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Waid’s World: Hope One of NASCAR’s Old ‘Spring Fling’ Might Rise From Rubble

For decades, about this time every year – when the Dogwoods and Azaleas are in full bloom throughout the South – the NASCAR Cup Series schedule consisted of three short track races and one that was at its oldest superspeedway,

Richmond Raceway, sometimes either the second or third race of the year, was the season’s first short track event. It was held in either February or March, and yes, the weather was cold.

But just a few weeks later, what was known as the “Spring Fling” or the “Short Track Swing” began.

It started at Bristol Motor Speedway, moved to Darlington Raceway and then to North Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville Speedway in the following two weeks.

These four tracks represented more than just racing. Three of them – Darlington, North Wilkesboro and Martinsville – were the foundation of NASCAR. They were the sites of some of the very first races staged by the sanctioning body.

Bristol, which came into existence in 1961, was unique. It was unlike any other half-mile track. It was high-banked, which bred speed and mayhem. It quickly became a fan favorite.

After fans got their dose of Bristol’s wild brand of racing, their attention turned to Darlington, perhaps to this day the most revered track in NASCAR. It came into existence in 1950 and presented the sanctioning body’s first superspeedway race: the Southern 500.

For many years, its spring race was known as the Rebel 300 (later 400 and 500) and, while not as well attended as the Southern 500, it was still mean ol’ Darlington, “The Lady in Black,” where a victory meant so much to a driver’s career.

Two weeks afterward, the “Fling” concluded at Martinsville, the short track with long straights and small, tight turns – hence its nickname, “The Paperclip.”

Martinsville was easily the most progressive of the short tracks. It was unmatched when it came to fan and competitor comforts and amenities. Its late founder and president, H. Clay Earles, wanted his track to be “a place where a man can bring his family and have a good, safe time.”

NASCAR founder Bill France had an early arrangement with Earles. If Earles allowed his track to be a part of his new organization, France assured him he would always have a full field of drivers. That happened in 1949, the year Martinsville held its first race in September, making it the Cup circuit’s oldest track still on the schedule.

North Wilkesboro’s races were usually held a week before Martinsville’s. Perhaps no other short track held onto its original appearance and traditions longer.

Its first race was run in 1949, one month after Martinsville. It remained virtually unchanged for years. Indeed, it did make alterations to adopt the changes of technology over the decades – including plumbing – but it was always said that if a fan wanted to experience what racing was like in the ’50s and ’60s, a trip to North Wilkesboro was necessary.

It was a track at which a family could attend a race after church services. Walk up, buy tickets and walk right in.

There were few suites and a small press box – all of which were boxes of wood and glass. Most of the seats were made of metal, save those that made up the Junior Johnson Grandstand on the backstretch. Those were wooden bleachers.

There were plenty of wild races at North Wilkesboro which, like Martinsville, was a competitor favorite. And perhaps no other speedway could offer as many tall tales.

Most of those stories are based on moonshine, rowdy fans and fights. But others … well, they bordered on the unbelievable.

Richard Petty told the story about how he was unwittingly part of a scheme to terrify a fan in the front grandstands who had somehow fallen out of favor with others.

As the story goes, the front catchfence at North Wilkesboro appeared to be little more than reinforced chicken wire. And it left a gap of perhaps three feet above the wall. That proved to be a convenient opening for the perpetrators.

As Petty recalled, “I am pretty sure I was leading the race. As I came down the front straight headed toward the first turn, I saw a body dangling under that chicken wire. It hung out over the track.”

Petty said he was certain he might well hit that body. But before it got into striking range, it was pulled back out of harm’s way.

This happened over several laps. Petty would charge toward the extended body only to have it snatched away before he got to it.

“I saw that it was a few guys poking that poor guy over the track and then pulling him back before I got there,” Petty recalled. “It was like a bullfight or something.”

The episode ended quickly.

Of the tracks that made up the “Fling” for years, North Wilkesboro is the only one no longer on the Cup schedule. Its first race was held in 1949 and won by Bob Flock. Its last was in 1996, won by Jeff Gordon.

The track could not keep up with NASCAR’s progress. It was not in a venue that could match those more well-known and well populated that joined the circuit in the late ’80s and early ’90s. It could not match the expansion of other tracks, including modern amenities and increased seating – although it tried.

So even after some attempts to keep racing alive that existed up until 2011, the track has long been dormant. It is a site of crumbling concrete, rotting wood and overgrown weeds.

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But there are many who want it to be reborn.

For years there has been a group of mostly North Wilkesboro locals who have organized into an entity called Save The Speedway. I do not pretend to know how it operates but I know well its goal of restoring the speedway to reality.

