrial park on the speedway land. As of now, the track is for sale. Many grassroots efforts are currently being made by social media personalities like Dale Earnhardt Jr and Youtube creator, S1apsh0es to save the speedway.

NAZARETH SPEEDWAY

The most unlikely track to be resurrected is Nazareth Speedway. Once a dirt track opened in 1966, Roger Penske purchased it in 1986 and converted it to a paved oval. Though the NASCAR Cup Series never held a points race there, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Busch Series) raced there annually from 1988 to 2004. In 1999, Penske Motorsports merged with ISC (International Speedway Corporation). ISC closed the facility in 2004 and the grandstands were disassembled and used at tracks like Watkins Glen and Michigan International Speedway. The track was purchased in 2015 by Raceway Properties LLC but hope for a revival remains low due to a clause in the purchase that states racing remains banned from returning to the facility.

MILWAUKEE MILE

The Milwaukee Mile was developed in 1876 as a horse-racing track. It was purchased in 1891 as the permanent site of the Wisconsin State Fair. It first held motorsports events in 1903 and quickly became known as the race held immediately after the Indianapolis 500. To this day, the Indycar Series hosts a double-header event there in the early Fall. NASCAR initially left the Milwaukee Mile in 2009 after poor ticket sales and financial instability of race promotors in favor of Road America in nearby Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. NASCAR briefly returned to the Milwaukee Mile in 2023 and 2024 with the Craftsman Truck Series after a 13 year hiatus but it did not return in 2025 due to scheduling conflicts with the Wisconsin State Fair.

NASHVILLE FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY

The Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway was first developed in 1903 as a “horseless carriage” and motorcycle track. NASCAR began racing there in 1958, with the last Cup Series race held in 1984. The ARCA/Menards Series began racing there in 2021 and continues to hold an annual event there every May. There was controversy recently when a coalition called, “Restore Our Fairgrounds,” produced a petition aimed at banning auto racing at the Nashville Fairgrounds to replace it with affordable housing and other traditional fair activities. An opposing coalition called, “Decline to Sign,” has created a rival petition claiming the “Restore Our Fairgrounds” petition used unclear and confusing language in its attempts to gain signatures. Dale Earnhardt Jr has also lent support to the track recently, advocating for sound barrier walls to help dampen the noise of the track during races.