Via a link at Jayski, the story can be found here.


There’s good news and bad news for fans of North Wilkesboro Speedway this week.

Speedway Motorsports Incorporated CEO Bruton Smith and New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre -- each of whom own a half-interest in North Wilkesboro -- have signed a deal with a real estate company to negotiate the sale of the track. However, Smith said today that does not necessarily mean the track may be reopened.

Smith said of the potential buyers, “I don't think they're looking at it for racing, but for other events like a major national fiddlers' convention. I hope the buyer is successful in whatever he wishes to do. We'll have to wait and see.”

Smith and Bahre bought North Wilkesboro a decade ago, moving its two NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races to their own tracks. A group called Save The Speedway failed to interest investors in a plan to purchase and reopen the track three years ago, but continues to attempt to raise money for a North Wilkesboro Speedway Monument, to be placed in a public park near the speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

The track held its final race on September 29, 1996, but remains in reasonably good condition. If you’re interested, the price tag is reportedly set at $12 million.

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Michael's grandparents live roughly 2 miles from NWS. His grandpa can tell me stories of the early days of Nascar when his buddies ran the stock cars. He's got a scrapbook full of stuff from the track. Michael can remember going to the mountains on race weekends and seeing all the campers and fans and fanfare.

I wish they'd go back there. I know they won't, I know it's seen it's last races, but I wish -- I really just wish -- that a driver or 3 would say "let's go back to our roots" and buy the damn track themselves. It was a good track, a unique track, and I think it should be preserved and raced at. Even if it only hosts the Truck Series -- I'd buy a ticket to keep the racing alive.

(Junior Johnson lives like, 10 miles down the road from the track. Random fact.)

I think they should try and keep a little of Nascar's history alive

As much as I hate to say it, it will probably be bulldozed and turned into housing. NASCAR history will slowly disappear because they keep selling it all or just not using it. IE Rockingham and North Wilkesboro

The people of Wilkes County won't allow it to be bulldozed. I think they'd rather turn it into a museum than anything. And Wilkes County isn't exactly a booming metropolis -- quite the opposite, it's an area in decline due to the fact that Nascar isn't racing anymore. There's hundred of thousands of open and available acres to build -- they won't be taking the speedway down any time soon.

And Rockingham is still used for racing, just not Nascar. There's drag-racing and testing there, often.

I hope they leave the track there.

:nod

Yeah, that would be nice.