See also
Sky Is Limit for North Wilkesboro After Newfound Hope

Recently, Marcus Smith, the head of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which became the owner of North Wilkesboro, told us he hadn’t “given up hope” on the track. His words were supported by Marcus Lemonis, the Camping World entrepreneur who has a way of investing in what seem to be new, or lost, causes.

What they have said has sprung new hope among the North Wilkesboro faithful.

My thinking is that for North Wilkesboro to come back is going to cost a great deal of money – again, a great deal.

And I will also say that it will never have much of a chance to play host to a Cup race.

But there are other possibilities. I’m certain Smith thinks the same way. And, perhaps, so does NASCAR.

If North Wilkesboro does indeed see racing again, how can anyone disagree with that? After all, does not its past, and its tradition, return to the benefit of race fans?

Time will tell.

Steve Waid has been in  journalism since 1972, when he began his newspaper career at the Martinsville (Va.) Bulletin. He has spent over 40 years in motorsports journalism, first with the Roanoke Times-World News and later as publisher and vice president for NASCAR Scene and NASCAR Illustrated.

Steve has won numerous state sports writing awards and several more from the National Motorsports Press Association for his motorsports coverage, feature and column writing.  For several years, Steve was a regular on “NASCAR This Morning” on FOX Sports Net and he is the co-author, with Tom Higgins, of the biography “Junior Johnson: Brave In Life.”

In January 2014, Steve was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame. And in 2019 he was presented the Squier-Hall Award by the NASCAR Hall of Fame for lifetime excellence in motorsports journalism. In addition to writing for Frontstretch, Steve is also the co-host of The Scene Vault Podcast.

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Joshua W Farmer

I miss North Wilkesboro. Always great racing and a 30 million investment to update it would be great. Take one Pocono date and give it to them. As I read in another article, turn the Busch Clash into a points paying race and give that to Nashville. We could have a schedule in 2023 looking like this:
Richmond
Martinsville
Nashville Fairgrounds
Wilkesboro
Bristol-Dirt
Fontana

A great stretch of short track races to bring back the “short track season.” Fontana last, as it would be the furthest the teams would have to go.

Love your writing Steve W.

JIm

Although not a short track, Rockingham needs to fall into the same category/discussion. It would be great if this track was also somehow returned to one or more of NASCAR’s national series schedules.

Yes, both Wilkesboro and Rockingham would need many cubic dollars invested to allow for a race to be run, but the pandemic has proven one thing…..races can be run as essentially one day shows, with limited or no practice or qualifying, and with zero fans in the stands. So, that’s where the accountants come into play…….can a race be run for a profit at these tracks after substantial track operator investment, and with limited or no fans (not that no fans should even be considered)?

Looking at it another way, the NFL typically schedules games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Why shouldn’t NASCAR consider racing on days of the week other than Friday, Saturday or Sunday? I realize that the logistics are not even remotely the same in pulling off such a tall task, but wouldn’t TV and sponsor partners be interested in expanding the footprint?

I know I’d watch a Wilkesboro or Rockingham race, and possibly even attend them if the circumstances and timing were favorable.

Bill B

“…but the pandemic has proven one thing…..races can be run as essentially one day shows, with limited or no practice or qualifying, and with zero fans in the stands.”

What a terrible premise. Yeah, they CAN be run that way but not profitably. There is no way NASCAR’s and the tracks’ revenue and profit can be anywhere near where it was before Covid. That’s why your premise is so wrong. You have forgotten that they are all in it to make a profit and as large of a profit as possible. You can bet your ass that the tracks missed all those paying customers as did the local economies. You can bet FOX missed advertising dollars for practices and qualifying even though it probably saved the teams money.

Big Tex

I think you have to be more realistic with North Wilkesboro.

Andy Hillenberg spent $4 million to buy Rockingham. There’s no way they spent more than $4 million refurbishing it. It sold at auction in 2016 for $3 million. And that track was ready to race on. Spend a whopping $30 million on North Wilkesboro or spend $8 million on Rockingham to own it and refurbish it? It’s not even close.

And if you’re gonna strip a race from Pocono, which regularly SELLS OUT both races, you’re gonna have to pay for it. Am guessing $5-$10 million for 1 year lease on one date or $70 million+ to buy it from Nick Igdalsky, who’s father is employed by NASCAR. These are ridiculous ideas that make no financial sense.

There has to be better thinking than throwing out pie-in-the-sky ideas. That thinking has been going on for 25 years & that’s why NWS sits moldering.

MJ

Not to mention that both Pocono races are on the same weekend.